Section 1 of four
How this landscape is organized
This is the accessibility work of a learning design practice, gathered in one place. It draws on two branches: Accessibility, which concerns access at the level of an individual person and the obligation an institution holds toward them, and Universal Design for Learning, which concerns designing for the predictable range of learners before any individual request is made. The two are related but not the same, and the arrangement here keeps them distinct while showing where they meet.
Resources are arranged in eight groups by what they are for, rather than by which branch they grow on. A group therefore holds resources from both branches where the question they answer is shared. Each resource names its home branch so the distinction is never lost. Groups are given in alphabetical order.
Every resource states the bodies of knowledge it rests on and cites its sources by number to the reference list in Section 4. Where a resource is still in development, it is marked as such: the grounding and sources are settled, and the written resource is not yet published.
Two kinds of relationship are given for each resource. Most related is calculated from sources and themes held in common, and surfaces resources that answer similar questions from different groups. Connected resources are the direct relationships recorded on the map — the resources a reader is likely to need alongside this one.
Section 3 of four
Every resource, in full
Sources are written out in full here as well as numbered, so that following a reference is never necessary to understand an entry.
Designing for variability
Designing for the predictable range of learners. Distinct from disability, and kept distinct here: variability is a design premise, disability is a relationship between a person and an environment.
Designing for Learner Variability at Scale
The thesis the other UDL work inherits
Published resource
Designing from the outset for the full, predictable range of human variability, so the environment fits diverse learners rather than a mythical average one. It is the worldview that grounds every other contribution on this branch.
Group. Designing for variability
Home branch. Universal Design for Learning · Well established
Grounding. Universal Design for Learning (CAST; Rose & Meyer)
Themes. Variability, Scale
Sources
- Reference 1: Rose, D. H., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning. ASCD.
- Reference 2: CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, version 3.0.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
Engaging Voluntary & Cautious Adult Learners
The engagement principle in practice
In development
Designing multiple pathways into motivation for learners who arrive with very different reasons for being there, including those who would rather not be. Where engagement is not solved, little downstream can land.
Group. Designing for variability
Home branch. Universal Design for Learning · Newer or contested
Grounding. UDL engagement principle; adult learning
Themes. Motivation, Variability
Sources
- Reference 2: CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, version 3.0.
- Reference 3: Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). “Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being.” American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
Onboarding Across Wide Experience Ranges
Multiple entry points and pathways
In development
Designing entry so newcomers and experienced practitioners can each begin where they are, without boring the one or losing the other. It is a representation-principle problem common to every sector.
Group. Designing for variability
Home branch. Universal Design for Learning · Newer or contested
Grounding. UDL representation principle
Themes. Variability, Access
Sources
- Reference 2: CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, version 3.0.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
Scaling Personalization Without Scaling Cost
The production economics of flexibility
In development
Making multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression economically feasible at scale, increasingly with AI-assisted production. It is the meta-capability that makes the rest affordable to deliver.
Group. Designing for variability
Home branch. Universal Design for Learning · Newer or contested
Grounding. Learning technology; AI-assisted design
Themes. Scale, Iteration
Sources
- Reference 2: CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, version 3.0.
- Reference 4: Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia Learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
Time, Pacing and Deadlines as Design Variables
Where a time limit is measured, and where it is inherited
In development
Time limits, deadline policy, pacing and cumulative workload across a program, treated as design decisions. A time limit is either part of what an assessment measures or an inherited convention, and the two call for different responses. Generous time as a design choice does not reach every case, so extended time as an individual accommodation remains necessary alongside it.
Group. Designing for variability
Home branch. Universal Design for Learning · Newer or contested
Grounding. UDL Guidelines (CAST); validity theory (Messick); episodic disability framework
Themes. Variability, Assessment, Accommodation
Sources
- Reference 2: CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, version 3.0.
https://udlguidelines.cast.org
- Reference 37: Messick, S. (1995). “Validity of Psychological Assessment: Validation of Inferences from Persons’ Responses and Performances as Scientific Inquiry into Score Meaning.” American Psychologist, 50(9), 741–749.
- Reference 43: O’Brien, K. K., Bayoumi, A. M., Strike, C., Young, N. L., & Davis, A. M. (2008). “Exploring Disability from the Perspective of Adults Living with HIV/AIDS: Development of a Conceptual Framework.” Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 6:76.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
Section 4 of four
References and resources
The theory, law, and standards these resources are rooted in, listed once and cited by number above. Peer-reviewed, statutory, and institutional sources link directly. Books, reports, and legislation are cited in full so they can be found in any library catalogue or official register.
- Universal Design for Learning1. Rose, D. H., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning. ASCD.
- Universal Design for Learning2. CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, version 3.0.
https://udlguidelines.cast.org
- Motivation3. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). “Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being.” American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68
- Learning sciences4. Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia Learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Assessment37. Messick, S. (1995). “Validity of Psychological Assessment: Validation of Inferences from Persons’ Responses and Performances as Scientific Inquiry into Score Meaning.” American Psychologist, 50(9), 741–749.
- Episodic disability43. O’Brien, K. K., Bayoumi, A. M., Strike, C., Young, N. L., & Davis, A. M. (2008). “Exploring Disability from the Perspective of Adults Living with HIV/AIDS: Development of a Conceptual Framework.” Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 6:76.
Every resource on this page reflects applied work carried out with learners, design teams, and partner organizations, and is grounded in the scholarship listed above. An interactive version of this map presents the same content as a navigable diagram.