Application of UDL principles to Practice Environments: Getting it right?

Nurse education programs combine equal amounts of university sessions and clinical, practice based experiences. Student practice learning and assessment is a core and essential element to achieving the standards for registration with the professional body. Nurse education has seen an increase in the number of applicants who have disclosed a disability (UCAS 2013; AHEAD 2013). Most commonly applicants have a Specific Learning Difficulty, significant ongoing illness, physical and/or sensory impairments, mental illness and autistic spectrum disorders. Students who disclose a disability are supported through reasonable adjustment(s) to the program of study. The adjustments are often ‘retrofitted’ to existing programs and are funded through a range of mechanisms including the disabled students allowance (DSA) from Student Finance England or the NHS Student Bursaries. As funding streams become squeezed the importance of UDL in curricula design becomes more evident. This paper is based on the practice experience of educators supporting diverse learners to become nurses in the UK. Through three case studies the principkes of UDL will be applied to supporting studnets in clincial practice. The presentation will also draw on the doctoral research of the lead presenter.