By Beth Lee
This is the final post in a three-part series highlighting accessibility and writing across the curriculum. In writing-intensive and writing-across-the-curriculum contexts, fostering a sense of belonging requires instructional design that anticipates learner variability rather than relying on reactive accommodations. This post examines Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a pedagogical framework that supports inclusive writing instruction by illustrating how UDL benefits writers with disabilities while strengthening learning conditions for all students. This article examines how UDL reduces stigma, supports diverse writers, and cultivates equitable, learner-centered writing environments.
For educators committed to student success, fostering a sense of belonging in the classroom requires more than good intentions—it requires instructional design that anticipates learner variability rather than reacting to barriers after they appear. In higher education, this shift is articulated through the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, in which instructors create learning environments that help to ensure universal access from the outset. In writing-intensive courses, where students are asked to draft, revise, reflect, and share their thinking, instructional design plays a particularly powerful role.
While accommodations remain essential, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) shifts the focus from individual adjustments to institutional responsibility, reinforcing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a pedagogical approach that supports access, participation, and belonging for all students (U.S. Department of Justice, 2024). Students must experience themselves as legitimate participants in the learning community, not as exceptions navigating systems that were never designed with them in mind.
Consider disability disclosure. Research suggests that only 11% of college students report having a disability, a figure that likely underrepresents the number of students navigating learning barriers in higher education (Scott & Edwards, 2019). Even among those who do disclose, outcomes remain uneven, with only 34% completing a degree within eight years (Scott & Edwards, 2019). These realities raise a critical question: What happens when access depends on disclosure rather than design? UDL offers a proactive teaching practice that reduces barriers before students encounter them.
Moving Beyond Accommodation
Traditional accommodation models are inherently reactive and compliance-driven. In my classrooms, students with documented disabilities often receive additional time to complete writing assignments. Supports such as extended time, alternative testing environments, or assistive technologies are vital and legally required; however, they often position instructors as passive implementers rather than intentional designers of inclusive learning experiences. Too often, instructors are given few options beyond prescribed reactive accommodations.
As classrooms include neurodivergent, multilingual, working, caregiving, and first-generation learners, the limitations of accommodation-only approaches become increasingly clear. Systems that depend on disclosure place the burden of access on students and can unintentionally reinforce stigma. UDL offers an alternative: one that removes barriers at the course level rather than requiring students to navigate them individually.
Research consistently demonstrates that UDL improves learning outcomes for all students, not only those with documented disabilities (Stewart, 2022). Designing equitable learning environments benefits everyone while avoiding practices that single out individual learners. According to the National Center on Universal Design for Learning, incorporating UDL in the classroom has been shown to increase engagement by 20% (Novak, 2024). Increased student engagement is often a marker of increased student success.
Universal Design as a Shift in Thinking
UDL reframes access as an instructional responsibility shared across course design rather than an individual exception. It encourages instructors to plan intentionally for access. UDL is organized around three core principles: multiple means of representation, action and expression, and engagement (Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation, 2026). Importantly, UDL does not lower academic standards or dilute rigor. Instead, it clarifies expectations while allowing flexibility in how students meet them—an especially important consideration in writing classrooms where participation often involves sharing unfinished or vulnerable work.
For students with disabilities, UDL can reduce stigma associated with disclosure, improve retention and persistence, minimize the need for constant self-advocacy, and enhance social comfort and belonging. For all learners, UDL supports multilingual writers navigating academic language, reduces anxiety through clear structure, and benefits students balancing work, caregiving, and coursework. For instructors and institutions, UDL reduces the need for retrofitted accommodation and aligns with learner-centered teaching values.
Strategy One: Making Learning Pathways Visible and Flexible
The first strategy involves making learning pathways visible and flexible. Learner-centered teaching begins with transparency. Students learn more effectively when they understand what they are being asked to do, why it matters, and how they can approach the task. In writing courses, this includes clear writing prompts, models, and criteria for success. UDL supports this transparency by embedding flexibility into course design rather than treating it as an add-on.
Key components of this strategy include offering core content in multiple formats, providing structured choices for engagement, using readable documents with captions and alternative text, and normalizing tools such as text-to-speech software and graphic organizers for all students.
To illustrate how this strategy fosters a sense of belonging, consider a student with dyslexia. Dense blocks of text can be cognitively overwhelming (California Learning Resource Network, 2025). Consider offering information in smaller sections, such as thesis development, paragraph organization through the use of PIE, and formatting, all in separate documents for more digestible access. When access is embedded into the course, students can participate fully in drafting and revision without disclosure, thereby reducing both cognitive load and stigma.
Strategy Two: Redefining Participation
The second strategy involves redefining what participation means. As an undergraduate introvert, I often viewed participation points as already lost; continual pressure to speak caused anxiety and did not reflect how I engaged with ideas. Many students express similar concerns. Traditional participation grading often rewards comfort with public speaking—assumptions that privilege certain learners over others. In writing classrooms, participation frequently includes peer review, workshops, and reflective writing activities. Redefining participation as meaningful engagement expands access while maintaining rigor.
Inclusive participation practices encompass multiple pathways for engagement, including discussion boards, reflective journals, anonymous polls to assess understanding, small-group writing workshops, and various formats for demonstrating learning. Flexible participation options promote a sense of belonging and empowerment for all students. For example, a neurodivergent student who processes information more slowly may feel overwhelmed in rapid discussions (Grossman, 2024). Flexible participation allows thoughtful engagement without penalty or disclosure.
From Compliance to Community: Key Takeaways for Writing and WAC Instructors
The central takeaway of Universal Design for Learning is its capacity to foster a genuine sense of belonging for all students. Implementing UDL begins with clear, predictable expectations. Continually changing instructional approaches can create confusion and anxiety, particularly in writing-intensive courses where students rely on structure to support drafting and revision. Leading by example requires instructors to consider their primary audience—students—and to design with their needs in mind.
Instructions should be clear, predictable, and intentional. Materials should be provided in accessible, multiple formats as a standard practice rather than as an accommodation. For online instruction, this includes the consistent use of closed captioning for both live and recorded content, scaffolding information into manageable portions, and offering multiple ways to explain key concepts. For example, anonymous polls- used synchronously or asynchronously- can gauge knowledge rather than require spontaneous verbal participation. Variety empowers students by offering multiple supports for success. In my own classes, I support these principles by screen-sharing walkthroughs in online formats, providing pre-recorded accessible videos, and checking student comprehension by providing visual/audio/text options.
UDL is not simply about meeting ADA requirements; it is about creating learning environments where students can participate, contribute, and feel a sense of belonging. In writing-across-the-curriculum contexts, where writing serves as both a learning tool and a means of assessment, designing for access communicates a powerful message:
You belong here—not as an exception, but as a valued member of the learning community.
References:
California Learning Resource Network. (2025, July 2). How does dyslexia affect learning? https://www.clrn.org/how-does-dyslexia-affect-learning/
Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation. (2026). Universal design for learning. https://teaching.cornell.edu/teaching-resources/inclusion-accessibility/universal-design-learning
Grossman, H. M. (2024, October 5). Supporting neurodivergent learners through cognitive processing awareness. MindBrained. https://www.mindbrained.org/2024/10/supporting-neurodivergent-learners-through-cognitive-processing-awareness/
Novak, K. (2024, July 1). Is there evidence that inclusion is actually good for all learners? Novak Education.https://www.novakeducation.com/blog/is-there-evidence-that-inclusion-is-actually-good-for-all-learners
Scott, S., & Edwards, W. (2019). Disability and world language learning: Inclusive teaching for diverse learners. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers.
Shane-Simpson, C., Obeid, R., Chang, J., Ki, D., & Arlt, E. (2025). Using student narratives to characterize inclusive pedagogy and inclusive classrooms in higher education. Teaching of Psychology, 52(4), 443–454. https://doi.org/10.1177/00986283241269434
Stewart, C. (2022). Universal Design for Learning in adult literacy education increasing outcomes for all learners. COABE Journal: The Resource for Adult Education, 11(1), 135–139. https://d2leuf3vilid4d.cloudfront.net/-/media/Global-Site/Content/Resources/COABE-reports/COABE-July-2022/STEWART-UNIVERSAL-DESIGN-FOR-LEARNING.ashx?hash=D249E5C8C0628DCA908D5CD9622DD01A&rev=26813b312d0644829ec090fa59174d53
U.S. Department of Justice. (2024, April 24). Nondiscrimination on the basis of disability; Accessibility of web information and services of state and local government entities. Federal Register, 89, 31320–31396.https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/24/2024-07758/nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-accessibility-of-web-information-and-services-of-state
About the Author: Beth Lee is a professor of English and Rhetoric at Purdue University Global with extensive experience in learner-centered writing instruction. With advanced training in AI, data-informed teaching, Business Management, and ADA-aligned pedagogy, she integrates technology, accessibility-minded design, and academic leadership to strengthen student engagement, instructional innovation, and effective writing practices.
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