{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T14:33:54Z","timestamp":1787841234483,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":66,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,26]],"date-time":"2025-09-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758844800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004686","name":"Deanship of Scientific Research, King Faisal University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["KFU251400"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["KFU251400"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004686","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Universal Design for Learning is among the inclusive frameworks that has been incorporated in policies such as the \u201cEvery Student Succeeds Act of 2015\u201d and the \u201cHigher Education Opportunity Act of 2008\u201d. However, little is known about the factors that influence its use with students with intellectual disabilities, while their teachers play a critical role in understanding those factors. Currently, there is a paucity of research that has examined their perspectives in Saudi Arabia. Thus, the objective of this qualitative study was to explore teachers\u2019 perspectives on the role of educational policies and systems in using universal design for learning with their students. 14 teachers of students with intellectual disabilities were interviewed during the study. In the findings, the participants identified a number of factors that hinder its use, including: educational supervision; school management practices, and lack of access to the general curriculum, in addition to solutions to address them, such as providing legal\/legislative support and funding for programs. The findings revealed unique experiences as well as commonalities among teachers, which are particularly important for policymakers, supervisors, principals, and teachers. Implications for future research, policy, and practice were presented.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0333432","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,26]],"date-time":"2025-09-26T17:22:17Z","timestamp":1758907337000},"page":"e0333432","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Perspectives of teachers of students with intellectual disabilities on the role of educational policies and systems in using Universal Design for Learning: A qualitative study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1778-4238","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sarah Khaled","family":"Alfawzan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,26]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0333432.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.1352\/1934-9556-55.1.2","article-title":"Making the UDL framework universal: implications for individuals with intellectual disability","volume":"55","author":"SJ Smith","year":"2017","journal-title":"Intellect Dev Disabil"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0333432.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"37","DOI":"10.1352\/1934-9556-55.1.37","article-title":"UDL and intellectual disability: what do we know and where do we go?","volume":"55","author":"K Rao","year":"2017","journal-title":"Intellect Dev Disabil"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0333432.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"127","DOI":"10.1352\/2326-6988-6.2.127","article-title":"Including individuals with disabilities in UDL framework implementation: insights from administrators","volume":"6","author":"KA Lowrey","year":"2018","journal-title":"Inclusion"},{"key":"pone.0333432.ref004","unstructured":"Universal design for learning. 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