College faculty and inclusive instruction: Self-reported attitudes and actions pertaining to Universal Design.

To investigate college faculty perceptions of students with disabilities and inclusive instruction based on Universal Design, we administered the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory (ITSI) to faculty at a public four-year university (n 233). The ITSI contains six subscales representing the following constructs: (a) multiple means of presentation, (b) inclusive lecture strategies, (c) accommodations, (d) campus resources, (e) inclusive assessment, and (f) accessible course materials. The ITSI includes two response categories that allow for an evaluation of both attitudes and actions in the six areas. Chi-square analyses were conducted to evaluate consistency between faculty attitudes and actions. Results suggested discrepancies between their attitudes toward inclusive teaching practices and their self-reported actions. Multiple regression analyses conducted to identify predictors of these attitudes and actions indicated that faculty who had received prior disability-related training or had prior experiences with disability were more likely to positively endorse positive attitudes on three of the six constructs even after controlling for relevant background characteristics (i.e., gender, teaching status, years teaching). However, similar analyses conducted on faculty actions were not significant. The implications of these findings for professional development efforts in teaching students with disabilities in postsecondary environments are discussed.