{"id":2326,"date":"2026-03-02T11:19:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T11:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/edi\/?p=2326"},"modified":"2026-03-02T11:19:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T11:19:15","slug":"dr-anna-forringer-beal-why-neuro-inclusive-universal-design-learning-matters-for-students-and-staff-alike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/edi\/2026\/03\/02\/dr-anna-forringer-beal-why-neuro-inclusive-universal-design-learning-matters-for-students-and-staff-alike\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr Anna Forringer-Beal: Why Neuro-inclusive Universal Design Learning Matters for Students and Staff Alike"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Student demographics in education are changing, and our teaching practices must evolve accordingly. Educators at universities may expect that up to 11%<\/a> of their students have attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and that up to 2%<\/a> of their students are autistic. Already one in ten students in the classroom may be neurodivergent, and this is not including the range of cognitive differences that constitute neurodiversity<\/a>, like dyslexia, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and traumatic brain injury. These variations are simply part of the naturally occurring range of human thought and experience. Despite this, many students continue to encounter environments that misunderstand or even penalise the ways they learn best.<\/p>\n

If we want classrooms to be genuinely inclusive, we must shift from reactive, individual accommodations to proactive, structural design. This is where Universal Design Learning (UDL)<\/a> offers a transformative opportunity.<\/p>\n

What Is Universal Design Learning?<\/strong><\/p>\n

UDL is a framework that encourages educators to design learning environments that are usable by as many people as possible without requiring special adjustments or case\u2011by\u2011case exceptions. This framework is derived from disability justice advocates<\/a> who have long worked on building a social model of disability.<\/a> Unlike the deficit model of disability, a social model contends that the human experience encompasses a range of bodies and minds, but structural decisions create a lack of access and therefore disable people. Rather than asking neurodiverse students to advocate for their needs or having educators create multiple learning plans, UDL works with a social model of disability to integrate inclusive learning from the beginning.<\/p>\n

The rationale is straightforward: when we build systems that work for neurodiverse learners, we build systems that work better for everyone<\/em>. This could mean less work for educators who are otherwise left juggling various accommodations requests and may benefit students who do not yet have formal diagnoses or who are navigating acute health challenges, like bereavement or temporary injuries.<\/p>\n

What UDL Looks Like in Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n

Implementing UDL does not require dramatic overhauls to existing courses or teaching styles. Rather, educators can incorporate small, impactful changes that cumulatively transform the learning environment to one that is more welcoming to neurodiverse learners:<\/p>\n