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Part 3: The UDL Guidelines
How the UDL Guidelines are organised, starting with access.
A Scaffold, Not a Checklist
The CAST UDL Guidelines have three layers:
- 3 principles: Engagement, Representation, and Action & Expression.
- 9 guidelines, three under each principle.
- 36 considerations spread across the guidelines.
The guidelines are also arranged in three rows: Access, Support and Executive Function.
No lesson needs all 36 considerations. CAST calls them considerations because they are prompts to think with. Use them to notice barriers and to plan options, not to tick boxes.
Topic 2 on UDL Resources has three simple slides, one for each layer, and a link to download CAST’s full graphic organizer.
Start with Access
When a school is new to the UDL Guidelines, I suggest starting with the top row, Access. My poster Prioritizing Access shows that row on its own:
- Design Options for Welcoming Interests & Identities (Guideline 7)
- Design Options for Perception (Guideline 1)
- Design Options for Interaction (Guideline 4)
Access creates the conditions for learner agency.
Bias and Identity
The UDL Guidelines 3.0 name bias as a barrier and bring identity into learner variability. Two short reads explain what that means for your design: Addressing Bias and Designing for Identity.
Explore About 3 minutes
Open Prioritizing Access. Read the considerations under one guideline. Then look at the lesson you brought with you. Which consideration is it already doing well?
Beth’s Tip
Start with what you are already doing well. Most teachers find at least one consideration they already plan for, even if they never called it UDL.
Reflect
Which Access consideration would make the biggest difference for the learners you teach?
References
CAST (2024). CAST Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org
This guided tour was created by Beth Stark, Educator and Consultant · Inclusive Learning Systems · UDL · Accessibility. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.