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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Coming soon! UDL Guidelines 3.0

The UDL Guidelines are a living, dynamic tool that is continuously developed based on new research and feedback from practitioners. In 2020, CAST launched our most recent effort to update the UDL Guidelines, with a specific focus on equity. There has been a strong call from the field-both practitioners and researchers alike-to more fully develop the Guidelines to address critical barriers rooted in biases and systems of oppression. The current update aims to respond to this call and to work toward fulfilling the promise of the Guidelines as a tool to guide the design of learning environments that more fully honor and value every learner.

Since our launch in 2020, we have been committed to a community-driven, inclusive, and transparent updating process. As part of this effort, we are:

Collaborating with an Advisory Board, a UDL Guidelines Collaborative, and a Young Adult Advisory Board to guide our work

Conducting focus groups with a diversity of participants to learn from their perspectives, lived experiences, and feedback

Reviewing the research on the UDL Guidelines research pages to understand the balance of different research fields, methodological approaches, epistemological approaches, and author positionalities

Conducting literature reviews of equity-oriented research that connect to and extend the Guidelines, such as disability studies and critical pedagogy studies

We are excited to share this next iteration of the UDL Guidelines in 2024. If you are interested in receiving our UDL Guidelines 3.0 newsletter to stay updated on our progress and to share your ideas and perspectives, please complete this brief form.

Review the Summary

Explore the Full Draft

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST.

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WATI Assistive Technology Decision Making Guide

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dictation demo video GAFE Accessibility Training

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dictation demo video GAFE Accessibility Training

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dictation demo video GAFE Accessibility Training

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full screen magnifier GAFE Accessibility Training

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full screen magnifier GAFE Accessibility Training

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full screen magnifier GAFE Accessibility Training

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high contrast mode GAFE Accessibility training

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high contrast mode GAFE Accessibility training

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high contrast mode GAFE Accessibility training

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docked magnifier GAFE Accessibility Training

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docked magnifier GAFE Accessibility Training

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docked magnifier GAFE Accessibility Training

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Tutorial videos on how to use Kami tools

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Meet Google Drive - One place for all your files

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Google Drive is a free way to keep your files backed up and easy to reach from any phone, tablet, or computer. Start with 15GB of Google storage - free.

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Interactive Google Slides for SLP & AAC Teletherapy

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How to make a free game board in Google Slides and add AAC SymbolStix or LAMP WFL icons.

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AAC /AT Virtual Assessment Ideas Using Google Slides and Pear Deck

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Modeling AAC in Google Meet during teletherapy

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How to add AAC symbol pathways and screen captures to google slides plus more!

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Organizing SLP Teletherapy in Google Slides

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Google Classroom for AAC: How to structure trainings and activities

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UMN College of Continuing & Professional Studies

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Using Closed Captions in Zoom to Support Multilingual Learners

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Zoom: Accessibility Features & ADA Compliance

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As technology has evolved, so have accessible educational materials (AEM). Today, AEM encompasses both print and tech-based materials such as websites, ebooks, podcasts, and videos. Regardless of the format, educational materials are accessible when they have been designed or enhanced in a way that makes them usable to the greatest range of learner variability. For more information about this definitiion of AEM, see What are AEM and Accessible Technologies?

A fully accessible experience also requires that the tools and systems used to deliver AEM are accessible. The two sides of the accessibility coin need to work in concert for learners to enjoy the level of access they need to make progress in the learning experience.

AEM from Print

Print-based educational materials are those that have been converted into specialized formats. The four specialized formats for print materials are braille, large print, audio and digital text. The AEM Center has developed decision-making tools to guide you in the determination of need, selection, acquisition and use of print-based educational materials:

AEM Navigator: facilitates the decision-making process for specialized formats by collecting all decisions and supporting information entered by a team and creating a summary that can be printed or saved to a local computer.

AEM Explorer: simulates many of the access features common to most text readers and supported reading software along with grade-leveled text, in a free downloadable tool.

AEM Guide to AMPs: in-depth information about Accessible Media Producers (AMPs), entities that are authorized to produce materials in specialized formats (braille, large print, audio and digital text) for students who are dually qualified (meet copyright criteria and are served under IDEA).

While these resources were developed with print in mind, the decision-making process (determination of need, selection, procurement, and use) can be helpful for digital materials as well.

AEM Born Digital

In addition to print-based textbooks and other related printed core materials, educators and instructors can now use websites, ebooks, podcasts, and videos as tech-based resources to support learning. These are all media-rich digital sources of content that can incorporate not just text, but graphics, audio and video. With a rich palette to choose from, educators and instructors can not only present information in a visually appealing and engaging way, they can also provide the options diverse learners need to process information in the way that works best for each of them. The following resources will guide you through the procurement and use of high quality digital accessible educational materials:

Acquisition of AEM: learn about best practices for buying accessible, and the top questions to ask publishers when considering accessibility for procurement. This section also includes the PALM Initiative, a market-based effort to increase the availability of digital accessible educational materials.

Use of AEM: information about the reading tools and strategies (such as audio-supported reading) that can help learners get the most benefit from high quality digital accessible educational materials.

AEM Born Accessible

While digital materials tend to be more flexible than printed ones, if accessibility is not considered from the start, these materials can present many of the same barriers as their print-based counterparts. To put it another way, born digital does not necessarily mean born accessible.

Retrofitting digital resources to make them accessible is difficult or next to impossible. For this reason, it is important that accessibility be considered from the start when digital materials are developed. The following AEM Center resources will help you develop more accessible digital educational materials:

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As technology has evolved, so have accessible educational materials (AEM). Today, AEM encompasses both print and tech-based materials such as websites, ebooks, podcasts, and videos. Regardless of the format, educational materials are accessible when they have been designed or enhanced in a way that makes them usable to the greatest range of learner variability.

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Interactive tools that can be used by teams to help with decisions about accessible instructional materials, including 1) identification of student need, 2) selection of specialized formats, 3) acquisition of specialized formats, and 4) determination of supports for use of AIM ( technology, strategies, etc.) for participation and achievement.

The AEM Navigator facilitates the process of decision-making about specialized formats of print instructional materials for an individual student by IEP or other decision-making teams. The four major decision points in the process include 1) determination of need, 2) selection of format(s), 3) acquisition of formats, and 4) selection of supports for use. The AEM Navigator provides extensive support for decision-making at each point by providing guiding questions, resources, and links to other tools. The AEM Navigator collects all decisions and all supporting information entered by a team and creates a summary that can be printed or saved to a local computer, along with a running To Do List.

The AEM Explorer is a free downloadable simulation tool that combines grade-leveled digital text with access features common to most text readers and supported reading software. Settings for magnification, colors of text and background, text-to-speech (synthetic and human), text highlighting, and layout options can be manipulated to help educators, families, and struggling readers decide ways in which these supports can be configured to help with access to and understanding of text. The AEM Explorer collects information and prepares a summary that can be printed or saved to a local computer.

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Interactive tools that can be used by teams to help with decisions about accessible instructional materials, including 1) identification of student need, 2) selection of specialized formats, 3) acquisition of specialized formats, and 4) determination of supports for use of AIM ( technology, strategies, etc.) for participation and achievement.

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By customizing the display of information, you can reduce the effort it takes for your learners to read the information in web pages, ebooks and other digital content. Your learners can then dedicate more of their mental resources to actually understanding the content.

The good news is that many of the features that previously required the purchase and installation of specialized software are now often included as standard options on the devices many of your learners already own. This makes the process of finding a good feature match for a learner that much easier (and less costly).

Customizing the Display of Information

A good place to start exploring the many options for customizing the display of information is the web browser your learners use to access information on the Web. Most browsers now include a reading view for removing distractions and customizing the appearance of a web page:

In Apple's Safari brower the reading view is called Safari Reader. Activating Safari Reader will show you a less cluttered version of the page, without ads and site navigation that could be distracting to some readers. Safari Reader also provides some options for customizing the appearance of the page, such as changing the background and text color and resizing the text.

In Microsoft's Edge browser, the reading view is called Immersive Reader. It includes a number of options for customizing the appearance of the information along a number of literacy supports.

In Google Chrome, a number of extensions are available to adjust the display of information. One example is the Read and Write for Google extension, which has a Simplify feature with a number of display options.

E-reading apps provide even more options, including:

Text resizing: This option will only be available for some formats, such as EPUB, that allow content to reflow. Formats such as PDF have the text size set by the author.

Font selection: Choosing cleaner, sans-serif fonts can be helpful to some readers. Sans serif fonts do not have extra ornamentation at the end of their strokes, which makes them easier to read at smaller text sizes. Some e-readers also feature special fonts such as Open Dyslexic that are designed for learners with dyslexia, but research on the efficacy of these fonts is not conclusive yet.

Themes: The default setting of a white background with dark text may not provide sufficient contrast for some readers who have low vision, but it may provide too much contrast for others who have reading difficulties. Changing the theme can help, with options such as a dark background with light text for those with low vision, and a sepia (warm tone) one for those who need less contrast. Some apps allow even more options, with color pickers that allow the reader to select specific colors.

Flexible spacing: The default spacing may not be sufficient for some readers with dyslexia who experience crowding, where lines or characters that are too close to each other appear to run into each other. Adding some spacing can help. This can be line spacing, character spacing or even word spacing in some apps.

Adjustable Margins: For some readers with peripheral vision issues, it may be helpful to increase the margins so that more of the content appears near the middle where their vision is stronger.

Justification: Justified text has additional character and word spacing added so that the text falls flush with both margins. The additional space can be distracting to some readers, who may want to turn it off and read left-justified text only.

Reading guides: Some e-readers have a special focused reading mode where only a few lines of the text are visible while the rest of the screen is masked out to remove distractions.

The Center for Inclusive Software for Learning (CISL) at CAST has done extensive research into digital learning supports as part of its development of Clusive, a flexible, adaptive, and customizable digital learning environment.

Using Read Aloud

A read aloud or text-to-speech feature can help a number of readers: those who struggle with decoding, those with visual impairments, and those who speak English as a second language. When word and sentence highlighting are available, it can also help learners focus their attention while reading. In the past, text-to-speech often required the installation of a separate program. Today, many devices used in schools include text-to-speech as a standard option:

On the iPad, the Spoken Content features (found under Accessibiility in the Settings app) provide two options for using text-to-speech: your learners can select some text to have it read aloud (Speak Selection) or they can have the entire contents of the screen read to them (Speak Screen). Your learners can turn on word and sentence highlighting, select from a number of voices and adjust the speaking rate. A feature similar to Speak Selection is available on the Mac, where it is activated with a simple keyboard shortcut once it is enabled in the System Preferences.

On a Chromebook, Select-to-speak works in a similar way: learners can select some text to have it read aloud with their chosen text-to-speech voice. A number of extensions (add-ons for the Chrome web browser) are also available. For example, the Read and Write for Google extension has a trial period, but the text-to-speech feature remains free for learners even after the trial is over.

Windows devices only include a screen reader called Narrator intended for learners with visual impairments, but text-to-speech is available within individual apps. For example, your learners can use the Immersive Reader built into the Microsoft Edge web browser and a number of Office applications to hear text read aloud.

Smart speakers running the Alexa personal assistants support a number of commands for reading Kindle books with text-to-speech or Audible audiobooks with human narration. Similarly, devices running Google Home can read audiobooks purchased on the Google Play Books store. These devices will often recognize the voices built into augmentative and alternative (AAC) apps for those learners who use them to communicate.

Try it yourself

Ready to explore some of the above features that are built into your technology? Here are some things to try.

Remove distractions while you read

A lot of web pages include content that can get in the way of keeping you focused on your reading. Advertisements are a good example of this. Wouldn't it be nice to clear a web page of everything except what you need to learn? You can! Try it.

If you use Safari on your iPad or Mac: try Safari Reader

If you use a Chromebook: try free extension such as Mercury Reader

If you Microsoft Edge on Windows: try Immersive Reader

Customize how you view the information

Most of us look at a web page without thinking about our own preferences for how it might appear. Did you know you have options? Give them a try. Be sure to make note of what works well.

If you use Safari on your iPad or Mac: try the display options built into Safari Reader

If you use use a Chromebook: try a free extension such as Deluminate or Visor in your Chrome browser

If you use Microsoft Edge on Windows: try Immersive Reader

Hear the content read aloud

Did you know your device can become your own personal reader? And best of all, it is available anytime you need it and often works along with the other options you've already explored to provide a truly personalized reading experience just for you!

If you use an iPad or Mac: try the Spoken Content features.

If you use a Chromebook: try the Select-to-speak feature built into your device or install the trial for the Read and Write for Google extension.

If you use Microsoft Edge on Windows: try the Immersive Reader.

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By customizing the display of information, you can reduce the effort it takes for your learners to read the information in web pages, ebooks and other digital content. Your learners can then dedicate more of their mental resources to actually understanding the content.

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A key point regarding the use of accessible educational materials and technologies (AEM) is that they provide access to learning content and activities, diminish the impact of sensory, physical and cognitive disabilities, and offer opportunities to improve learning. It is important to recognize, however, that access to content does not, by itself, guarantee a quality learning experience. Paying closer attention to the ways in which students interact with AIM and to insights from the learning sciences can inform efforts to improve the quality of learning experiences for all learners, including students with print-related disabilities.

Provisions introduced to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004 help to improve the delivery of accessible instructional materials (AIM) to students with print-related disabilities. The AEM Center is responsible for supporting the implementation of AIM but now also supports the use of all accessible educational materials and technologies (AEM). This includes print sourced materials, those which are born digital and the technology used to deliver them to the learner. It also includes other accessible technologies used to support learning and communications.

Note Regarding AEM & AIM

AIM [emphasis on INSTRUCTIONAL] is defined under IDEA, section 612(a)(23) and pertains to print sourced textbooks, core related instructional materials and accessible materials that are produced from those sources. SEAs/ LEAs are required to comply with provisions related AIM.

The term AEM [emphasis on EDUCATIONAL] as authorized under 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v) and sections 674 and 681(d) of the IDEA (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) means print- and technology-based educational materials, including printed and electronic textbooks and related core materials that are required by SEAs and LEAs for use by all students, produced or rendered in accessible media, written and published primarily for use in early learning programs, elementary, or secondary schools to support teaching and learning. AEM also includes the technologies used to deliver educational materials and activities.

Related Resources from the AEM Center

Additional Resources

Advancing Deeper Learning Under ESSA: Seven Priorities
Rafael Heller & Carol Gerwin
Turning the Corner Post-Conference Brief
This brief recommends seven ways for supporters of deeper learning to take advantage of the changing education policy landscape, as authority shifts from the federal government to states and local districts. The authors outline priorities to help the nation's high schools move from a largely inequitable system to one that prepares all students for college and careers, with the full range of academic, personal, and social skills needed for life success. The ideas grew out of "Turning the Corner: Toward a New Policy Agenda for College, Career, & Civic Readiness," a national meeting Jobs for the Future (JFF) held in October 2015 that brought together over 100 influential figures from across the education world to discuss next steps for the deeper learning movement.

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A key point regarding the use of accessible educational materials and technologies (AEM) is that they provide access to learning content and activities, diminish the impact of sensory, physical and cognitive disabilities, and offer opportunities to improve learning. It is important to recognize, however, that access to content does not, by itself, guarantee a quality learning experience.

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We see that you know [some] of the challenge words, so we're recommending this version of the article based on what we know about you so far. We're confident that you're up for this challenge but you know yourself best!

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Every Apple product and service is designed with accessibility features that work the way you do.

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National Center on Accessible Educational Materials

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Magnifier works like a digital magnifying glass, using the camera on your iPhone or iPad to increase the size of anything you point it at - from a prescription bottle to a candlelit menu. For those who are blind or have low vision and want more information about their physical surroundings, Detection Mode in Magnifier combines input from the camera, LiDAR Scanner, and on-device machine learning to offer intelligent tools like People Detection, Door Detection, Image Descriptions, Text Detection, and Point and Speak.

If you're standing in line, you can use People Detection to determine a person's proximity to you. Door Detection can help you navigate by identifying doors, text, and the presence of symbols - such as a restroom symbol, a no smoking symbol, or an accessible-entrance symbol - within a few feet of you. Image Descriptions and Text Detection let you hear more about people, objects, landscapes, and text in your camera's field of view. And Point and Speak makes it easier to interact with physical objects that have text, like household appliances, keypads, or labels on files. As you point and move your finger over or under different buttons or elements, your iPhone or iPad reads the text out loud, so you can perform everyday activities and tasks with more ease and independence.

Put moments into words.

Match your levels to your location.

Look down for a heads‑up.

Pinch.
Pinch.
Chat.

AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch lets people with upper-body limb differences use their Apple Watch without ever having to touch the display or controls. Using built-in motion sensors and on-device learning, Apple Watch detects subtle differences in muscle movements and tendon activity, letting you control the display through hand gestures like a pinch or a clench. Answer incoming calls, control an onscreen motion pointer, and access Notification Center, Control Center, and more. You can also use AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch to run shortcuts with Siri to complete tasks or modify VoiceOver and Switch Control settings on your iPhone.

AssistiveTouch for iOS and iPadOS helps you adapt standard gestures - like pinch, rotate, or swipe - to make them more comfortable for you. You can make other actions, like changing volume, accessible from the AssistiveTouch menu.

Cue
magic
here.

Let your voice call the shots.

Make your own calm.

This feature speaks for itself.

Assistive Access makes it easy for people with cognitive disabilities to tailor iPhone and iPad to reduce cognitive load and suit their specific needs. Designed with feedback from individuals with cognitive disabilities and their trusted supporters, this feature helps people focus on the activities they enjoy most and that are foundational to iPhone and iPad - connecting with friends and family, taking and sharing photos, and listening to music.

Assistive Access offers a distinctive interface with high-contrast buttons and large text labels, as well as tools to help individuals and trusted supporters focus the experience in specific apps - Phone and FaceTime (which have been combined into a single Calls app), Messages, Camera, Photos, and Music. You can also choose a more visual, grid-based layout for your Home Screen and apps, or a row-based layout if you prefer text.

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Apple products and services have built-in accessibility features to help you connect, create, and do what you love in the ways that work best for you.

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Every Apple product and service is designed with accessibility features that work the way you do.

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Accessibility options on your Galaxy tablet

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Galaxy tabs are meant to be used by everyone. If you have some kind of impairment, you can feel assured that your tablet has built-in Accessibility settings to make it easier to use. You can turn on Voice Assistant for Vision impairments, subtitles for Hearing impairments, and Interaction control for enhanced dexterity and usage.

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Android accessibility overview - Android Accessibility Help

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You can customize your Android device using accessibility settings and apps. Note: Some of these steps work only on Android 7.0 and up. Learn how to check your Android version. Use a scree

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Use the Caret Browsing extension to move around a webpage using your keyboard instead of a touchpad or mouse. You can also select and move through text, and click links and other page controls.

To turn on the extension, to the right of the address bar, click Caret Browsing .

If you have a Chromebook, you can also press Search + Brightness up on your keyboard to turn the extension on or off.

To use the extension:

To move word by word, press Ctrl + arrow key.

To move between focusable controls, press Tab.

To select text, press Shift + arrow key.

When a focusable control (like a list) requires arrow keys, exit it by pressing Esc and one of the arrow keys.

Using the Color Enhancer extension, you can adjust the color in webpages, like removing specific colors that are difficult for you.

To use the extension:

1. To turn on the extension, to the right of the address bar, click Color Enhancer .

2. Click Setup.

3. Choose the row of color combinations with the greatest level of color confusion.

4. Move the slider to adjust the level of color correction. Choose a setting where you can see as many stars as possible with the least amount of color distortion.

5. When you're done, click OK.

You can make reading text and seeing image details easier using the High Contrast extension. It has filters to adjust color contrast, flip black and white, or remove colors altogether. You can also customize your settings by website.Note: Some built-in webpages on Chrome can't be adjusted, like the Chrome Web Store, the New Tab page, and the Chrome settings page.

To use the extension:

To turn on the extension, to the right of the address bar, click High Contrast .

To adjust images and text on the page, click High Contrast . Under "Color scheme for [site]," select the color scheme you want.

To turn off the extension, click High Contrast Disable.

You can also browse in Dark theme or Dark mode.

With the Long Descriptions in Context Menu extension, you can add an item to the context menu, then right-click any element on the page and open its long description. The extension uses the "longdesc" and "aria-describedat" attributes in HTML, which are used by some assistive technologies.

To use the extension:

Right-click on any element on the page, and open its long description.

To help you identify images that have a long description, add a color border:

1. To the right of the address bar, click Long Descriptions .

2. Click Options.

3. Next to "Add border to elements with aria-describedat or longdesc attributes," check the box. Your change will automatically save.

4. Close the "Options" tab.

How can we improve it?

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Use Chrome with accessibility extensions

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Use the Caret Browsing extension to move around a webpage using your keyboard instead of a touchpad or mouse. You can also select and move through text, and click links and other page controls. To turn on the extension, to the right of the address bar, click Caret Browsing .

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Extensions that can help users with special needs enjoy the web. These tools convert text to speech, enhance colors, and enlarge text and other parts of pages.

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Discover how Windows 10 is making the PC more accessible to everyone.

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To provide accessibility feedback, report an issue, or request accessibility support, please email access@zoom.us.

For Canadian residents or customers, if you have accessibility feedback on Zoom Phone, please email zoomphone-canada-access@zoom.us . See the Accessibility FAQ for a description of our Feedback Process pursuant to the Accessible Canada Act.

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Zoom is committed to making our products accessible to all users. Learn how we incorporate accessibility features.

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Ideas and Resources for Using Google Classroom - Wakelet

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Are you a Google Classroom User? Do you want to discover ways to enhance your use of this tool? Check out these ideas and resources!

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Chrome Extensions for Teachers - Wakelet

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SUSD E-Learning Assistive Technology Tools and Strategies.  (1)

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Special Education Services and Supports - Assistive Technology