Universal Design in Distance Higher Education Institutions: The Path to Inclusion

Supporting Diverse Learners in Higher Education

Research across cultural, educational, and geographical contexts indicates that Neurodivergent individuals and individuals with disabilities are increasingly seeking higher education and advanced learning opportunities (Barrera Ciurana & Moliner García, 2023; Bartolo et al., 2025; Cox et al., 2017; Lomellini et al., 2025; Sarrett, 2018). These students commonly enroll in higher education at more advanced ages than those without disabilities (U.S. Dept. of Ed., National Center for Educational Statistics, 2016). Accordingly, they can often be dually described as adult learners, defined as students over the age of 25 and/or those returning for further learning (Gardner et al., 2022; Owusu-Agyeman, 2019). Research suggests that individuals who hold these identities enroll and graduate at considerably lower rates than their peers (Bakker et al., 2023), highlighting inequities present within HEIs. Although resources such as Disability Services are generally available in United States-based HEIs, medical diagnoses and disclosure and registration within the institution is often required to access supports (Lomellini et al., 2025; Syed et al., 2024). Disclosure requirements have been reported by students in HEIs as a major barrier to accessing support, with many students indicating fear of stigmatization or ostracization (Barrera Ciurana & Moliner García, 2023; Bartolo et al., 2025; Briggs et al., 2024; Hamilton & Petty, 2023; Lomellini et al., 2025). Moreover, adults with disabilities, learning support needs, and Neurodivergent identities, including Autism, ¹ often encounter difficulties obtaining a diagnosis later in life due to high costs, long wait times, difficulty accessing providers who are qualified to diagnose adults, and general lack of healthcare access (de Broize et al., 2022; Malik-Soni et al., 2022). Therefore, it becomes even more critical to provide resources that would enable learners with and without diagnosed disabilities to thrive in a higher education environment.

Distance education, which generally consists of flexible, online learning, is defined as planned learning activities that occur without physical time and place requirements (Akpen et al., 2024; Lestremau Allen et al., 2024). Often described as online learning, online education, or remote education, distance education has grown increasingly popular following the COVID-19 pandemic (Afshan & Ahmed, 2020; Akpen et al., 2024; Johnson et al., 2023) and is often preferred by Neurodivergent students and students with disabilities (Verdinelli & Kutner, 2016). Adult learners, who may have responsibilities younger learners do not have, such as being full-time caregivers (Gullo, 2022), are currently the largest audience for online distance education and may face unique challenges within this environment (Kara et al., 2019). In a global literature review, Kara and colleagues (2019) found that adult learners in distance education environments may have difficulty creating a balance between education and work, family, and social life, experience challenges in time management, and have lower confidence. They may also experience scheduling conflicts, have limited time and environments in which to study, and feel general work overload. Adult learners with disabilities or those who identify as Neurodivergent can be doubly impacted in distance education (Bryson et al., 2025; Le Cunff et al., 2024). Accordingly, universal and inclusive support is paramount for equitable access so all students, including diverse learners, are not forced to obtain or disclose a diagnosis. The next section provides background on UD and the social model of disability, tying this into guidance on the implementation of UD within an online HEI to promote greater access, equity, and inclusion for all students, including diverse learners.

Universal Design and the Social Model of Disability

UD originated as an architectural framework that emphasized the need to proactively design environments to prevent barriers users may experience, thus, allowing the environment to be used by all people to the maximum extent possible (Center for an Accessible Society, n.d; Center for Universal Design, 1997). It was developed by Ron Mace, an architect and wheelchair user since childhood whose first-hand experience of the “disabling” impact of inaccessible environments led him to create more inclusive environments and advocate for accessible housing standards in the United States (Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, n.d, Lestremau Allen et al., 2025). UD has since been extended to a variety of contexts due to its utility in promoting equity and access for all by not requiring “adaptation or specialized design” (The Universal Design Project, n.d).

One such extension of UD, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), is commonly discussed in the context of education and higher education (Fornauf & Erickson, 2020). UDL’s focus is to promote access and autonomy for all learners via the proactive design of instructional goals, assessments, methods, and materials (CAST, 2025). Its guidelines are organized into the principles of (a) engagement (i.e., designing in a manner that acknowledges learner differences in sources of motivation and enthusiasm for learning), (b) representation (i.e., designing in a manner that accounts for the variety of ways that learners perceive and understand information), and (c) action and expression (i.e., designing to account for differences in how learners demonstrate what they know) (CAST, 2025). Although UDL offers countless benefits for all learners, the broader framework of UD has much to contribute to efforts to promote HEI-wide equity, access, and inclusion (Lestremau Allen & Syed, 2025).

The UDL framework aligns with the social model of disability, which “locates disability… in an excluding and oppressive social environment” (Marks, 1997, p. 88) as opposed to the disabled person, which aligns with the historical medical model (Zaks, 2023). This broad application of UD to a variety of contexts, including HEIs, emphasizes the need to proactively identify barriers and design in a manner that removes or mitigates them from the physical spaces, materials, policies, procedures, interactions, and instruction in which the user will engage (Lestremau Allen et al., 2025; Lestremau Allen & Syed, 2025). For example, curb cuts/ramps enable wheelchair users access while enhancing the experience for others, such as people pushing strollers, travelers rolling suitcases, and delivery workers using carts. Examples of UD within HEIs include closed captioning, transcripts for video content or live video calls, use of plain language, and supportive relationships with advisors and instructors (Lestremau Allen & Syed, 2024). As such, UD is inherently inclusive, as it enables more students to access features of an instructional environment without the need for specific accommodations.

Universal Design in Distance Education

In HEI, the onus may be placed on diverse learners to change their behavior or otherwise adapt to fit social and expected norms (Collins et al., 2018; Rahajeng et al., 2024; Tcherdakoff et al., 2025). Drawing from the social model of disability (Oliver, 2013; Shakespeare, 2006), a UD approach promotes embedding resources throughout the environment (beyond the “classroom”) that would benefit all students (Edwards et al., 2022), while equipping HEI employees to understand and support students in an inclusive and universal manner. In this section, we will provide guidance on the implementation of UD throughout multiple aspects of distance education environments, so that all students may benefit without the need for a diagnosis or disclosure (see Appendix A for a summary of recommendations).

Conclusion

In summary, literature suggests that diverse learners who are increasingly seeking distance learning may experience considerable challenges with enrollment and graduation in HEI and encounter barriers to accessing support in HEI, such as the need for a medical diagnosis that must be disclosed. Adult learners who self-identify with disabilities may experience these challenges in a more impactful manner (i.e., difficulty obtaining diagnoses). Further, adult learners are most frequently served through distance education environments and experience their own unique challenges as a result of various competing demands for their time and resources. Together, this information suggests a growing number of adult Neurodivergent learners are enrolled in distance learning environments; failing to enhance universal supports can be detrimental to online HEIs, given the growth of diverse learners in HEI in distance, online settings (Gardner et al., 2022). The UD-aligned recommendations provided here are informed by the existing literature regarding the inclusion of diverse learners with particular emphasis on distance HEIs. Categories of guidance span environmental design and social connectedness and support, reflecting the breadth of areas within HEIs that can either facilitate the success of diverse learners or promote societal inequities. Although it takes intentionality, time, and buy-in, efforts to incorporate these UD recommendations reflect sustainable systems-change that promotes far-reaching benefits for all students and employees (Lestremau Allen et al., 2025; Syed et al., 2024).