Access to general education is a federal mandate for all students but a major challenge in middle schools. The problem addressed in this study is a lack of access to the general education curriculum in the middle grades 6th-8th. To solve this problem, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework was created to provide instructional design criteria to ensure all learners have access to the general education curriculum. The purpose of this generic qualitative descriptive study was to explore middle school teachers' perceptions of minimizing curricular barriers to middle school students' access to the general education curriculum. One research question guided four semi-structured interviews, which guided theme development. The participants were sixth and eighth-grade middle school teachers who taught or have taught English Language Arts, Math, Science, or Social Studies. The data collection and analysis occurred using a six-step thematic analysis supplemented by NVivo, and peer-reviewed literature guided the process. Analysis of the data identified five themes in answering the research question: (1) Accessibility, (2) Accountability, (3) Learner Variability, (4) Data-Driven, and (5) School Conditions. Recommendations for practice include a local school district partnering with a network of UDL middle schools, establishing focus groups comprised of middle school teachers to engage in conversations about inclusive instructional practices, conducting a needs-based assessment to inform decision-making, developing a UDL professional learning series for middle school teachers, shifting the focus instructional focus to learning and the brain, and engaging school leaders in preparation programs to build the capacity for UDL leadership and to operationalize UDL district-wide. Recommendations for future research include a longitudinal study to examine assertions about UDL and its impact on student achievement. [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.]