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Handy chart containing UDL principles, guidelines and checkpoints

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Principles of Universal Design with Super Mario

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Clearing the path for those with special needs, clears the path for ALL.

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Handy chart containing UDL principles, guidelines and checkpoints

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Another way for the students to show what they know in a fun way.

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/

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Students can make their own books using this free site.

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Welcome

Welcome to the Tar Heel Reader, a collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics. Each book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces, including touch screens, the IntelliKeys with custom overlays, and 1 to 3 switches. Click here to learn more about alternative access methods.

You may write your own books using pictures from the huge collection at Flickr or pictures you upload. All books should be complete, edited, and revised to the best of your ability before publishing them to the site. While you are working on them, please save them as drafts.

Note the little well icon in the upper left corner of the page; clicking it will allow you to access the main menu. You can also click the settings icon to change settings on some pages.

Your browser is unsupported. The site should work for finding and reading books but you will not have switch access or the ability to write books. We recommend that you upgrade to a modern browser or install Chrome Frame.
You are in Classic mode. You will not have access to all of the features of the site but it may work better on older computers and web browsers. Click this text to leave Classic mode.
Ready to get started?

This site is also available in other languages. To help with translation, contact us.

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Welcome to the Tar Heel Reader, a collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics. Each book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces, including touch screens, the IntelliKeys with custom overlays, and 1 to 3 switches. Click here to learn more about alternative access methods.

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Learning Ally Powerpoint

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Voki | Speaking Characters For Education

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Voki is a fun tool that students can use for homework, classwork or projects. Customize their appearance and what they say, and share with others!

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The AIM Explorer is a free simulation that combines grade-leveled digital text with access features common to most text readers and other supported reading software.

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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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The Myth of Average:  Todd Rose at TEDxSonomaCounty

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Make you own talking pictures!

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Engaging, educational videos to help reinforce concepts taught in your classroom.

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Educational Hip-Hop Songs & Videos for All Subjects, K-12

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Flocabulary is a library of songs, videos and activities for K-12 online learning. Hundreds of thousands of teachers use Flocabulary’s educational raps and teaching lesson plans to supplement their instruction and engage students. Our team of artists and educators is not only committed to raising test scores, but also to fostering a love of learning in every child.

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Providing daily standards-based instruction for learners with complex and multiple disabilities, such as autism and deaf-blindness, requires a variety of materials, strategies, and differentiation. Quality instruction cannot be provided without detailed, collaborative pre-planning . Planning is essential to the delivery of high quality instruction. Plans should include the identification of learning targets based on both academic standards and transition skills and concepts such as social emotional skills and life applied skills. Planning should include the integration of Universal Design, differentiation and individualized instructional strategies, tools and interventions. This section of the website provides guidance and resources as you plan to meet the needs of diverse learners across all learning environments (LRE's). Discussion will include unit planning, collaborative tiered planning (MTSS tiers of support), and daily planning. Co-planning is also addressed in further detail as it aligns with the Ohio Improvement Process (OIP) and State Professional Development Grant (SPDG) work around equity and inclusivity.

Important Concepts:

Planning for ALL students means that "tiers of supports" and instructional methods will be needed

Pre-planning directly aligns learning targets and standards to instruction and assessment

Planning should address and include both pre and post assessments, ensuring they are universally designed and tiered so all students can show what they know

Student specific accommodations, assistive technology (AT), and scaffolds should be included in tiered plans to ensure that individualized education program (IEP) requirements are met

Look to Science and Social Studies standards as they contain concepts that can guide unit themes at each grade level or grade band

Identify tools and materials for each lesson in advance so that they can be gathered and/or created ahead of time

Self-Check:

Are pre and post assessments accessible to all students so that they can each show what they know?

Are materials used in teaching each lesson individualized or adapted to meet the learner's needs/challenges and strengths?

Is the activity aligned to learning standards that are an age/grade match for all learners in the class?

Does the assessment measure student knowledge of the pre-determined learning target/standard?

How might having a plan change the outcomes for one or more students in the class?

Why are some students not participating or engaged in class activities? Could access to prepared materials change their ability to participate?

Planning Self-Assessment Checklist

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ohio center for autism and low incidence

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Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence

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Planning to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners

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Providing daily standards-based instruction for learners with complex and multiple disabilities, such as autism and deaf-blindness, requires a variety of materials, strategies, and differentiation. Quality instruction cannot be provided without detailed, collaborative pre-planning . Planning is essential to the delivery of high quality instruction.

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Long Story Shortz - Universal Design for Learning

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UDL geared to higher grades

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Universal Design for Learning Principles

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Excellent Inclusion information

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Universal Design for Learning - and beyond!

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Great article

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Inclusive Learning website.. link works, just not showing photo below :) 

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Inclusive Learning website.. link works, just not showing photo below :) 

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Click on it... it takes you to a great site

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Great site to explore

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Great site to explore

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Least Restrictive Environment (Amazing Website too)

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ohio center for autism and low incidence

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Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence

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Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence

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Practical Strategies for Inclusion

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Inclusion Through UDL

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Design Principles for Student Access

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6 Ways to Engage Every Learner Using UDL -- THE Journal

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Special Needs Universal Design for Learning can make your lessons more accessible and your lesson-planning more fun. In any given classroom, there are invariably learners who simply don't connect with what's being taught. Lectures can be easy to tune out. A textbook can feel dense and boring to finish.

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Video

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Inclusive Learning Guide

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Principles