Overview
Universal Design as a principle, asks us to consider the broadest range of participants in any given situation. Rather than designing for the “average” user, or even the majority of a type of user, all possibilities are considered in the planning stages. While it might not be possible to design for every individual in the world, at least considering a variety of needs will help ensure more people are included than are excluded. More information about the guiding principles of Universal Design, why it's important and how to incorporate universal design in the classroom can be found at spu.edu/universaldesign or at http://digitalobby.spu.edu/universaldesign Universal Design for Learning.
In this section of the CIS HelpDesk website, you will find "How-To" instructional articles to help you incorporate universal design into documents, websites, videos, and email communications. While the content about Universal Design hosted at http://digitalobby.spu.edu/universaldesignwebsite, is primarily geared towards classroom instruction, it is possible to incorporate these same techniques into department documentation and digital communications for both employees and students.