Quick Summary
This article describes the development of the four-year, community-driven, research-based process to update the CAST UDL Guidelines. We trace the origins and commitments of Guidelines 3.0, describe the process and research design, and highlight how findings were used to directly inform expansions. Finally, we reflect on the current and future applications of Guidelines 3.0 to practice and research.
Abstract
The UDL Guidelines were conceived of as a living, dynamic tool that would develop over time based on research and feedback from the education community. The launch of Version 3.0 in 2024 represents the most significant expansion in the evolution of the UDL Guidelines. It also marks the most extensive updating process to date—a four-year, community-driven, research-based approach that prioritized learning from practitioners, researchers, and young people themselves, as well as engaging with areas of the education literature that had never before been included in previous iterations. This article offers a window into the updating process as a way to enhance transparency and honor the contributions of participants from across the UDL community. We trace the origins and commitments of Guidelines 3.0, describe the process and research design, and highlight how findings were used to directly inform expansions. Finally, we reflect on the current and future applications of Guidelines 3.0 to practice and research.
Get the full article from the International Journal of UD and UDL
Authors
Jenna W. Gravel
Nicole Tucker-Smith
David H. Rose
Beth Fornauf
Mary Margaret Hughes
Leila Lester
Kavita Rao
Shauntā Singer
Federico R. Waitoller
Cite As
Gravel, J. W., Tucker-Smith, N., Rose, D. H., Fornauf, B., Hughes, M. M., Lester, L., Rao, K., Singer, S., & Waitoller, F. R. (2026). UDL Guidelines 3.0: A Community-Driven, Research-Based Process Toward Fulfilling the Promise of Universal Design for Learning. International Journal of Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning, 1(2).