Why Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Matters
Creating opportunities for inclusive, equitable education
Sharon Hartle, Emanuela Tenca (Eds.)
by Cristina Dumitru (The National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania), Aleshia V. A. Allert (University of the West Indies, Global Campus), Lisa Francis-Charles (St. George’s University, Chancellor Charles Modica Campus), Maria Cristina Nisco (University of Naples Parthenope, Italy), Domenico Tafuri (University of Naples Parthenope, Italy), Giorgia Andreolli (Eurac Research), Melissa Bishop (Cape Breton University), Diane Montgomnery (University of Prince Edward Island), Giorgia Pomarolli (University of Verona, Italy), Sabrina Piccinin (University of Verona, Italy), Serena Dal Maso (University of Verona, Italy), Maria Vender (University of Verona, Italy), Jhon Alexander Garcia Camargo (Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colombia), Judy Constanza Beltrán-Rojas (Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colombia), Nhora Paulina Parra-Ortiz (Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colombia)
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This book offers a timely and valuable exploration of Universal Design for Learning as a persuasive response to widening global educational inequalities. By connecting theory, policy, and practice, it demonstrates how UDL’s flexible, learner-centred principles can aptly support inclusion, accessibility, and equity across diverse and crisis-affected educational contexts.
Prof. Dr. Roberta Facchinetti
Chair of English Language and Linguistics
University of Verona, Italy
“Why Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Matters” brings together a broad range of international scholarship to demonstrate both the ethical urgency and the practical power of UDL in contemporary education. Combining rigorous theoretical grounding with rich case studies, the volume spans higher education, assessment, language teaching, informal and technology-enhanced learning, and lifelong education for migrants and older adults. Hartle and Tenca’s edited collection shows how learner variability can be embraced as a pedagogical resource rather than a problem. The book offers educators, researchers, and policymakers a compelling, research-informed vision of inclusive and equitable education, while providing concrete strategies for removing barriers to learning in diverse global contexts.
Franca Poppi
Professor of English Linguistics and Translation
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
The book provides the most up-to-date investigation to date of an exciting yet still underexplored area of education: Universal Design for Learning. The breadth of topics covered is impressive. Welcome inclusions are chapters on the application of UDL to the teaching of second languages other than English. A must-read for 21st century educators at all levels!
Prof. Dr. Andrea Nava
Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
Hartle and Tenca's volume offers a compelling exploration of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Through case studies spanning disability, assessment practices, and foreign language teaching, the book shows how UDL shifts attention from accommodating individual learners to redesigning institutional settings around learner variability. Rather than offering a single solution, the volume positions UDL as an evolving framework for negotiating equity in increasingly diverse educational contexts. As such, it is especially valuable for researchers and practitioners seeking to balance inclusion with rigor in contemporary education.
Prof. Luciana Pedrazzini
Department of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Mediations
Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
This volume explores the importance of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a transformative framework for inclusive and equitable education. Through chapters contributed by international scholars, it examines the practical application of UDL in various educational contexts, including higher education, assessment, language education, and lifelong learning. The book positions UDL as an essential approach for creating accessible learning environments that embrace diversity and overcome barriers. Highlighting innovative case studies and research, it serves as a resource for educators, policymakers, and researchers committed to fostering inclusivity and improving educational outcomes globally.
List of Figures
List of Tables
Foreword
Manuel Boschiero
University of Verona
Introduction
Sharon Hartle
University of Verona
Emanuela Tenca
Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences in Rome
Section I. Higher education
Chapter 1 UDL Principles Matter: A Professional Development Framework for Higher Education Institutions
Aleshia V. A. Allert
University of the West Indies, Global Campus
Lisa Francis-Charles
St. George’s University, Chancellor Charles Modica Campus
Chapter 2 Universal Design for Learning: Providing Equal Opportunities for Students with Disabilities in Higher Education
Cristina Dumitru
National University of Science and Technology
POLITEHNICA Bucharest
Chapter 3 Inclusive Education and English Language Teaching (ELT) in the Italian University Context: A Case-Study
Maria Cristina Nisco and Domenico Tafuri
University of Naples Parthenope
Section II. Assessment
Chapter 4 Assessment Matters: English Linguistics Course Syllabi from a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Perspective
Giorgia Andreolli
Eurac Research
Chapter 5 Achieving Equitable Formative Assessments through the Principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Melissa Bishop
Cape Breton University
Diane Montgomnery
University of Prince Edward Island
Section III. Methodological approaches
Chapter 6 Transformative Language Education Informed by UDL Principles: A Case Study on Teaching Russian FL through Tasks
Giorgia Pomarolli
University of Verona
Chapter 7 Applying UDL Principles to Technology-Enhanced Language Learning for Adult Migrants
Sabrina Piccinin and Serena Dal Maso
University of Verona
Chapter 8 Removing Barriers: Fostering Inclusive Reading Access through Text Layout Modifications and DyslexiaFriendly Fonts
Maria Vender
University of Verona
Chapter 9 Addressing the Digital Divide: Public Management Leadership Skills Training Programme through ICT for Seniors
Jhon Alexander Garcia Camargo, Judy Costanza
Beltrán-Rojas, and Nhora Paulina Parra-Ortiz
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
About the Editors
About the Contributors
Index
Prof. Sharon Hartle is an associate professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Verona. During her career she has specialised for many years in e-learning, blended learning, assessment and multimedia materials development. Recently, however, her research has focused particularly on inclusive, accessible English Language Teaching and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
Dr. Emanuela Tenca is an assistant professor at the Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences (UniCamillus) in Rome. Her research interests include English language teaching and learning, also from a historical perspective, inclusive and accessible foreign language education, English for Specific Purposes, and corpus-assisted discourse analysis. In 2022 she participated in a project funded by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Verona for the development of an inclusive and accessible model for language learning and teaching, under the supervision of Prof. Sharon Hartle.
Universal Design for Learning, inclusive education, accessibility, language teaching, equitable assessment, lifelong learning
Subjects
Education
Interdisciplinary
Philosophy
Series
Series in Education
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Bibliographic Information
Book Title
Why Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Matters
Book Subtitle
Creating opportunities for inclusive, equitable education
ISBN
979-8-2616-0072-5
Edition
1st
Number of pages
294
