Opinion Paper
Inclusion, universal design and universal design for learning in higher education: South Africa and the United States
Submitted: 22 March 2018 | Published: 29 July 2019
About the author(s)
Elizabeth M. Dalton, Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, United States; and, Dalton Education Services International, Hope Valley, Rhode Island, United StatesMarcia Lyner-Cleophas, Disability Unit, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
Britt T. Ferguson, Special Education, National University, San Diego, United States
Judith McKenzie, Disability Studies Division, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Abstract
Around the world, institutions of higher education are recognising their responsibilities to achieve the full inclusion of individuals with differing needs and/or disabilities. The frameworks of universal design (UD) and universal design for learning (UDL) offer unique ways to build inclusiveness in our systems. The role of UD and UDL to strengthen successful inclusion of persons with differing needs in higher education programmes is presented from literature, inclusive of national and international policies and resources. Examples from South African and US institutions of higher learning are shared. Discussions of online accessibility, environmental issues, professional development, barriers to inclusion and recommendations for future development in an international context provide a vision for developing inclusive learning environments in higher education.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 14720Total article views: 21081
Crossref Citations
1. Evidence-based training approach for higher education faculty: brief model of inclusion and training of the disabled
Gulnaz Zahid
International Journal of Educational Management vol: 35 issue: 6 first page: 1151 year: 2021
doi: 10.1108/IJEM-04-2021-0150
2. Educación abierta inclusiva: diseño instruccional de un libro electrónico
Gloria Concepción Tenorio-Sepúlveda, Katherine del Pilar Muñoz-Ortiz, Cristóbal Andrés Nova-Nova
HUMAN REVIEW. International Humanities Review / Revista Internacional de Humanidades vol: 12 issue: 4 first page: 1 year: 2023
doi: 10.37467/revhuman.v12.4770
3. From disabled to differently abled: A psychofortological perspective on first-year students living with disability
Annemarike de Beer, Luzelle Naudé, Lindi Nel
Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology vol: 23 issue: 1 year: 2023
doi: 10.1080/20797222.2023.2222938
4. Indian educators’ awareness and attitude towards assistive technology
Arnab Kundu, Tripti Bej, Kedar Nath Dey
Journal of Enabling Technologies vol: 14 issue: 4 first page: 233 year: 2020
doi: 10.1108/JET-04-2020-0015
5. Diseño universal de aprendizaje en la enseñanza de la física: una propuesta de aplicación
Ana-Rosa Barrón-Hernández, Mario-Humberto Ramírez-Díaz
Revista Científica vol: 47 issue: 2 first page: 71 year: 2023
doi: 10.14483/23448350.20105
6. Inclusion, access, and accessibility of educational resources in higher education institutions: exploring the Ethiopian context
Wondwossen Mulualem Beyene, Abraham Tulu Mekonnen, George Anthony Giannoumis
International Journal of Inclusive Education vol: 27 issue: 1 first page: 18 year: 2023
doi: 10.1080/13603116.2020.1817580
7. A rationale for trauma-informed postgraduate supervision
Katrina McChesney
Teaching in Higher Education vol: 29 issue: 5 first page: 1338 year: 2024
doi: 10.1080/13562517.2022.2145469
8. ‘It’s a symbolic violence’: Autistic people’s experiences of discrimination at universities in Australia
Diana Weiting Tan, Marion Rabuka, Tori Haar, Elizabeth Pellicano
Autism vol: 28 issue: 6 first page: 1344 year: 2024
doi: 10.1177/13623613231219744
9. Universal Design for Learning in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Review of the Literature
Judith McKenzie, Amani Karisa, Callista Kahonde
International Journal of Disability, Development and Education vol: 72 issue: 6 first page: 1149 year: 2025
doi: 10.1080/1034912X.2024.2329628
10. The meaning of multicultural evaluation and meaningful evaluation: the importance of multifaceted responsive evaluation in higher education
Shira Soffer-Vital, Idit Finkelstein, Yael Shraga-Roitman, Revital Cohen-Liverant, Tsfira Grebelsky-Lichtman
Israel Affairs vol: 29 issue: 6 first page: 1167 year: 2023
doi: 10.1080/13537121.2023.2269737
11. Impact of Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality on Educational Inclusion: A Systematic Review of Technologies Supporting Students with Disabilities
Angelos Chalkiadakis, Antonia Seremetaki, Athanasia Kanellou, Maria Kallishi, Anastasia Morfopoulou, Marina Moraitaki, Sofia Mastrokoukou
Education Sciences vol: 14 issue: 11 first page: 1223 year: 2024
doi: 10.3390/educsci14111223
12. Backward Design of Chemistry Laboratories: A Primer
Kelly Y. Neiles, Katy Arnett
Journal of Chemical Education vol: 98 issue: 9 first page: 2829 year: 2021
doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00443
13. Organizational adaptation for inclusive education in universities amidst war
Olha Hurenko, Natalia Tsybuliak, Hanna Mytsyk, Anastasiia Popova, Yevheniia Lyndina, Hanna Lopatina, Yana Suchikova
Journal of Governance and Regulation vol: 13 issue: 2, special issue first page: 339 year: 2024
doi: 10.22495/jgrv13i2siart10
14. Inclusive pedagogy in practice within the multi-tiered systems of support framework: a design-based research in a Chinese EFL classroom
Tong Lin, Jahirul Mullick, Matt Campbell
Instructional Science vol: 54 issue: 1 year: 2026
doi: 10.1007/s11251-025-09754-3
15. Instructional strategies: Teaching nursing in today's diverse and inclusive landscape
Christine Frazer, Cheryl A Reilly, Robin E. Squellati
Teaching and Learning in Nursing vol: 16 issue: 3 first page: 276 year: 2021
doi: 10.1016/j.teln.2021.01.005
16. “I’m Not Asking for Special Treatment, I’m Asking for Access”: Experiences of University Students with Disabilities in Ghana, Ethiopia and South Africa
Dureyah Abrahams, Beata Batorowicz, Peter Ndaa, Sumaya Gabriels, Solomon M. Abebe, Xiaolin Xu, Heather M. Aldersey
Disabilities vol: 3 issue: 1 first page: 114 year: 2023
doi: 10.3390/disabilities3010009
17. Technology solutions to support blind students in the chemistry laboratory
Cary A. Supalo, Siegbert Schmid, Jasodhara Bhattacharya, Alice Motion
Nature Reviews Chemistry vol: 7 issue: 12 first page: 823 year: 2023
doi: 10.1038/s41570-023-00559-x
18. Exploring Equity in Existing Assessment Practices for Visually Impaired Students at Higher Education Level
Kashif Iqbal, Samina Ashraf, Saima Shaheen, Ayesha Ashfaq
Sustainable Business and Society in Emerging Economies vol: 6 issue: 1 year: 2024
doi: 10.26710/sbsee.v6i1.2904
19. DUAcentes: Aplicación móvil para apoyar la utilización del Diseño Universal para el Aprendizaje
Jorge Farouk Molina Noboa, Orlando Ramiro Erazo Moreta
Código Científico Revista de Investigación vol: 4 issue: E1 first page: 147 year: 2023
doi: 10.55813/gaea/ccri/v4/nE1/90
20. Enabling Design: Creating an Equity-Focused Framework for Blended Learning
Nadine Hamman, Cheryl Hodgkinson-Williams, Lara Karassellos, Ikechukwu Nwanze, Janet Small
Progressio year: 2025
doi: 10.25159/2663-5895/16177
21. Investigating the Impact of Universal Design for Learning: Empowering Students with Disabilities in Higher Education
Meta Silfia Novembli, Nisaul Hasanah, Dina Fitriani, M. Aziz, M.R.P. Sakti, I. Purnama, T. Derin
E3S Web of Conferences vol: 593 first page: 04004 year: 2024
doi: 10.1051/e3sconf/202459304004
22. Indian educators' awareness and attitude towards assistive technology
Arnab Kundu, Tripti Bej, Kedar Dey
SSRN Electronic Journal year: 2025
doi: 10.2139/ssrn.5240052
23. Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Favorable Participation of Students with Special Needs in Public Tertiary Education in Romania
Camelia Stăiculescu, Violeta Mihaela Dincă, Andreea Gheba
Sustainability vol: 14 issue: 17 first page: 10803 year: 2022
doi: 10.3390/su141710803
24. Scholarship-Based Undergraduate Laboratory Courses Modeled on a Graduate School Research Rotation
Geoffrey M. Bowers, Randolph K. Larsen, Kelly Y. Neiles
Journal of Chemical Education vol: 98 issue: 4 first page: 1152 year: 2021
doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00009
25. Gendered expectations on the recognition of ADHD in young women and educational implications
Andrea Lynch, Kevin Davison
Irish Educational Studies vol: 43 issue: 1 first page: 61 year: 2024
doi: 10.1080/03323315.2022.2032264
26. Staff perception on including students with physical disabilities at a South African university
Mashudu R. Mphohoni, Martha Geiger, Surona Visagie, Mashudu Manafe
African Journal of Disability vol: 13 year: 2024
doi: 10.4102/ajod.v13i0.1347
27. Assistive Mobile Educational Learning Tools in Special Needs Education Pedagogy: A Multiple-Baseline Design Study
Keith Pearl Joy Primor
Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal vol: 52 issue: 1 first page: 37 year: 2026
doi: 10.70838/pemj.520103
28. Digital Teaching, Inclusion and Students’ Needs: Student Perspectives on Participation and Access in Higher Education
Leevke Wilkens, Anne Haage, Finnja Lüttmann, Christian R. Bühler
Social Inclusion vol: 9 issue: 3 first page: 117 year: 2021
doi: 10.17645/si.v9i3.4125
29. Educación abierta inclusiva: diseño instruccional de un libro electrónico
Gloria Concepción Tenorio-Sepúlveda, Katherine del Pilar Muñoz-Ortiz, Cristóbal Andrés Nova-Nova
HUMAN REVIEW. International Humanities Review / Revista Internacional De Humanidades vol: 17 issue: 5 first page: 1 year: 2023
doi: 10.37819/revhuman.v17i5.1588
30. Developing a tool for teaching chemistry to people with visual impairments
Cesar Horna-Saldaña, Xavi Canaleta, Juan Ernesto Perez-Perez
Nature Reviews Chemistry vol: 9 issue: 9 first page: 569 year: 2025
doi: 10.1038/s41570-025-00743-1
31. Inclusion in Ukrainian universities from an inside perspective
Natalia Tsybuliak, Hanna Mytsyk, Yana Suchikova, Hanna Lopatina, Anastasia Popova, Olha Hurenko, Olha Hrynkevych
Scientific Reports vol: 14 issue: 1 year: 2024
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-69084-1
32. Inclusive pedagogy in online simulation‐based learning in undergraduate nursing education: A scoping review
Lisa Langan, Kate Frazer, Andrew Darley, Lizbeth Goodman, Freda Browne, Patrick Fulfilled, Phil Halligan, Catherine Redmond
Journal of Advanced Nursing vol: 81 issue: 2 first page: 591 year: 2025
doi: 10.1111/jan.16284
33. Student perspectives on the use of universal design for learning in virtual formats in higher education
Melissa Beck Wells
Smart Learning Environments vol: 9 issue: 1 year: 2022
doi: 10.1186/s40561-022-00218-6
34. Comunicación inclusiva en la educación superior: estrategias y su impacto en la inclusión de estudiantes con necesidades educativas específicas
Ronny Enrique Santana Estrella, Evelyn Karina García Carranza, Nohelia Nathalie Armas Bustos
INNOVA Research Journal vol: 11 issue: 1 first page: 18 year: 2026
doi: 10.33890/innova.v11.n1.2026.2885
35. Mental health literacy: Practicing ethics of care in the online language classroom
Stephanie Schottel
Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German vol: 56 issue: 2 first page: 202 year: 2023
doi: 10.1111/tger.12227
36. Inclusion by design a-neuro-cognitive trait interaction approach-to neurodivergent research
Jessica Dark
Methodological Innovations vol: 18 issue: 4 first page: 253 year: 2025
doi: 10.1177/20597991251396144
37. Perceived Knowledge and Attitudes of Faculty Members towards Inclusive Education for Students with Disabilities: Evidence from a Greek University
Maria Papadakaki, Anastasia Maraki, Nikolaos Bitsakos, Joannes Chliaoutakis
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health vol: 19 issue: 4 first page: 2151 year: 2022
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19042151
38. Inclusion at universities: Psychometric properties of an inclusive management scale as perceived by students
María José Solis-Grant, Camila Espinoza-Parçet, Cristóbal Sepúlveda-Carrasco, Cristhian Pérez-Villalobos, Iván Rodríguez-Núñez, Cristian Pincheira-Martínez, Juan Pablo Gómez-Varela, Daniela Aránguiz-Ibarra, Frantisek Sudzina
PLOS ONE vol: 17 issue: 1 first page: e0262011 year: 2022
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262011
39. Policy Statement: Mental Well‐being among Anthropologists at Universities: A Call for System Transformation
Erica Hua Fletcher, Emma Louise Backe, Tory Brykalski, Alex Fitzpatrick, Melinda González, Shir Lerman Ginzburg, Rob Meeker, Rachel P. Riendeau, Meagan Thies‐Sauder, Beatriz M. Reyes‐Foster
Medical Anthropology Quarterly vol: 36 issue: 1 first page: 155 year: 2022
doi: 10.1111/maq.12699
40. IMPLEMENTATION OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING (UDL) CONCEPTS ON LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Imam Yuwono, Mirnawati Mirnawati, Dewi Ekasari Kusumastuti, Tenty Jahrina Ramli
Education. Innovation. Diversity vol: 2 issue: 7 first page: 16 year: 2024
doi: 10.17770/eid2023.2.7355
41. Access and Inclusion in Emergency Management Online Education: Challenges Exposed by the COVID-19 Pivot
Caroline S. Hackerott, Alyssa L. Provencio, Jenniffer M. Santos-Hernandez
Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management vol: 18 issue: 3 first page: 317 year: 2021
doi: 10.1515/jhsem-2020-0074
42. Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Africa: exclusion of students with disabilities in South African higher education
Sibonokuhle Ndlovu
Curriculum Perspectives vol: 43 issue: S1 first page: 127 year: 2023
doi: 10.1007/s41297-023-00202-1
43. Universal design for learning in anatomy education of healthcare students: A scoping review
Audrey M. K. Dempsey, Mutahira Lone, Yvonne M. Nolan, Eithne Hunt
Anatomical Sciences Education vol: 16 issue: 1 first page: 10 year: 2023
doi: 10.1002/ase.2160
44.
ИНКЛЮЗИВНОЕ ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ КАК ОСНОВА УСТОЙЧИВОГОРАЗВИТИЯ ОБЩЕСТВА: ОПЫТ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ В УЗБЕКИСТАНЕ
Дилноза Тошевна Исакова, Сергей Дмитриевич Аронбаев, Дмитрий Маркиэлович Аронбаев
Флагман науки issue: 9(32) first page: 95 year: 2025
doi: 10.37539/2949-1991.2025.32.9.003
45. Towards multicultural, inclusive and diverse evaluation – Exploring post-Secondary students’ perceptions
Yael Shraga-Roitman, Revital Cohen-Liverant, Shira Soffer-Vital, Idit Finkelstein, Tsfira Grebelsky-Lichtman
Intercultural Education vol: 34 issue: 4 first page: 378 year: 2023
doi: 10.1080/14675986.2023.2187349
46. Faculty of Education Professors’ Perception about the Inclusion of University Students with Disabilities
Rosa-Eva Valle-Flórez, Ana María de Caso Fuertes, Roberto Baelo, Sheila García-Martín
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health vol: 18 issue: 21 first page: 11667 year: 2021
doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111667
47. Effects of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles on the motivation of children with SEN integrated in mainstream schools
Petronela Piticari
Review of Psychopedagogy vol: 12 issue: 1 first page: 154 year: 2023
doi: 10.56663/rop.v12i1.66
48. Investigating the impact of adapted physical education service-learning projects on preservice teachers’ attitudes toward individuals with disabilities
Eun Hye Kwon, Jinho Park, Taeeung Kim
Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation vol: 18 issue: 1 first page: 74 year: 2022
doi: 10.12965/jer.2142654.327
49. Utilização da tecnologia assistiva para a educação à distância
Elieber Barros Bezerra, Carlos Bruno Barreto Luna, Adriano Lima da Silva, Helder de Lucena Pereira
Revista de Gestão e Secretariado vol: 15 issue: 12 first page: e4413 year: 2024
doi: 10.7769/gesec.v15i12.4413
50. Universal Design for Learning as a theory of inclusive practice for use by educational psychologists
Alexandra Sewell, Anastasia Kennett, Victoria Pugh
Educational Psychology in Practice vol: 38 issue: 4 first page: 364 year: 2022
doi: 10.1080/02667363.2022.2111677
51. Summary report of the 2019 Diversity and Inclusion Task Force of the National Society of Genetic Counselors
Nadine Channaoui, Ambreen Khan, Chana Wiesman, Kara Bui, Mitch Cunningham, Kaitlyn Brown, Kami Wolfe Schneider, Kristal Platt, Priscila Delgado Hodges, Nicole Thompson, Bruce Haas, Katie Strang, Meghan Carey, Erica Ramos, Aishwarya Arjunan, Julia Platt
Journal of Genetic Counseling vol: 29 issue: 2 first page: 192 year: 2020
doi: 10.1002/jgc4.1270
52. Experiences of students with disabilities in technical vocational education and training colleges
Precious Muzite, Velisiwe Gasa
African Journal of Disability vol: 13 year: 2024
doi: 10.4102/ajod.v13i0.1477
53. Toward inclusive higher education: A systematic review of university policies for students with disabilities
Asrorul Mais, Budiyanto, Sujarwanto
Multidisciplinary Reviews vol: 9 issue: 7 first page: 2026330 year: 2025
doi: 10.31893/multirev.2026330
54. An Exploration of Comprehensive Student Support Systems in Technical Vocational Education and Training Colleges for Students with Disability
Muchineripi Munyaradzi, Akwasi Arko-Achemfuor, Kofi Quan-Baffour
Community College Journal of Research and Practice vol: 47 issue: 2 first page: 106 year: 2023
doi: 10.1080/10668926.2021.1952914
55. The Universal Design for Learning Framework in Anatomical Sciences Education
Joy Y. Balta, Briony Supple, Gerard W. O'Keeffe
Anatomical Sciences Education vol: 14 issue: 1 first page: 71 year: 2021
doi: 10.1002/ase.1992
56. Provision of Assistive Technology for Students with Disabilities in South African Higher Education
Sibonokuhle Ndlovu
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health vol: 18 issue: 8 first page: 3892 year: 2021
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18083892