UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING (UDL) IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT: DIALOGUES BETWEEN ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
Abstract
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) constitutes a theoretical-practical framework that aims to anticipate learner diversity in curriculum planning, eliminating barriers to participation and learning. This article aims to analyze the potential and challenges of UDL as a foundation for building accessible and inclusive school environments, investigating its role as an integrating axis between accessibility and inclusive education. This is a systematic literature review, carried out in the SciELO, ERIC, Scopus, Web of Science and Periódicos CAPES databases, with a time frame from 2017 to 2025. Forty-two articles were selected and submitted to thematic content analysis and lexical analysis using IRAMUTEQ and WordArt software. The results revealed three thematic axes: UDL foundations and principles; implementation and pedagogical practices; and teacher education. The similarity analysis highlighted the centrality of teacher education as a link between UDL and its effective implementation. The findings indicate that UDL offers significant contributions to pedagogical accessibility and the consolidation of inclusive school cultures, although its implementation faces structural, cultural and educational challenges. Gaps were identified, such as the predominance of small-scale qualitative studies, geographical concentration of research and fragmented approach to UDL principles, signaling the need for longitudinal and comparative investigations that deepen the understanding of the implementation processes of this approach in different educational contexts.