Volume 6, Winter 2002

This issue of FACTS is dedicated to the topic of Universal Design (UD) as applied to learning. UD originated in architectural design as way of removing barriers and making physical environments accessible. Just as stairs create unnecessary barriers for some individuals, traditional curriculum also creates unnecessary barriers for some students. This issue provides you with current information and resources on this exciting new way of teaching and learning. Digital texts, multiple modalities, and brain research provide educators ways of creating opportunities for all children to engage in learning -- as they never have before. Explore the articles and links; we would love to know what you think!

Index of Articles

Universal Design Overviews

More Than Promising: Universal Design for Learning, Technology, and Brain Research Raise Hopes for Engaging All Learners

We find ourselves at the center of rethinking how we do business in schools, how we envision what instruction is all about, and how we identify what is important for each child to know, learn, and be able to do. Education, as we know it, is on the verge of exciting transformation.

Universal Design for Learning: From the Start

In the early '90's, educators realized there were similarities between the difficulties accessing buildings and the difficulties many children faced accessing learning through books. Their work, moving from the more limited traditional book format to more flexible multimedia and hypermedia software, helped illustrate that digitizing tools could reach more learners.

Introductory Facts About the Brain

Are students today having more difficulty learning than in previous generations? We never had terms like ADHD, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Oppositional Defiant Disorder ...in our grandparents' day. Teachers pose variations of this question often as we attempt to understand and work with challenging student behavior.

Technology

Technology Resources for the Universally Designed Classroom

With increased access to computer technology, improvements in software and availability of digitized text, classroom environments are reflecting this evolution. Using the philosophy of Universal Design many educators are embedding the use high and low-tech technology into the lesson planning process to help meet the needs of diverse students.

Quality Indicators for Consideration of Assistive Technology Needs

Quality indicators as well as web resources for assistive technology are provided here.

Digital Text: Holding Promise for Diverse Learners

Questions and answers about digital text--what it is, how it works, how it benefits all learners.

The University of Maine’s "Universal Access for the Web" Help Site

Could Helen Keller read your website? That's not a joke. If she were alive today, she could read your website...but only if you designed your website according the principles of universal accessibility for the web.

Challenging Behavior

Challenging Behavior: Supporting Students' Curricular and Social Participation in General Education Classrooms

The Student Assistance Team Unit at Maine Department of Education invites your SAT to collaborate with The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion (CCI) in an opportunity for professional development regarding students with challenging behavior.

Assessment

Universal Design Makes Assessments Fairer and More Accurate

There is a revolution happening at test development centers around the nation and around the world. Principles of Universal design are being applied to one of the most influential aspects of education – assessment.

Universal Design and Maine’s Personalized Alternate Assessment Portfolio (PAAP)

Good assessments are now constructed with the principles of Universal Design in mind, and Maine’s Personal Alternate Assessment Portfolio (PAAP) is no exception. The PAAP is an alternative avenue for about 1% of Maine students to participate in the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA).

Additional Resources

Access More Information About Technology and Universal Design Online!!

Additional resources about technology and universal design are available here.

Welcome to FACTS Online, the web based newsletter of LEARNS, Maine’s Statewide Systems Change Initiative for Inclusive Education, a collaborative effort of the Maine Department of Education and The University of Maine’s Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, Maine’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research & Service. LEARNS provides technical assistance, support and information on inclusive educational practice in schools and early care environments. You may remember having received our FACTS newsletter in your mailbox at school over the last few years. This year, FACTS has a new electronic look. We hope you find this issue useful and welcome your comments and feedback at: ccidsmail@umit.maine.edu.

This is an official publication of The University of Maine
A member of the University of Maine System

Updated: 01/11/2007