The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how elementary teachers and their respective administrators from rural Southwestern US school districts perceive the influence of general education curricular access--a dimension of UDL--on academic progress for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Universal Design for Learning, the theoretical framework for this study provides research behind general education curricular access for students with disabilities. RQ1: How do teachers and administrators perceive the influence of general education curricular access on academic progress for students with significant cognitive disabilities? RQ2: How do teachers and administrators perceive Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a viable framework for influencing general education curricular access for students with significant cognitive disabilities? RQ3: How do teachers and administrators perceive Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a viable framework for influencing academic progress for students with significant cognitive disabilities? The participants, elementary teachers and administrators completed interviews and questionnaires. Triangulation of data revealed four themes related to professional preparedness and UDL training related to general education curricular access and academic progress for this population of students. The findings offer stakeholders--students with disabilities, parents, educators, school administrators and legislators--valuable insights to meet the needs of students with significant cognitive disabilities being educated in a rural public schools. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]