What is Needs-Assessment

It has already become clear from the many cases in this book that universal design for learning (UDL) offers a convenient framework to design inclusive classes that embrace the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. The opportunity to embed a more inclusive approach to education is challenging, but it is one that needs to be taken. This chapter will provide an overview of the European landscape on the social dimension in higher education and address the barriers that have emerged with the implementation of the UDL framework. Calls to action to improve the institutional and system capacity on the topic of inclusion and UDL will be pointed out. These recommendations will be illustrated with concrete actions from the Support Centre for Inclusive Higher Education (SIHO), a national body in Belgium supporting policy makers and universities to implement equity and inclusion measures in policy and practice.