Esther Chi

EDT 517 27 March 2018

Penny

In the article by Mustaquim, the main purpose of the article is to discuss what the

theoretical framework of Universal Design (UD) is and how sustainability often gets confused

with the framework. The article also shares the importance of interdisciplinary research within

the framework. Mustaquim also shares how UD improves the possible experience of using

technology to help individuals make use of products and to help those to gain access to learning

or work with no barriers (Mustaquim 2017). These individuals also are able to play a different

role in their everyday lives and reinvent their identity. Mustaquim refers to a study done by

Vavik and Ketisch (2010) to further support how sustainability helps those that are living in

poverty, are illiterate or have social impediments who have all benefited. Vavik and Ketisch

(2010) discuss how the performance of the individuals dramatically changed and improved

because of the various products or improved systems.

Mustaquim also discusses how within UD, there is a theoretical framework composed of

social, economic, environment, and political sustainable factors. This framework connected with

interdisciplinary research is composed of creative breakthroughs, outsider’s perspective, cross

disciplinary oversights, disciplinary cracks, complex or practical problems, unity of knowledge,

flexibility of research, law of diminishing returns, social change and academic freedom are all

intertwined with the sustainability factors. In figure 1 of his study, Mustaquim further explains

through a chart that “if the impact of any particular factors upon sustainability is to be enhanced,

it is essential to work on the interdisciplinary factors associated with it. Therefore the arrows in
the framework are unidirectional, the facts of sustainability are shown to be connected with the

interdisciplinary factors associated with it” (Mustaquim 2017). With cross-disciplinary research,

important aspects of UD can be implemented that would ultimately help individuals in need and

continue to help the field of UD grow and innovate.

Mustaquim selected an important research article written by Vavik and Ketisch (2010) to

further support his claim that with sustainable design and UD, individuals would benefit in their

everyday lives. Mustaquim also suggests for future investigation is required to advance in the

theoretical framework he discusses in his research as there continues to be a gap between a

sustainable design and UD.

This article has helped me to understand the various factors when reading what the

difference with sustainable factors or what the UD framework is and how each factor can be

connected with interdisciplinary research. Mustaquim explains how these are intertwined,

helping one to better understand how this impacts UDL in our everyday lives without us

realizing it.

In the article by Rao, Ok, and Bryant (2014), the authors discuss that in addition to

Universal Design for Learning (UDL), there are two other educational models known as

Universal Design of Instruction (UDI) and Universal Instructional Design (UID). All three

models focus on reducing barriers in learning environments and increasing access to curriculum

and instruction for diverse learners, especially those with disabilities (Rao, Ok, & Bryant 2014).

All three models also focus on cognitive access and building in support and flexibility during the

planning process for designing instruction. Rao et al. also what the difference between UID and

UDI are; UID focuses on creating a welcoming classroom, determines the essential components
of a course, has clear expectations, provides constructive feedback, explores supports for

learning, designs teaching methods for diverse learning styles, creates multiple ways for students

to demonstrate their knowledge, and prompts student/teacher interaction. UDI focuses on class

climate, interactions, physical environments, delivery methods, information resources, feedback,

assessment, and accommodations.

The purpose of the study is to determine which model was used for educational

interventions and how UD principles were applied to the interventions. The authors took a

sampling of studies that were from students K-post secondary education. The authors found over

200 hundred articles in ERIC and EBSCOHOST databases and narrowed down to 13 articles that

had the criteria of inclusion and exclusion settings. The authors reviewed these articles to

determine how UD was being conducted and what the purpose of the research methods was.

From these articles, the authors found that low readers benefitted from tools that supported

cognitive load and that students with severe reading difficulties were able to perform well as

their peers through the use of UD (Rao et al. 2014).

The authors recommend for future research in UD curriculum and instruction as the

current research does not specifically describe interventions explicitly and the demographics of

the individuals. Rao et al. also recommends that future research also states the demographic

characteristics of their samples including disability categories since UD based educational

interventions intend to increase access to the general education curriculum for students with

disabilities. By doing so, researchers enable research consumers to ascertain for what specific

types of learners UD-based intervention are effective.

 This article was helpful to understand the difference between UDL, UID, and UDI and

how each model has similar principles/characteristics and have the same goal, to reduce barriers

in learning and increase access to curriculum with the use of supports for individuals. As a

teacher and lifelong learner, it is important for me to give my students opportunities to learn their

full potential and this article has challenged me to find the right supports for my students who do

have a learning disability.

References

Mustaquim, M. (2017). A reflection on interdisciplinarity research in universal design toward

sustainability. ​Department of Informatics and Media, Uppsala University, ​Vol 16, 73-83.

Rao, K., Ok, M., and Bryant, B. (2014). A Review of Research on Universal Design and

Educational Models. ​Hammill Institute on Disabilities,​ Vol 35, 153-166.