Blog #5: Inclusive and Universal Design

This week, I read two resources that really got me thinking: one from the Inclusive Design Research Centre and the other from UDL On Campus. Both talk about making learning environments more inclusive, but they approach it in slightly different ways.

Inclusive Design focuses on embracing human diversity and allowing for flexibility and personal customization. Instead of aiming for a “universal fit,” it focuses on adapting systems to suit individual needs—especially for people who are usually left out. Universal Design for Learning (UDL), on the other hand, aims to build in multiple ways for students to learn and express themselves right from the start, so no one gets left behind.

Inclusive Design is built on three core ideas:

• Every learner is different and unique.

• The process should include those who are most often excluded.

• Design should aim for long-term, wide-reaching impact.

If you’re curious, I have attached two videos that give a quick explanation of inclusive design and UDL.

To be honest, I was a little familiar with UDL because I learnt about it before. In my opinion I think it’s a great model, and I like how it encourages educators to offer choices in how students engage with content. I just wish I used it more frequently instead of just one time. That said, I hadn’t heard much about Inclusive Design before this week—and now I’m wondering why it’s not talked about more often.

What stood out to me was how Inclusive Design isn’t about adjusting things after the fact—it’s about including people from the beginning. That feels more powerful to me. Instead of saying “Let’s make this accessible,” it says “Let’s build this with the people we’re trying to include.” That shift in mindset really stuck with me.

Still, I can’t help but think about how hard this might be to implement. I picture a teacher with a classroom full of students who all have different needs. It sounds great in theory to design something that works perfectly for each person, but how realistic is that when there are time pressures, limited resources, and other challenges? Wouldn’t that create a lot of extra stress on the teacher?

It makes me wonder: is it fair to expect educators to do all this without the proper support systems in place? I totally believe in the goal, but if it leads to teacher burnout, isn’t that another form of failure? There has to be a balance somewhere.

Inclusive Design and UDL both have so much potential to make learning more accessible and empowering for everyone. But reading about them also raised some tough questions for me—especially around practicality, ethics, and educator well-being.

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