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ABSTRACT
Universal design (UD), a concept from the field of architecture, is increasingly evident in discussions of approaches to enhance educational access for students with disabilities. Several emerging models of educational applications of UD-Universal Design for Learning, Universal Design for Instruction, and Universal Instructional Design-are discussed, with a call to the field for a collaborative approach to examine the efficacy of applications of UD to educational environments. Several critical areas for a research agenda are articulated, with caveats that the promise of UD for enhancing access not be undermined because of premature promotion of the concept before its validity is thoroughly examined.
THE EDUCATION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES has faced increasing scrutiny in the 21st century. In Rethinking Special Education for a New Century, the authors bluntly stated, "Special education is broken for too many children" (Finn, Rotherham, & Hokanson, 2001, p. 337). They went on to note that "if we did a better job of preventing and forestalling education problems, rather than relying on compensatory and remedial activities, disabled children would benefit enormously" (Finn et al., 2001, p. 337). In a similar vein, the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) reported disappointing educational outcomes for many students with disabilities. Problems include low academic performance, high dropout rates, and poor postschool outcomes (National Council on Disability, 2003). Not surprisingly, there are problematic postsecondary outcomes as well, including failure to obtain meaningful employment, lower participation rates in postsecondary education, and insufficient preparation for the demands of postsecondary education (Horn, Berktold, & Bobbit, 1999; U.S. Department of Education, 2000).
Major reform initiatives over the last quarter-century intended to improve outcomes for these students have shown a trend toward greater integration of students with disabilities into general education. We have seen this movement evolve from least restrictive environment to the Regular Education Initiative to full inclusion and, finally, toward access to the general education curriculum. In his review of the development of inclusionary policy, Kavale (2002) questioned how inclusion has come to dominate educational decision making based on ideology, when research evidence has demonstrated "that the necessary attitudes, accommodations, and adaptations are not yet in place in general education to provide students with disabilities an appropriate education" (p. 201). It has been suggested that one strategy to...