Implementing a UDL Framework: A Study of Current Personnel Preparation Practices.
University programs are inconsistent in training educators to use UDL tools for students with intellectual disability.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Bao et al. (2017) sent a survey to university teacher-prep programs. They asked how instructors teach future teachers to use UDL with transition-age students who have intellectual disability.
The survey only described current course content. It did not test whether the training works.
What they found
Programs differ a lot. Some schools give one short lecture. Others weave UDL through every class.
No one tracks if new teachers actually use the tools after graduation.
How this fits with other research
Capio et al. (2013) reviewed 15 studies where iPads and iPods helped learners with ID master new skills. Those devices are common UDL tools, yet Bao et al. (2017) show most universities do not train teachers to use them.
Van Naarden Braun et al. (2006) and Capio et al. (2013) both surveyed young adults with developmental disabilities and found they want more social, tech-rich activities. The training gap A et al. found may explain why these wishes stay unmet.
Cruz-Montecinos et al. (2024) argue adults with ID engage best when programs are fun, social, and co-designed. Without solid UDL training, teachers may skip those key ingredients.
Why it matters
If you supervise new teachers or RBTs, ask where they learned UDL. If the answer is “nowhere,” plan a quick in-service on iPad prompts, visual schedules, and choice boards. One hour can fill a gap their degree missed.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Young adults with intellectual disability (ID) continue to experience the least successful postschool outcomes among transition-aged youth ( Sanford et al., 2011 ). Experts disagree on the most effective approach to improve outcomes such as employment, postsecondary education, and community living. In 2015, the National Goals Conference brought together educational researchers to set an agenda to guide the field in terms of research, practice, and policy ( Thoma, Cain, & Walther-Thomas, 2015 ). One of their recommendations, based on promising research and practices, urged the field to identify effective personnel preparation and professional development practices that ensure general and special educators can implement a UDL framework ( Thoma, Cain, et al., 2015 ). This study surveyed program coordinators at accredited universities to determine what is currently being done to prepare educators to implement a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, the extent to which a UDL framework is being incorporated into preservice courses in higher education, and how a UDL framework is being used to improve postschool outcomes for youth with ID.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2017 · doi:10.1352/1934-9556-55.1.25