Universal Design in Education Project
The Higher Education Authority Path 4 Phase 1 initiative was established to advance the Universal Design framework in third-level education.
DCU was successful in securing funding as part of this initiative and we intend to build on the extensive resources created by the Teaching Enhancement Unit on Universal Design for Learning by widening the scope to include all aspects of the student experience in DCU.
Universal Design is, the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability (NDA). Within the educational context, universal design straddles four pillars:
- teaching and learning,
- student supports and services,
- physical campus and the built environment and
- information technology systems and structures
The project aims to:
- Collate current best practices in DCU around the area of universal design and display this information on a central DCU webpage
- Identify gaps and initiatives where we could make improvements in the areas of teaching and learning, student supports and services, and student awareness and understanding of universal design practices.
If you would like any further information on the project or would like to highlight universal design practices currently embedded in your teaching/services, please contact:
Contact:
Dr. Aoife McNicholl
Universal Design Project Co-ordinator
Email: aoife.mcnicholl@dcu.ie
We would be delighted to hear from staff across DCU who have introduced Universal Design practices to their teaching or support service.
Please complete the UDL Best Practice Examples Form and we will be in touch to follow-up.
Resources
- DCU Teaching Enhancement Unit UDL Resources
- DCU's Accessibility Awareness Loop Course 2023
- Accessibility Features on Loop
- AHEAD UDL Resources
- Free courses on Digital Accessibility and UDL offered by AHEAD
- Organising inclusive and accessible events
- Creating accessible powerpoint presentations
- Creating accessible documents
- AccessAble Accessibility Guide for DCU
- Relevant podcasts
We will be continually adding resources to this section over the course of the project.
Contact:
Dr. Aoife McNicholl
Universal Design Project Co-ordinator
Email: aoife.mcnicholl@dcu.ie
We would like to understand the experiences of students in relation to Universal Design practices at DCU. If you would be interested in sharing these please complete the UDL Student Feedback Form.
Resources
- Accessibility Features on Loop
- Free Introductory course to UDL created by AHEAD
- AHEAD resources on UDL
- AHEAD Allyship Resource- here you will find info on making events and communications accessible, language of disability and disclosure, how to set up an accessible society in your institution
- AHEAD AT Hive- find the right assistive technology to match your learning needs!
- NCBI Bookshare Accessible Digital Library- access books online for free in a variety of formats if you are blind or have a vision impairment, have a reading difficulty or a physical impairment
- EasyReader App- free app which makes reading more accessible by allowing you to customise your reading experience. E.g. adjust and magnify text, change colour schemes etc.
- AccessAble Accessibility Guide for DCU- find accessibility information for all three campuses (Glasnevin, St. Pats and All Hallows)
We will be continually adding resources to this section over the course of the project.
Contact Information:
Dr. Aoife McNicholl
Universal Design Project Co-ordinator
Email: aoife.mcnicholl@dcu.ie
