Addressing students’ special needs must start with getting the
foundations of mathematics teaching right. Within good teaching practice, technology can support special needs students by offering multiple ways to represent mathematics, support action and expression, and engage students’ interest, consonant with the principles of Universal Design for Learning.

The necessary foundations for teaching special need and ELL students are the same as the foundations for teaching mathematics to all students. One state-of-the-art approach has been termed “Universal Design for Learning” and features the idea that good instruction benefits everyone (see http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines). The three principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are:
1. Provide multiple means of representation.
2. Provide multiple means of action and expression.
3. Provide multiple means of affective engagement.