National Disability Coordination Officers (NDCO) drive change so that people with disability have equitable opportunity to access, participate and achieve their goals in tertiary education and subsequent employment.

Throughout 2021, the CDS NDCOs and the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET) brought together an advisory group of key representatives across the tertiary education sector to explore ways to increase the adoption of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in tertiary education in Australia.

Universal Design for Learning is a framework that recognises there is no ‘average’ learner. Learners come with a wide variety of prior experiences, abilities, preferences and needs. The project team are proud of the significant achievements arising from this project with highlights including:

• The development of Australia’s first free Universal Design for Learning in Tertiary Education online training course for tertiary educators and those with an interest in learning more about UDL.
• The establishment of a national UDL Community of Practice to share learnings, good practice and navigating challenges.
• Academic and non-academic publications to contribute greater depth and breadth of discussion to the literature about UDL in tertiary education.

Launched on International Day of People with Disability 2021, the UDL in Tertiary Education eLearning has been completed by 189 people. Early feedback of those who have completed the course indicates that the training has been a valuable learning tool:

“I thoroughly enjoyed the course and found it very valuable. Easy to follow and a great example of UDL in itself.”

To learn more about UDL and access a range of tools and resources visit the Universal Design for Learning webpage.

Written by Jessica Buhne