Bringing UDL to Your District: What You Need to Know First

If we approach UDL implementation as a new thing that goes on top of everything we’re already doing, it won’t be successful. Our approach needs to focus on optimizing what we’re already doing using the innovative strategies outlined in the UDL framework.

How can you rally your district into full UDL implementation?

Full implementation happens in five stages:

• Explore,
• Prepare,
• Integrate,
• Scale, 
• Optimize

This post will focus on the preparation phase. Assuming you have already explored the UDL framework and are preparing to implement; this preparation step is crucial. First, it’s important to determine interest and willingness of all the stakeholders in the district. Once you identify interested parties, it’s important to ask questions, seek feedback, and collect data.

Key questions to ask at this point:

• What strategies will we use to conduct a self-reflection to examine district policies, process and practices, strategic personnel and organization structure so we can create an action plan?
• What data sources can we access to successfully facilitate systematic change?
• How can we leverage what we are already doing to prepare for implementation?

Once this work is done, the UDL team can begin to develop an action plan for implementation. Putting in the work upfront will pave the way for successful implementation down the road.

For more information about Universal Design for Learning, order my book, UDL Now!.