Universal Scrolling refers to a software function within a mouse driver that allows a scroll wheel to work with programs that do not natively support that method of input. Usage of the term is not standardized; specific behaviors, programming methodologies, and compatibility with applications may vary between drivers from different vendors.
If a program supports scroll wheels natively, the Universal Scrolling feature will generally not interfere with the native implementation.
References
Universal Scrolling Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA