The Accessible Education Center invites nominations for the eighth annual University of Oregon Faculty Excellence in Universal Design award. The UO’s Accessible Education Center works individually with students with disabilities to ensure they receive full access to their education, as well as with faculty and the University community more broadly. One pillar of AEC’s work is to promote principles of universal design in learning for the benefit of all students.   

Excellence in universal design involves the development and implementation of flexible curriculum and instruction towards increasing access for all learners. Universal design in learning means creating equitable access to education through curriculum that “reflects an awareness of the unique nature of each learner and the need to address differences,” according to the Center for Applied Special Technology. A universal design curriculum offers multiple ways for learners to engage with information, multiple means of information representation, and multiple options for expressing and communicating knowledge. 

Flexibility, ingenuity, and thoughtful and intentional design in curriculum has been even more important since the COVID-19 era, when pedagogy has needed to take into account options for online, hybrid, and in-person learning. 

Students, instructors, advisers, and other professional staff are encouraged to nominate faculty members and graduate employees who exemplify accessibility in the design and implementation of their courses over the course of the 2024-2025 academic year. 

The award recipient will receive $1000. Click here to view our recent winners.  

Nominations can be submitted in our Forms survey by either attaching a completed nomination form (which you can download as a PDF and fill in) or by entering your responses to questions within the form. Nominations will be accepted through May 23rd, 2025.