Universal design for learning in action

• In Event: Supporting the adoption of universal design for learning in low- and middle-income countries

Proposal

Building on USAID’s commitment to disability-inclusive education and the promotion of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in all new education programs, Inclusive Development Partners (IDP) will present applied examples of UDL in action in five current USAID-funded education programs that span education-levels from primary to post-secondary. Many governments, donors, and implementing partners struggle to identify how to initiate inclusive practices in school systems with limited resourcing and/or available support staff. UDL is an approach to learning, teaching, and assessment design that is proactive in addressing the varied strengths and needs of every learner in the learning environment. This presentation will explore lessons learned from implementing UDL programs, providing examples of each UDL principle (designing for engagement, representation, and action and expression) from within the following contexts:

- Primary Education in Malawi and Bangladesh
- Middle School in Morocco
- Non-Formal Learning Centers in Nigeria
- Post-secondary Pre-Service Training in Liberia

Examples of UDL programming stem from stakeholder feedback via interviews and focus groups, observations of teaching practices, and formative assessments. While learner performance data is not (yet) available for these programs, the presentation will include lessons learned as shared by teachers who have been trained on UDL, as well as by IDP technical staff who have monitored or supported these efforts.

UDL in action varies by context and the needs of stakeholders. The following themes that have emerged from applied practice include: the importance of listening and responding to government need, coordinating multiple evidence-based practices (UDL, accelerated learning, and social-emotional learning), light touch approaches for continued classroom application, supporting UDL practices in advanced grades, and embedding UDL in pre-service education to build sustainability. Finally, the presentation will discuss approaches for how UDL can be used to support teachers in developing countries who are working with diverse groups of learners by sharing ways that teachers make meaning of UDL, and the reflections from their process of implementing inclusion for the first time.

Authors

• Valerie Karr, Inclusive Development Partners

• Hayley Niad, Inclusive Development Partners