Requirements
Skills & Knowledge is the ONLY one out of the six that can be defined on an individual basis. An individual either has the skills and/or knowledge or does not. All the rest are system characteristics that result from decisions. If undesired performance is due to a lack in skills or knowledge, the solution is training. However, if it's not due to a lack in skills or knowledge, all the training in the world won't solve the problem because the solution doesn't fit the problem. At the broader level, this can be addressed by professional development plans in the schools that are targeted – meaning they are actually tied to what teachers, staff, and administrators should learn in order to bridge performance gaps. Without a systemic, systematic professional development plan in place, the skills and knowledge acquired by all individuals in the system results in a scattered shotgun approach, which will not lead to all the parts working in alignment.
As it relates to universal design – you may feel like you are fighting an uphill battle on this until different people throughout your school system, both in the building and at the district and state levels, have acquired skills and knowledge in this area.