Universal design (UD), a concept from the field of architecture, is increasingly evident in discussions of approaches to enhance educational access for students with disabilities. Several emerging models of educational applications of UD—Universal Design for Learning, Universal Design for Instruction, and Universal Instructional Design—are discussed, with a call to the field for a collaborative approach to examine the efficacy of applications of UD to educational environments. Several critical areas for a research agenda are articulated, with caveats that the promise of UD for enhancing access not be undermined because of premature promotion of the concept before its validity is thoroughly examined.

BackgroundIt is recommended that young people should engage in 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous activity (MVPA) a day for health benefits, but few teenagers actually meet this recommendation. Policy-makers play a vital role in designing physical activity initiatives, but they generally do this with little or no input from the intervention recipients. This study explores the recommendations made by teenagers to improve activity provision, uptake and sustainability of physical activity engagement for both themselves and their peers.MethodsThirteen focus groups were carried out in seven secondary schools in South Wales, United Kingdom. Participants (n = 78) were recruited from a larger mixed-method randomised control trial, which involved the implementation of a voucher scheme to promote physical activity in teenagers (aged 13–14). Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify key issues from the perspective of the teenage participants.ResultsSix key recommendations were identified following analysis of the focus groups: i) Lower/remove the cost of activities without sacrificing the quality, ii) Make physical activity opportunities more locally accessible, iii) Improve the standards of existing facilities, iv) Make activities more specific to teenagers v) Give teenagers a choice of activities/increase variety of activity and vi) Provide activities that teenage girls enjoy (e.g., fun, sociable and not competitive sport). Throughout the focus groups, the increased opportunity to participate in unstructured activity was a key recommendation echoed by both boys and girls in all themes.ConclusionThere is a disconnect between what is available and what teenagers want to do. Policy-makers and those involved in physical activity delivery (e.g., schools, local council and local activity providers) should include young people in designing interventions and facilities to ensure they are meeting the needs of this age group and providing the right opportunities for teenagers to be active. That is unstructured, local, low cost, fun, sociable opportunities and the right facilities to be active.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-5274-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Postsecondary education has experienced rapid change in its student population. College students with learning disabilities (LD) represent a growing presence on college campuses across the country. Traditional means of meeting the learning needs of college students with LD through retrofitted changes and accommodations to classroom instruction have proven limited. Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) offers a new paradigm for approaching equal educational access. This article will describe UDI and discuss its implications for enhancing learning for students with learning disabilities and other diverse learners.

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