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Universal
Design in
Education

Universal Design Infusion of Technology and Evaluation for Accessible Campuses of Higher Education (UD ITEACH) is the third generation Demonstration Grant To Ensure that Students With Disabilities Receive a Quality Higher Education, housed in the R2D2 Center at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. This website describes the Project activities and strategies. Weekly discussions are posted that pertain to issues of infusing Universal Design in Higher Education, including designing and providing accessible learning technologies, questioning what defines universally design and environments, and determining "Best Practices" for infusing universal design on campuses. Development of this site is ongoing, but users are invited to join the discussion topics.

In this fully referenced article, the authors discuss digital access problems and a "digital divide" where people with disabilities are "unable to access content or functions on the Internet, even with assistive technologies that allow them to do so." This article addresses how to serve all constituents, issues regarding the policies of higher education institutions, how to add value, goals, and the need for leadership "to guide institutions in fundamentally committing to UDDE throughout all levels of the enterprise." The article was made possible from a Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education grant.

The Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities, established by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, brought together government leaders, representatives from the publishing industry, individuals with print disabilities, representatives from institutions of higher education and leaders in accessible technology. The Commission studied the current state of accessible materials for students with disabilities in postsecondary education and made recommendations to the U.S. Congress for improving access to and the distribution of instructional materials in accessible formats. This is the first commission and report (2011) of this type examining accessible instructional materials for postsecondary students with disabilities.

This 13 minute video informs regarding Universal Design for Learning (UDL). "Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles and techniques for creating inclusive classroom instruction and accessible course materials." This web page also contains several UDL teaching resources and technical modules.

This website contains the University of Wisconsin System's formal statement regarding universal design.

Results of a survey of a cross section of 208 internet users throughout the UK with disabilities which affect the way they use the internet, comprising the visually impaired/blind, hearing impaired/deaf, physically disabled, and those with dyslexia/learning difficulties. Top 5 ANNOYANCES for users and top 5 most useful features are reported in this one-page article from OUT-LAW News.

"The GOALS project (Gaining Online Accessible Learning through Self-Study) (found on this website) centers on the development, evaluation, and dissemination of materials and processes in web accessibility that institutions of education and accrediting bodies can use in their efforts to ensure that online content is accessible to all users." This project is creating many resources and offers more links connected to universal design in higher education.

"This bibliography is intended to serve as a general resource on disability for higher education professionals." This document is a non annoted list of resources generated by the University of Minnesota.

An on-line professional training program. The purpose of this program is to support postsecondary faculty and staff by providing information on ways to improve postsecondary education outcomes for students with disabilities." Includes a pre-test and 20 question mastery test for a Completion Certificate."

This wiki includes free tools for "Supporting Every Learner". PBworks is a provider of hosted collaboration solutions for business and education.

Details the historical root of UDL by detailing the early work of the Center for UDL at North Carolina State University and CAST. This website provides Universal Design Instruction principles, guidelines, and examples.