Although differentiating instruction and being able to design lessons geared to the needs of different students are currently highly valued skills among teachers, it has not always been Like this. The history of education in the United States is a history of segregation. Even today, schools and curricula are designed to meet the needs of a narrow group of students, which does not include students with disabilities (Hitchcock, Meyer, Rose, & Jackson, 2002). In the past, students who were different, outside the mainstream, or who didn't fit the mold teachers taught (not part of the core group) learned or lost learning. This is not to say that teachers of the past did not care about their students, about being effective teachers, or about student learning. However, since schools are mirrors that reflect traditional social norms (Chartock, 2010; Delpit, 2006) – and, since our society has not always valued the diversity of people, whether due to disability, class, culture or race – Past teachers have focused their efforts where they could get the greatest return on their investment: the average student. However, through the passage of legislation, decisions made by the courts and a change in social mores, it is clear that such an approach will no longer be permitted. Education today is an institution that must meet the needs of all students, without exception. In response to this new belief structure, teachers have two choices: adapt the lessons they plan to meet these needs, or design lessons universally from the start. The first approach is common, but advocates of universal design for learning hope that it may change as acceptance of the second grows. These supporters argue that universa......middle of paper......006). Children of others: cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: The New Press.Edyburn, D. L. (2009). RTI and UDL interventions. The Journal of Special Education Technology, 24(2), 46–47.Flores, M. M. (2008). Universal design in elementary and middle schools: Designing classrooms and instructional practices to ensure access to learning for all students. Early Childhood Education, 84(4), 224–229. Fullan, M., Hill, P. W., & Crévola, C. (2006). Turning point. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.Hehir, T. (2002). Eliminate ableism in education. Harvard Educational Review, 72(1), 1-33.Hehir, T. (2009). New directions in special education: Eliminating ableism in policy and practice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press. Hitchcock, C., Meyer, A., Rose, D., & Jackson, R. (2002). Provide new access to the general curriculum. Exceptional children, 35(2), 8–17.