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As universities across the UK mark Disability History Month, it’s crucial to reflect on how we can make higher education more inclusive for disabled students, staff, and researchers.
By Manjula Patrick (Associate Professor, Inclusive Education Lead, Arena (HEDS)), Indie Beedie (Senior Student Success Officer and UCL Disability Envoy) and Rachel Lim (Welfare and Community Officer, Student Union).
Beyond celebrating historical achievements, Disability History Month serves as a reminder of the work that remains to be done. This year, the focus is ‘Livelihood and Employment’; our role in supporting students’ futures comes into sharper focus. Inclusivity is not merely about compliance with accessibility laws; it is about creating a culture where inclusivity is deeply woven into the fabric of our institution. Through Universal Design for Learning (UDL), intersectionality, and cultural competence, we can reimagine what inclusive education truly means and what it can offer in preparing all students for life and work.
Universal Design for Learning: Expanding the Scope of Inclusivity
UDL offers a powerful framework for inclusive education by designing learning environments that cater to the widest possible range of learners from the outset. Traditionally, university classrooms are set up with “typical” students in mind, leaving those with disabilities to rely on retrofitted solutions—extra time in exams, or separate access to resources. Our new UDL module (see resource list below) available to staff explores how proactive, accessible design can ensure all students have equitable access to resources and opportunities for success. UDL challenges traditional models, aiming to build accessibility into the foundation of education itself. For instance, rather than offering “accessible alternative formats,” which often compromise quality, why not provide a single accessible format for all, avoiding poor colour contrast or unusable audio and visuals?
Reflecting on current practices, how many modules offer flexible assessments or provide multiple ways for diverse learners to engage? Institutions that adopt UDL experience benefits far beyond disabled students. Neurodivergent, international, and students from non-traditional backgrounds also thrive in environments designed for diverse learning and participation styles, for example the commuter student benefiting from access to lecture notes or international students benefitting from captioned recordings. With hybrid and online learning becoming more prevalent, there’s a golden opportunity to apply UDL principles widely—are we making the most of it?
Intersectionality: Understanding Diverse Disabled Identities
Disabled people are not a monolithic group, their experiences and challenges are shaped by overlapping identities, including race, gender, sexuality, socio-economic status, and more. For example, a Black disabled woman may face barriers distinct from those of a white male with a similar disability. By embedding intersectionality into our policies and teaching methods, we create environments where students feel seen and supported in their full identities—a crucial step towards true inclusion.
Educators should ask: how do we ensure our discussions around race, gender, and disability are integrated across disciplines? Are academic support services equipped to address the nuanced needs of students who navigate multiple marginalised identities? Recognising intersectionality in inclusive education is not a nice to have when we can find time or even just beneficial—it is essential in our goal to be a university where all can thrive.
*New online module on Intercultural Competency launches in mid-November 2024. See resource list below.
Cultural Competence: Building Inclusive Learning Across Borders
Cultural competence involves understanding, respecting, and valuing the cultural backgrounds of students, particularly when it comes to how disability is perceived and experienced across different cultures. While some cultures may approach disability from a medical model, others embrace a social lens. Disabled international students, navigating these differences alongside a new academic system, face unique challenges.
Educators must ask: are our learning environments culturally sensitive? How do our teaching methods reflect the backgrounds of our students? Through our online intercultural competency module and toolkits (like Using Inclusive Language in Education), staff are encouraged to adopt culturally sensitive approaches, supporting students of all backgrounds in feeling welcomed and valued. Inviting students to share their perspectives on disability from their cultural backgrounds enriches classroom discussions and fosters a truly inclusive and rich learning experience.
Call to Action: Co-Creating an Inclusive UCL
Reflecting on the many dimensions of inclusive education, a key question arises: how do we drive lasting change? One solution lies in co-creation. Disabled students, alongside staff, must play an active role in shaping the policies, curricula, and environments that impact them. Co-creation is not just a principle of inclusive design—it’s a commitment to actively listen to disabled voices, acting on their insights and leaving behind the deficit model. For example, the resource ‘Supporting Neurodiversity in Education’, co-created with students who have lived experience, has proven both impactful and widely valued.
To sustain this commitment, it is essential to encourage ongoing feedback loops for inclusive policies, engaging both staff and students. For staff, this means creating regular opportunities for disabled students to provide anonymous feedback—such as through a Continuous Module Dialogue (CMD)—on their educational experiences and specific needs. This feedback can inform meaningful adjustments in teaching practices, classroom setups, and course materials, making inclusion an evolving process.
For all students, engaging with feedback mechanisms and student representatives on accessibility and inclusion issues allows challenges to be addressed from authentic student perspectives. This continuous exchange fosters improvements that make UCL a more inclusive learning environment for all.
Moving Beyond Awareness to Action
Disability History Month is a time to honour the achievements of disabled people, but it is also a call to action… and not just during this month. Universities are uniquely positioned in society to move away from deficit models and create inclusive spaces.
By embracing Universal Design for Learning, recognising the power of intersectionality, building cultural competence, , we can transform UCL into a place where diversity is not just acknowledged but celebrated.
The responsibility of an inclusive UCL lies with all of us in making small and big changes to our everyday practice.
We are asking staff and students during Disability History Month to commit to one action that they will take forward and would love to hear about what you have planned. Below are some potential first steps you could take in this journey.
First Steps for Advancing Inclusive Education
- Staff: Implement Accessible and Inclusive Learning and Assessment Practices
Use tools like Moodle Ally reports to assess and enhance the accessibility of online learning materials by incorporating features such as captioned videos, transcribed lectures, and alternative text for images.
Apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to provide flexible assessment options, such as written assignments, presentations, or project work, allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge in ways that suit their strengths. Engage disabled students for feedback on both resources and assessments to ensure continuous improvement in accessibility and inclusivity, reducing the need for individual adjustments and fostering a universally supportive learning environment.
- Students: Peer support and Allyship
Create or join a peer mentorship network specifically for disabled students, such as the UCL Disabled Students’ Network. This group offers valuable guidance on navigating academic challenges, accessing support services, and providing feedback to the university on areas needing inclusivity improvements.
They also foster allyship by encouraging non-disabled students to learn from and support their disabled peers, building a campus culture where all students feel empowered to advocate for one another and work together toward a more inclusive university environment.
- Staff & Students: Engage with the online Inclusive Education programme
Enrol in the Inclusive Education Programme now for a dynamic learning experience that equips you to shape a more inclusive educational future.
UCL Arena Inclusive Education resources:
- Online programme on Inclusive Education (Level 1) for staff (with teaching and learning role) and all students. Complete Level 1 in order to access new Level 2 modules like UDL and intercultural competency.
- Using inclusive language in education toolkit – a starting point to generate confidence to engage with different groups.
- Online training “Inclusion of disabled and neurodivergent people” developed by Faculty of Engineering Sciences.
- Supporting neurodiversity in education toolkit*- drawn from Supporting Neurodiversity: Handbook for Research Supervisors and Personal Tutors Handbook (UCL staff only). Resources include Empowering Learning: Presentations and Group Collaboration – some simple strategies to aid inclusive group work.
- How to plan for tailored adjustments in Postgraduate research – Guidance and tool for students and supervisors to plan adjustments using an activity-based modular design to inform their Summary of Reasonable Adjustments (SoRA).
- Inclusive dialogue in education: a tutor's guide to facilitating constructive discourse toolkit – designed to prepare tutors to engage with sensitive conversations in the classroom. Resources include Sample Agreement, The culturally competent and humble educator.
- Case Study: Tactile pedagogies to engage disabled students
- Creating inclusive student-staff partnerships toolkit*- view the full project report. Guidance for staff engaging with extra-curricular activities with student partners.