Inclusive Strategies for Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Students with Diverse Learning Needs in Higher Education

Abstract

Higher-education English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms now include students whose learning profiles vary across dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum conditions, sensory and mobility disabilities, and differences in prior schooling. Uniform lecture-plus-exam designs still dominate many university language programs and systematically convert learner variability into underachievement. This article synthesizes recent research on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), differentiated instruction, multisensory and multimodal pedagogy, and accessible assessment in tertiary EFL. It argues that inclusion is not a set of after-the-fact accommodations but a design stance: instructors provide multiple means of representation, engagement, and expression before barriers appear. Drawing on international studies and practice briefs, the paper maps strategy clusters onto common learner profiles and discusses institutional conditions that make those strategies durable – faculty development, accessible digital platforms, and assessment policies that separate language knowledge from print or speed constraints. An analytical table condenses expected benefits, risks, and classroom implications. The discussion highlights tensions between communicative language teaching and the need for predictability, between academic integrity and legitimate assistive technology, and between massification of higher education and individualized support. The article concludes that inclusive EFL in universities is feasible when curriculum, materials, and evaluation are redesigned together rather than patched for individual cases.