ADCET UDL Symposium: UDL 3.0 in Action - Reducing Stress and Enhancing Inclusion for Students in Higher Education
Online presentation
Internationally, students in higher education often experience high levels of stress during their studies, which can impact their physical and mental health, and affect their learning capacity and academic achievement (Pascoe et al., 2020). Research in Australia (Hitches et al., 2023) and Canada (Ardell et al., 2016) suggests that students with accessibility requirements and/or disability (ARD) may experience even higher stress than their peers without ARD, and this occurs whether or not students receive academic accommodations from their institution.
Understanding the stressors students with ARD experience in comparison to their peers, and seeking to unpack differences between students who are and are not formally accommodated by their institution, may provide insight into the malleable or unnecessary stressors which institutions can reduce.
This presentation shares students’ voices from across Australia on what is contributing to their stress and what the impacts of this are. These stressors were viewed through the lens of UDL 3.0 to not only support our understanding and unpacking of students’ experiences in the context of higher education teaching and learning, but to also highlight the possibilities for reducing unnecessary barriers in the learning experience.
This presentation helped participants:
- understand stress and why it is important to consider within students' learning experiences; and
- feel empowered to draw on UDL to reduce unnecessary academic stressors or barriers in the learning experience.
Presenter
Elizabeth Hitches teaches undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the areas of inclusive education, diversity, equity, and accessibility. Elizabeth is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her research interests lie in inclusive education at a national and international level, as well as equity, achievement, and wellbeing for students with accessibility requirements and/or disabilities.
(June 2025)