[1] Universal Design for learning is a set of principles that provide teachers with a structure to develop instructions to meet the diverse needs of all learners.
The emphasis is placed on equal access to curriculum by all students and the accountability required by IDEA 2004 and No Child Left Behind legislation has presented a need for a practice that will accommodate all learners.
[8] On the other hand, UDI practices promoted by the DO-IT Center operationalize both UD and UDL principles to help educators maximize the learning of all students.
[9] In 2006, representatives from more than two dozen educational and disability organizations in the US formed the National Universal Design for Learning Taskforce.
[12] Coppola et al. provide phenomenological evidence that learners with a variety of needs find UDL helpful for their learning.
[13] Assistive technology (AT) is a pedagogical approach that can be used to enforce universal design for learning (UDL) in the inclusive classroom.
Around the center of this spectrum, AT and UDL overlap such that student individual needs are addressed within the context of the larger curriculum, ideally without segregation or exclusion.
[18] Low-tech devices include graphic organizers, visual aids, grid or stylized paper, and pencil grips, among others.
The UDL framework promotes a flexible curriculum, which would be further supported by the implementation of various assistive technologies depending on the need of the student.
However, from a UDL perspective, the teacher recognizes that the current version of the curriculum does not acknowledge forms of expression aside from manual writing.
[20] Generally, teachers and other staff members need to consider the students' internal and external factors when implementing AT devices or services.