By Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D. (Adapted from the publication Universal Design of Instruction: Definition, Principles, Guidelines, and Examples )

Students in academic classes come from a wide variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds. For some, English is not their first language. In most classes, there are students with many types of learning styles, including those who are primarily visual or auditory learners. In addition, increasing numbers of students with disabilities are pursuing postsecondary education. Their disabilities include blindness, low vision, hearing impairments, mobility impairments, learning disabilities, health impairments, and psychiatric health impairments.

Students want to learn and their instructors share this goal. How can instructors select their curriculum and instructional strategies to maximize the learning of all students? The field of universal design (UD) can provide a framework for instruction. This body of knowledge can guide instructors in creating courses where lectures, discussions, visual aids, videos, printed materials, web resources, labs, and field work are accessible to all students.

Universal Design Designing any product or environment involves the consideration of many factors including aesthetics, engineering options, environmental issues, safety concerns, and cost. Often the design is created for the "average" user. In contrast universal design, according to the Center for Universal Design, "is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design." Universal design is an approach to the design of products and environments, including instruction, that takes into consideration the the variety of abilities, disabilities, racial/ethnic backgrounds, reading abilities, ages, and other characteristics of the student body.

Rather than focus on adapting things for an individual at a later time, universally designed learning environments are created to be accessible to everyone from the beginning. When designers apply universal design principles, their products and services meet the needs of potential users with a wide variety of characteristics. Disability is just one of many characteristics that an individual might possess. For example, one person could be five feet four inches tall, female, forty years old, a poor reader, and deaf. All of these characteristics, including her deafness, should be considered when developing a product or service, including instruction, she might use.

Making a product or service accessible to people with disabilities often benefits others. For example, sidewalk curb cuts, designed to make sidewalks and streets accessible to those using wheelchairs, are today more often used by kids on skateboards, parents with baby strollers, and delivery staff with rolling carts. When television displays in airports and restaurants were captioned, they would benefit people who cannot hear the audio because of a noisy environment as well as those who are deaf.

UDI Principles At the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University a group of architects, product designers, engineers, and environmental design researchers established seven principles of universal design to provide guidance in the design of environments and products. Following are the principles of universal design along with an example in academic programs for each.

UDI Guidelines and Examples Universal design principles can be applied to many products and environments. Using the CUD format, UDI can be defined as the design of instruction to be usable by all students, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.

When designing classroom instruction or a distance learning class, strive to create a learning environment that allows all students, including a person who happens to have a characteristic that is termed "disability," to access the content of the course and fully participate in class activities. Universal design principles can apply to lectures, classroom discussions, group work, handouts, web-based instruction, fieldwork, and other academic activities.

UDI Examples Below are examples of instructional methods that employ principles of universal design. They are organized under eight performance indicator categories, with a goal statement for each. Applying these strategies can make your course content accessible to people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities, ethnic backgrounds, language skills, and learning styles.

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The Faculty Room: Universal Design of Instruction

A key measure of hospital emergency room use in Los Angeles County shows continued growth during the first six months of Obamacare, but also points to shifting patterns of where patients are choosing to receive urgent medical treatment.

With the healthcare expansion last year, many are watching how the Affordable Care Act affects emergency room use.

President Obama has promised his signature health law will gradually reduce expensive ER visits as access to other kinds of care is expanded. Critics contend newly insured patients especially those enrolled in Medi-Cal, the state's low-income health program that picks up most patient costs aren't likely to seek care elsewhere, and will overwhelm emergency rooms.

Neither of those outcomes were clearly evident in the first months of the new healthcare system's operation in Los Angeles County, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis.

Data hospitals report to the state show that as insurance coverage was extended to hundreds of thousands of residents, ER visits for ailments not serious enough to require an admission grew 3.9% in the county in the first half of 2014, compared with the same period the previous year. The growth is in line with annual increases of 3% to 5% in the three years prior to the federal healthcare overhaul.

Despite little rise in overall emergency room use, the analysis found some significant changes in the distribution of those outpatient ER visits.

The county's three large public hospitals, which historically have cared for many uninsured patients, recorded a 9% drop in such cases. At the same time, several private hospitals reported double-digit percentage increases in outpatient visits, the analysis found.

What the uneven and changing usage patterns mean and whether they signal the beginning of a long-term rearrangement of how patients will seek treatment is not yet clear.

Shannon McConville, a health policy researcher at the Public Policy Institute of California, said the slight growth in visits not leading to an admission generally considered less serious cases that include those that Obamacare aims to divert away from emergency rooms was "good news."

In addition, several private hospitals said they have, at least for now, been able to handle increases in ER patient visits.

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Since Obamacare, L.A. County ER visits show hospitals in 'state of flux'

Big changes are scheduled for the coming monthsat the Waukegan Public Libraryas a remodeling of the main floor begins Saturday, Jan. 10.

The $1.2 million transformation, however, will force the library to close its doors from Jan. 10 through Jan. 18.

After that, patrons can expect to see sporadic changes through June as the project will continue while the library remains open.

By mid-June, library patronscan benefit from a series of new features, including a digital media wall that displays news.A cafe area that will be located near the entrance will be another amenity.

Library spokesperson Rena Morrow said the entire staff is excited about the changes.

Morrow is especially enthusiastic about the expanded space for national and in-house exhibits.Some are expected to include 3D items andmonitors for informational videos.

There are four or five new ones planned, Morrow said of the exhibits.

Permanent displays honoring author Ray Bradbury will be placed throughout the book shelves, which will be moved to the opposite side of the room.

The most significant alteration, though, will be located in the middle of the room, where digital media is currently housed.

Six glass-encased rooms for individual studies or group meetings will be made available through reservations.

Link:
Waukegan Library gets moving on $2 million improvement

Thomas Barwick/Getty Images Woman working in home ofice

With mobile technology, its easy to work in any room of a house. And yet, according to designers and home builders, the home office is becoming one of a homes must-have features.

Dedicated office space might not always be a full room. In fact, it might be a nook with desk space on the landing of a staircase or a corner of a bedroom or family room. But as people do more work away from the office and kids do more work outside of the library, the home office is growing in importance.

That office or desk space is becoming as essential as the family room, said Mollie Carmichael, who leads the consumer research team at John Burns Real Estate Consulting, based in Irvine, Calif. And thats true no matter how large of a home it is, from a small apartment to a large single-family home, she added.

In fact, 77% of people surveyed by John Burns said that any additional rooms not dedicated as bedrooms would be used as an office in their next home the most popular response. (Fifty-six percent said theyd use the extra space as a guest room, 25% said multipurpose room.)

Theres also some evidence that home offices can make a home more attractive to buyers. According to Remodeling Magazines 2014 Cost versus Value report, you can recover an average 48.9% of the cost of a home office remodel at resale, up from 43.6% in 2013 and 42.9% in 2012. A midrange office remodel, as defined by the report, is a $28,000 investment that involves installing custom cabinets that include 20 feet of laminate desktop, a computer workstation and wall cabinet storage, along with rewiring of the room for computer, fax machine, cable and telephone lines.

There are a couple of reasons that people are demanding a dedicated office space.

For one, it gives them a place to collect all the paperwork and miscellaneous stuff they need to run the household, as well as for the work they may be doing from home for their job, said Elissa Morgante, co-principal of Morgante-Wilson Architects, based in Evanston, Ill., in an email. And secondly, it is helpful to have a space that is dedicated to work and not filled with other distractionsplus they have all the things they need within arms reach. I think it helps focus and provides a sense of intention.

If youre one of the growing number of people who regularly work from home, youre more apt to want an office space away from the center of the house, Morgante said. The number of people who work from home on a regular basis (and are not self-employed) grew by 89.8% from 2005 to 2013, to 3.5 million employees, according to data from Global Workplace Analytics, a consulting and research firm that studies work-at-home trends. The most recent statistics show that 2.5% of the workforce works from home at least half of the time, said Kate Lister, president of the organization.

Those who dont regularly work from home may want the office space on the first floor, close to the center of the home, Morgante said. Workspace near the kitchen or great room can make it easier for parents to keep their eyes on kidswhether its the adults or the children who are working at the desk space. With an open office area, kids are also prevented from sequestering themselves in their rooms with laptops, she said.

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This room is the new must-have home feature

With mobile technology, its easy to work in any room of a house. And yet, according to designers and home builders, the home office is becoming one of a homes must-have features.

Dedicated office space might not always be a full room. In fact, it might be a nook with desk space on the landing of a staircase or a corner of a bedroom or family room. But as people do more work away from the office and kids do more work outside of the library, the home office is growing in importance.

That office or desk space is becoming as essential as the family room, said Mollie Carmichael, who leads the consumer research team at John Burns Real Estate Consulting, based in Irvine, Calif. And thats true no matter how large of a home it is, from a small apartment to a large single-family home, she added.

In fact, 77% of people surveyed by John Burns said that any additional rooms not dedicated as bedrooms would be used as an office in their next homethe most popular response. (Fifty-six percent said theyd use the extra space as a guest room, 25% said multipurpose room.)

Home appraisers are returning to dubious practices seen before the financial crisis, as they inflate the values of some properties they assess.

Theres also some evidence that home offices can make a home more attractive to buyers. According to Remodeling Magazines 2014 Cost versus Value report, you can recover an average 48.9% of the cost of a home office remodel at resale, up from 43.6% in 2013 and 42.9% in 2012. A midrange office remodel, as defined by the report, is a $28,000 investment that involves installing custom cabinets that include 20 feet of laminate desktop, a computer workstation and wall cabinet storage, along with rewiring of the room for computer, fax machine, cable and telephone lines.

There are a couple of reasons that people are demanding a dedicated office space.

For one, it gives them a place to collect all the paperwork and miscellaneous stuff they need to run the household, as well as for the work they may be doing from home for their job, said Elissa Morgante, co-principal of Morgante-Wilson Architects, based in Evanston, Ill., in an email. And secondly, it is helpful to have a space that is dedicated to work and not filled with other distractionsplus they have all the things they need within arms reach. I think it helps focus and provides a sense of intention.

If youre one of the growing number of people who regularly work from home, youre more apt to want an office space away from the center of the house, Morgante said. The number of people who work from home on a regular basis (and are not self-employed) grew by 89.8% from 2005 to 2013, to 3.5 million employees, according to data from Global Workplace Analytics, a consulting and research firm that studies work-at-home trends. The most recent statistics show that 2.5% of the workforce works from home at least half of the time, said Kate Lister, president of the organization.

Those who dont regularly work from home may want the office space on the first floor, close to the center of the home, Morgante said. Workspace near the kitchen or great room can make it easier for parents to keep their eyes on kidswhether its the adults or the children who are working at the desk space. With an open office area, kids are also prevented from sequestering themselves in their rooms with laptops, she said.

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Amy Hoak's Home Economics: This room is the new must-have home feature

Entering a new year, the Buffet at Excalibur has a new look.

The redesigned buffet, which closed for remodeling earlier this year, reopened Dec. 23. The dining room seats 610.

Also, a luxury boutique expands at the Bellagio, a cosmetics retailer enters the fold of the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, and a restaurant in Henderson temporarily shutters for remodeling.

Anthony Mair

The Buffet at Excalibur reopened after a remodeling effort that began in the fall.

Menu items will rotate seasonally to highlight fresh produce, according to a news release. The dining room will seat 610.

According to the release, menu highlights include paninis and made-to-order omelets for breakfast; vanilla bean adobo chicken tacos along with tasso ham and tortellini pasta for brunch; and salmon with hibiscus glaze, Cajun crab mac and cheese, lobster polenta and hand-dipped ice cream bars for dinner.

The buffet is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, a spokesperson said. Excalibur is at 3850 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

O'Gara Bissell Photography

The Bellagio announced the expanded Tesorini is open.

Link:
New Year brings new look to the Buffet at Excalibur

Living room furniture choices you can relax with

Welcome to our well-designed living room furniture. We have everything from comfy sofas, coffee tables and stylish TV stands, to bookcases, matching soft furnishings and lamps. Youll find a big choice of styles and colours at prices that are as relaxing as an afternoon nap on one of our chaise longues! However, youll find more than just living room furniture here. If youre on the lookout for new ideas, take a look at our living room ideas. You can take almost all of our living room furniture home today from our stores, and you can buy online too.

We make our living room furniture to help you make your everyday life better. We have a huge range to choose from so that you can create the living room that suits your style, your practical needs - and your budget too. Maybe youre looking for stripey armchairs with machine-washable covers that you can change if you get tired of stripes? Or perhaps a pair of ready made curtains to coordinate with your sofa? And you might be surprised, but we also have a wide range of oak furniture.

Excerpt from:
IKEA Living Room Furniture | Living Room Seating & Storage

Megan McSally and her fiance, Joe Marino, had one very important reason for moving into their 4,800-square foot Colonial-style home on an acre in West Friendship the two have a combined seven children.

"It was important for all of the children to have their own space, and there are lots of spaces here," said McSally, a 39-year-old Realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

The Howard County home is within a 10-mile radius of shopping, dining, all the children's schools and their activities. And it wasn't just a matter of having enough space, but the right space for Marino's children (Joey, 13; Lindsay, 11; and Sammy, 8) and McSally's kids (Maddie, 14; Jack, 13; and 10-year-old twins Abigail and Katelin).

McSally, who owns the $877,000 home, began the renovations before she met Marino, a 46-year-old regional sales manager for ProBuild, a national building and construction material supplier. She wanted an open layout that was flowing and designed to accommodate the needs of a family.

On the ground level, there is a mudroom with designated cubbies for each person, a study room off the kitchen, a separate office, a sitting room and adjacent living room, and an expansive family room. The children sit down to dinner and homework at a long trestle table made of reclaimed and lacquered barn wood that seats eight in the kitchen.

Faith Home Remodeling Services Inc. built the new kitchen, which McSally calls her favorite room in the house.

"The copper sink, large range and hearth with hidden spice racks make it a wonderful place to prepare meals," she said. "However, any place that the children gather, whether it be for a quick snack after school [or] an impromptu high school gathering, that is where the true joy is. Our children range in ages from 8 to 14; no matter the age, they all come to the kitchen."

Counters are made of glazed maple while black granite countertops have been textured to look like soapstone. Travertine backsplashes are a warm backdrop for stainless-steel GE Monogram appliances.

Adjacent to the kitchen is the two-story family room, where a massive corner fireplace of stone with an arched hearth makes it a perfect place for family bonding. With a fire roaring, parents and children can watch TV or enjoy the view that backs up to preserved land seen out of the room's Palladian-like windows.

"I have all-new furniture [here] that is traditional and neutral in decor," McSally said.

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In West Friendship, a perfect family space and lots of it

Cheryl Freedman, Houzz Contributor

Theyre the simple pieces that stand the test of time. Never in or out of fashion, the items in this bunch are classically chic and tasteful, and eternally look good (so you wont be forking over money to replace them in two years time). Forget passing interior fads and fly-by-night trends; here are the oldies but goodies every living room needs.

Plantation shutters. These elegant window dressings have become the perfect solution for metropolitan homeowners who dont want sheer curtains but arent keen on passersby snooping, either. Here their crisp, clean lines and white color add to the rooms bright, breezy feel. The other plus, of course, is undeniable curb appeal.

How to plan a just-right living room layout

Moroccan pouf. Its that age-old problem: where to prop your feet when youre relaxing on the sofa? The obvious solution is a Moroccan leather pouf. Simple and compact, these versatile little seats work surprisingly well in a variety of settings, not just souk-style rooms. Here a pair of brown leather poufs adds impact next to a plain corner sofa, complementing the sophisticated design scheme brilliantly.

Tripod floor lamp. The architectural lines of the tripod floor lamp have made it a living room staple in recent years, and it looks set to stick around. As well as adding atmospheric pools of light, these cool pieces make a statement in their own right. Place one at either end of a sofa, as here, for oomph. If you dont fancy neutral lampshades like the ones here, swap them for colorful ones to energize your scheme.

Chesterfield sofa. Its an ongoing favorite in fashionable bars and boutique hotels, and no wonder. With their clean lines and comfort, button-backed chesterfield sofas are truly timeless, and look as good in a modern warehouse apartment as in a grand country abode. The classic version comes in tan leather, but for a sumptuous update, I love the raspberry-pink and pewter-colored velvet numbers here.

Retro sideboard. It might not feel as key as a coffee table or sofa, but a stylish vintage sideboard transforms the look of a living room (and keeps clutter at bay, too). Here a midcentury number adds a quirky retro attitude and provides a handy surface for showing off precious ornaments and pictures. For a timeless look, stick to warm woods, such as teak or rosewood.

Leather club armchair. Fancy the private members club look? Then opt for a classic, deep-seated leather armchair like this one; the more battered, the better. Buy secondhand for extra lived-in character, or source a vintage-look piece about town (feather-filled cushions offer an added slouch factor). Prettify it with a floral cushion, then sit back and relax with a cuppa (or glass of port).

Decorative over-the-mantel mirror. Its the oldest interiors trick in the book. A striking over-the-mantel mirror gives even a supersnug living room a sense of space and light. However, dont settle for just any old mirror. For old-school elegance, go for a Shabby Chicstyle French-looking piece with an ornate white plaster or gilt wooden frame. If you can afford to, get an original vintage mirror, complete with authentically aged silvering. If not, consider reproductions they work a similar magic for less cash.

Originally posted here:
Living Room Features That Never Go Out Of Style

Although hes best known for his 90s musicwho doesnt remember Ice, Ice, Baby?pop-music icon Vanilla Ice is also a successful real-estate entrepreneur and a remodeling expert with more than 15 years of hands-on home-improvement experience. Rob Van Winkle, Ices given name, first began remodeling with his own 15,000-sq.-ft. mansion in Miami Beach. That led to nearly two decades of real estate investments and renovations to flip houses for profit.

Last fall, a DIY Network reality show called The Vanilla Ice Project followed Van Winkle and his crew of contractors as they renovated a 7,000-sq.-ft. Palm Beach mansion. In each episode, Van Winkle pounded nails, tiled shower walls and called the shots in a room-by-room renovation that featured the latest in modern home features and technology. Sister network HGTV recently aired an encore presentation of the first season, and the second season of The Vanilla Ice Project will debut on the DIY Network in October 2011.

Reality shows may be notoriously low on reality, but during a recent chat with

Tell us about your first home remodeling project. My first renovation was my home of 11 years, a 15,000-sq.-ft., 12-bedroom bachelor pad on Star Island in Miami with purple and green rooms and red walls. I was young and inexperienced in home decoration and renovation when I first moved in. It felt like I was living in a huge nightclub. I hated it. Its true that colors can make you feel uncomfortable, so I completely changed it to earth tones, and made it into a home that felt like a home. After finishing the renovation of this first home, I decided to sell it, which resulted in a very profitable return on my investment. It was at that moment I realized I enjoyed the process of buying low, renovating within a budget by doing the work on my own, and then selling high.

How did you learn about interior design? I started by reading design magazines and books and going to seminars. I learned how not to make the design so personal but to appeal to the demographics of the people who would buy the house. I had so much fun doing it that it consumed me. I like the gratification of it, sitting back, crossing my arms and looking at it, thinking, Wow, I did that! Its a proud moment.

Did you learn the nuts and bolts of remodeling? I can get in there and swing the hammer! I got a lot of hands-on experience by hiring a guy and being over his shoulder the whole time, learning from him and asking him questions.

What was the hardest thing to learn how to do? Plumbing, like sweating lines, was very difficult in the beginning.

What has surprised you about the remodeling business and been difficult to deal with? Not much now! Throughout the past 15 years, I ran into the hurdles I had to, but now I know the processes so nothing can surprise me. I dont really buy homes that are older [and have problems], but I have had a few condos where they hired unlicensed electricians. You see it right away when they open the wallsbut Ive got master electricians to come in and fix that. For TV, we create a bit of drama, but theres really no job thats going to shock me.

What aspect did you find you had a natural talent for? I like the decorative side. I hired many [female designers] and learned from them about designearth-tone colors, travertine tiles, toilets. You would never even think that there are so many toilet designs! You have to have some sort of direction to make the overall picture come together, not just a bunch of sweaty guys. They know how to build and construct but you have to give them a direction, which is what I do.

What are your favorite design elements, especially in kitchens and baths? I like to use new materials and modern, high-tech features in homes. I get a thrill by finding a really different Jacuzzi tub, for example, or even figuring out how to design for small spaces. I get excited about hidden fridges and dishwashers, soft-close, pneumatic cabinet drawers and doors, high-tech lazy susans, and undermount sinks in the bath because they are easy to clean. Little stuff like that, I love it.

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The Ice Man Buildeth