Chapter Eleven: Educational Technology/Assistive Technologies and Universal Design

In the video, the instructors discuss universal design in education. Universal design in education is the application of technology to make it accessible to all students. The faculty member discusses the importance of accessility of technology for students with disabilities. He then discussed how accomodations can be made to make technology more accessible. A universal design textbook could work with a student with cognitive disabilities by making the information more readily accessible for the student through explaining the information in terms that the student can understand, utilizing pictures and less text with the press of a button. A universal design textbook could be adjusted to meet the needs of the student, which is important for all students, including both students with disabilities as well as students at an advanced level. For students with physical disabilities, such as visually impaired, the universal design textbook can have enlarged text as an option, as well as an option for reading the text aloud to the student. Through the use of universal design, the classroom is far more accessible for all students because it can create a more "individualized" learning experience for the student. In universal design, options allow for different students' needs, such as different reading levels. This is important in a classroom that includes students of different learning styles and levels. I think that universal design in education is beneficial because it meets the needs of those students who would not otherwise be able to participate in the class. For example, students with a lower reading level than that of the textbook would otherwise be forced to struggle in the classroom or become bored and distracted because of the lack of understanding. However, with universal design, teachers are able to have textbooks that are adjustable to the students' level or understanding. I think that universal design would help me in my classroom because it would help allow me to involve all of the students in the lesson. Rather than struggling to help those students who do not quite understand what the textbook is referring to, I would be able to encourage the students who now understand the text because it is at their level.