Article: Assistive
Technology and Universal Design for Learning: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Universal Design for
Learning (UDL) & Assistive Technology (AT) are like peanut butter and jam.
Terrible analogy, but when it comes to a sandwich, one is nothing without the
other- sorry. While it is important that the two are not considered the same,
AT has a profound impact on the success of UDL in the classroom. UDL is
certainly the direction of education; differentiated instruction is an
essential practice, but done in isolation is often exhausting for the teacher
and causes a certain level of detachment for the student. With its origins in
architecture, UDL in education seeks to make all aspects of education universally accessible and inclusive.
This article provides a
clear breakdown between the paradigms of AT and UDL. From a UDL perspective of
learning, current curriculum has multiple barriers. Conventional written text
as an example raises barriers of literacy and engagement for many students.
While individual adaptations using AT help overcome some barriers, a universally
designed multimedia text that offers many viewing and audio options combined
with content that can be manipulated is far more inclusive. This
alternative representation of curriculum reduces the emphasizes on decoding for
reluctant readers and text that can speak aloud reduces frustration for
dyslexic and visually impaired students.
As mentioned in the article,
the success of UDL is directly connected to accessibility of learning materials.
Copyright law and the cost of producing multiple representations is a large
factor that is impeding progress according to the research presented in the
text. However, iBooks Textbooks for the iPad mini is an emerging resource that
is an example of UDL. Reviewing this app in class was a huge eye opener- the
interactive nature of multimedia oriented texts is impressive and will change
the way curricular content is shared with students.
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