What does it mean for special education students to have access to the general curriculum-especially those who have formerly been limited to special education curriculums? How can students effectively participate and make progress in the general curriculum? What new tools, methods, and approaches are needed-and are being implemented?In our view, the answers to these questions depend on changes that we must make in the general curriculum to provide such access and participation. In so doing, we will create a curriculum that is better not just for students with disabilities but for all students.This article examines what we mean by access, participation, and progress in the general education curriculum and suggests a new framework for curriculum reform that holds promise for students with disabilities, in particular, and raises countless possibilities for all students. The article presents the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework for curriculum reform that takes advantage of new media and new technologies for learning (Hitchcock, Meyer, Rose & Jackson, 2002;; see box, "UDL Curriculum in a Nutshell"). What's Going On Now: Retrofitting the "Core" General CurriculumIs There Such a Thing as a Homogeneous Classroom?The assumption that there is a "core" group of learners that is mostly homogeneous, outside of which other learners fall, is itself flawed. Common sense, and increasingly neuroscience, 8 ■ COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

This article addresses the benefits that are likely to derive from shifting focus to developing and implementing a universally designed curriculum. It considers the goals for learning, the learning materials, the instructional methods, and the learning assessments. Benefits are expressed in terms of improved access, participation, and progress in the general education curriculum. Some of the forces that support Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and possible barriers are addressed, as well as appropriate uses of technology within educational learning environments. Assistive Technology (AT), Universal Design (UD) and UDL are briefly defined and pointers to additional resources are included.

This article suggests a future where accessibility and the universal design of the physical education environment is no longer an issue and where the focus is on universal design for learning. The supports and scaffolds necessary to ensure progress for all learners will, from the very beginning, be built into the instructional methods and learning materials thus reducing the need for remediation and enabling full participation in the general curriculum by all learners. Access to digital information and flexible, portable communication and learning technologies will be pervasive and necessary to achieve the goals of full access, participation, and progress by diverse learners. The author's vision of the future shifts the focus from modification and accommodation of learning opportunities to universal design.