Student enrollment in higher education is becoming increasingly diverse. Despite this increase in diversity, students from traditionally marginalized groups such as students of color or from low-income families continue to be underrepresented. A lack of cultural understanding and the presence of biases and prejudices are considered a root cause of…

Despite extensive advocacy and research underscoring the benefits of inclusive education, students with Extensive Support Needs (ESN) continue to be predominantly placed in segregated educational settings, making inclusion a "wicked problem" within the field of education. Wicked problems are characterized by complexity, interconnected…

Although higher education is becoming increasingly diverse, the widespread adoption of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) remains limited. UDL provides a curricular framework designed to reduce barriers, account for learner's intersectional identities, and address variability. Using quantitative and qualitative measures, this research showcases…

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of virtual reality, an emerging technology, to teach college-age students with intellectual disability and autism to acquire science vocabulary words relating to human anatomy. One student with autism and two students with an intellectual disability participated in a multiple baseline across skills…

The transition to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered criticalities in the participation of students with special educational needs. The BESt-DaD project responded to these difficulties by developing a user-friendly online platform aimed at accommodating these students' neurocognitive profiles, ultimately promoting inclusion.…

Diversity in age, background, circumstances, and abilities among post-secondary learners has become increasingly common in online nursing education. Thus, there is a need for educators to build an inclusive environment that is responsive to this variety, to optimize learner achievement. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) offers educators a…

As teacher educators, we integrated the Family Learning Observation and Analysis (FLOA) project into elementary and early childhood literacy courses to better prepare preservice teachers (PSTs) for the diverse educational landscape of a Southern State. This initiative connects traditional monolingual teacher preparation to the multilingual…

In the Fortune 500 organizations, a robust survey illuminates the diverse experiences of women of color, framed within theoretical frameworks such as Critical Feminist Theory (CFT), Social Capital Theory, and Community Cultural Wealth. Of 141 responses, 102 participants, representing various racial backgrounds, provide insights into corporate…

This article investigates the pedagogical and instructional design process of a hybrid course in preservice teacher education. Guided by the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework, the course design aimed to foster social, cognitive, and teaching presence in a hybrid learning environment. A narrative self-study approach was employed to reflect on…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of UDL training on general education teacher candidates' daily lesson plan writing skills. The participants were 97 teacher candidates in a general education programme. They were required to write a lesson plan before and after the three-hour UDL training. The single group…

Students with disabilities are being educated in the general education setting at an ever-increasing rate; therefore, it becomes imperative that educator preparation programs ensure that pre-service teachers are equipped to meet the needs of all students. Teacher education scholars have encouraged educator preparation programs to maximize the…

Purpose: An increasing number of autistic students are pursuing higher education to enhance career opportunities, achieve personal growth, and increase independence. Nonetheless, many encounter difficulties in transitioning to and thriving in this environment, despite the support offered by universities. Here, we review the preliminary data from a…

Students with disabilities are a rapidly growing population in postsecondary education, estimated to be approximately 19.4% of undergraduate students (U.S. Department of Education, 2019). However, many postsecondary faculty members are unaware of the issues that students with disabilities experience and are not confident in how to teach diverse…

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is the proactive concept of creating a student-focused learning environment that meets students' variable needs. This qualitative phenomenological study interviewed five active graduate education faculty members on their knowledge and resource support with UDL initiatives. Findings included a variety of…

Background: Research suggests physicians may harbour paternalistic attitudes towards people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and lack the knowledge and skills to work with them. This study examined the impact of a brief intellectual and developmental disability curriculum intervention on these outcomes. Methods: First-year medical…