Universal Design

Universal design is a conceptual framework for designing and developing inclusive environments.  It stems from the attitude that environments are disabling to individuals and that they could be designed in ways that are usable by a majority of people with a variety of personal differences.  Universal design reframes the concept of accessibility from “special features for a few” to “good design for many”. 

For over 30 years postsecondary educational institutions have been mandated to remove the barriers that individuals with disabilities face in accessing programs and services.  Most commonly this mandate has been addressed through the provision of reasonable accommodations that retrofit inaccessible physical and learning environments to make them usable by individuals with disabilities.  This approach, while effective for allowing participation, often has the side effects of segregation, stigmatism, extra work and additional cost.  More recently, universal design is being considered as a way to address issues of access and alleviate the need for individual accommodations. 

Some of the advantages of approaching access to courses through a universal design model are summarized in the following chart:

Accommodation Model	Universal Design Model
Access to course material is a problem for individual students and should be addressed by the student and Disability Resources	Access issues stem from an inaccessible curriculum and can be addressed by the instructor as a part of the design of the course presentation and requirements
Access is achieved through accommodations and retrofitting existing requirements	The course is designed, to the greatest extent possible, to be usable by all students
Access is retroactive	Access is proactive
Access is often provided in a separate location or through special treatment	Access is inclusive
Access must be reconsidered for each new student in each course, i.e. is consumable	Access, as part of the design of the course, is sustainable