Module 6: Connecting Students with Complex Needs to Literacy in the B.C. Curriculum

The B.C. Curriculum and UDL: A Natural Fit

The B.C. Curriculum emphasizes personalized, competency-based learning and inclusion. The curriculum is built on literacy and numeracy foundations and includes three Core Competencies that form the basis for learning:

  • Thinking
  • Communication
  • Personal and Social

The curriculum was designed so that accessibility accommodations could be made for every student in British Columbia.

When you look at the B.C. curriculum, you will see that it consists of four elements:

  • Core Competencies (outlined above)
  • Content—What students are expected to know
  • Curricular Competencies—What students are expected to do
  • Big Ideas—What students are expected to understand
    • Using the Big Ideas, you can make the content goals meaningful and interesting for all your students. Students with complex needs can participate in and contribute to the classroom.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that originated in architecture. Architects recognized that making buildings accessible to everyone from the beginning is a better approach than retrofitting to meet individual needs. UDL applies the same logic to designing curriculum for students with a wide range of abilities and needs. UDL principles help connect students with complex needs to literacy by aligning their learning with the Core Competencies.

CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) defines UDL as a framework for creating learning experiences that are adaptable and accessible to all learners, regardless of their individual differences or disabilities. UDL emphasizes proactive design, which aims to minimize barriers to learning and maximize opportunities for engagement and success for everyone.

UDL is based on three principles:

In traditional literacy instruction, students with complex needs might struggle to “fit in.” UDL emphasizes making literacy relevant by:

  • Offering choices
  • Teaching literacy in the context of real-world opportunities
  • Making literacy engaging by facilitating involvement with classmates

UDL ensures that materials and instruction are adaptable. This principle emphasizes presenting information in various ways. Text can be presented in multiple formats such as print or audio books. Use visuals and tactile supports and incorporate AAC to provide access to reading and writing.

This principle focuses on providing a variety of ways that students with complex needs can demonstrate their learning. Encourage alternate response formats using AAC (including visuals, gestures, partner-assisted scanning) and assistive technology (text to speech, word prediction).

By considering the three principles above, teachers can design learning experiences that are more inclusive and accessible for all learners.

Summary
  • UDL ensures all students can engage with literacy based on their abilities.
  • Flexible content presentation and response options reduce barriers.
  • AAC and assistive technology enhance participation and communication.
  • UDL promotes independence, inclusion, and equitable access to literacy.
Universal Design for Learning Guidelines
Design Multiple Means of
Engagement		 Design Multiple Means of
Representation		 Design Multiple Means of
Action and Expression
Access

Design options for
Welcoming Interests & Identities

  • Optimize individual choice and autonomy
  • Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity
  • Nurture joy and play
  • Address biases, threats and distractions

Design options for
Perception

  • Support opportunities to customize the display of information
  • Support multiple ways to perceive information
  • Represent a diversity of perspectives and identities in authentic ways

Design options for
Interaction

  • Vary and honor the methods for response, navigation, and movement
  • Optimize access to accessible materials and assistive and accessible technologies and tools
Support

Design options for
Sustaining Effort & Persistence

  • Clarify the meaning and purpose of goals
  • Optimize challenge and support
  • Foster collaboration, interdependence, and collective learning
  • Foster belonging and community
  • Offer action-oriented feedback

Design options for
Language & Symbols

  • Clarify vocabulary, symbols, and language structures
  • Support decoding of text, mathematical notation, and symbols
  • Cultivate understanding and respect across languages and dialects
  • Address biases in the use of language and symbols
  • Illustrate through multiple media

Design options for
Expression & Communication

  • Use multiple media for communication
  • Use multiple tools for construction, composition, and creativity
  • Build fluencies with graduated support for practice and performance
  • Address biases related to modes of expression and communication
Executive Function

Design options for
Emotional Capacity

  • Recognize expectations, beliefs, and motivations
  • Develop awareness of self and others
  • Promote individual and collective reflection
  • Cultivate empathy and restorative practices

Design options for
Building Knowledge

  • Connect prior knowledge to new learning
  • Highlight and explore patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships
  • Cultivate multiple ways of knowing and making meaning
  • Maximize transfer and generalization

Design options for
Strategy Development

  • Set meaningful goals
  • Anticipate and plan for challenges
  • Organize information and resources
  • Enhance capacity for monitoring progress
  • Challenge exclusionary practices

© CAST, Inc. 2024. Version 3.0 (Download PDF)