I agree with the authors in that there must be a reform in our society's thinking when it comes to the concept of learning. I am always fascinated by the current brain research regarding learning. Definitely, such information should guide teachers' instruction. After all.. teachers work with students' brains, aren't we supposed to be brain experts?
When I worked with students with disabilities, assistive technology was always a relief.(I am familiar with Alpha Smart, special calculators, visual aids)Such tools are used to enable the student with special needs to access his/her grade level curriculum. Assistive technology definitely aleviates some of the pressure such students receive when being compared with his/her grade level peers (especially after NCLB!). Rose & Meyer (2005) argue that the future of assistive technology will benefit students with special needs more because teachers will view such tools as a way to differentiate learning, particularly for special populations.
When I think of Universal Design of Learning, I immediately think of a beautiful ramp built-in as part of the architecture of a big and fancy building. Such visual reminds me that students with special needs can and should be part of our classroom without making their disability so obvious. Their "ramp" can be built-in as part of the architecture and structure of our classroom. Therefore, if a teacher implements the components of Universal Design of Learning, everyone in his/her classroom will have access to such tools. After all, who says people without a wheelchair cannot use the ramp?