Good design is enabling, and each and every one of us is a designer. Universal Design is widely recognized an important concept that should be incorporated in all person-centred policies. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) clearly stipulates that the most effective way of delivering on the promise of an inclusive society is through a Universal Design approach. Sitting at the intersection of the fields of Higher Education and Universal Design, this book presents papers delivered at the Universal Design and Higher Education in Transformation Congress (UDHEIT2018), held in Dublin, Ireland, from 30 October to 2 November 2018. This event brings together key experts from industry, education, and government and non-government organization sectors to share experiences and knowledge with all participants. The 86 papers included here are grouped under 17 headings, or themes, ranging from education and digital learning through healthcare to engagement with industry and urban design. Celebrating and integrating all that is good in design, diversity and education, this book will be a valuable resource for all those interested in the inspiring and empowering developments in both Universal Design and higher education.

An environment, or any building product or service in it, should ideally be designed to meet the needs of all those who wish to use it. Universal Design is the design and composition of environments, products, and services so that they can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. It creates products, services and environments that meet people’s needs. In short, Universal Design is good design. This book presents the proceedings of UD2022, the 6th International Conference on Universal Design, held from 7 - 9 September 2022 in Brescia, Italy. The conference is targeted at professionals and academics interested in the theme of universal design as related to the built environment and the wellbeing of users, but also covers mobility and urban environments, knowledge, and information transfer, bringing together research knowledge and best practice from all over the world. The book contains 72 papers from 13 countries, grouped into 8 sections and covering topics including the design of inclusive natural environments and urban spaces, communities, neighborhoods and cities; housing; healthcare; mobility and transport systems; and universally-designed learning environments, work places, cultural and recreational spaces. One section is devoted to universal design and cultural heritage, which had a particular focus at this edition of the conference. The book reflects the professional and disciplinary diversity represented in the UD movement, and will be of interest to all those whose work involves inclusive design.

Providing insight into the background, theory and practical applications of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Transforming Higher Education through Universal Design for Learning: An International Perspective examines and shares best practice in UDL implementation worldwide to provide strategies for strengthening student accessibility, engagement and learning outcomes through the development of flexible learning environments. Drawing upon insightful, research-based contributions from educators and student service specialists in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Norway, South Africa, Spain, the UK and all across the USA, this book: considers diversity in the form of disability, minority ethnic groups, gender identities, first generation university students and varying socio-economic backgrounds; brings together key thinkers and actors in the field of UDL and expertly maps its practices to the higher educational domain; explores the multiple means of representation, expression and engagement that combine to create a successful UDL framework. Each chapter not only provides a different perspective of how UDL has helped meet the needs of all students to ensure that education is accessible, culturally responsive and socially just, but also considers how this can then be implemented into higher education environments the world over. This book is a crucial read for those who want to make a positive difference in higher education provision and outcomes.

This book considers how post-secondary chemistry education can be advanced in developing countries, in order to respond to emerging global, regional, and local needs. Taking Guyana as a case study, it pays particular attention to local challenges facing such territories, including human and financial resource shortages, tension between quality and quantity of graduates, cultural inequalities, unequal access to increasingly important Information and Communication Technology or Technologies (ICTs), and increasing competition from international universities in the developed world. Written by a team with over 70 years in combined teaching experience, it asks whether these challenges can be met and overcome and considers how tertiary chemistry education can better meet the rapidly changing needs of society. The authors examine the status quo of tertiary chemistry education in Guyana against the introductory backdrop of the internal and external stresses on the education system, before exploring selected best practices grounded in a three-pronged model focused on pedagogy, programming, and people. Advancing diversity on each of these levels, the book ultimately shows how this framework can support better learning and teaching, and the development of a better equipped and more diverse Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce. It will appeal to scholars, researchers, graduate students, and tertiary level curriculum developers in chemistry education, interested in an innovative, holistic approach for transforming chemistry teaching that focuses on pedagogical diversity, strategic co-curricular programming, and accommodating diversity and diverse learning styles in the classroom.

An exploration of how design might be led by marginalized communities, dismantle structural inequality, and advance collective liberation and ecological survival. What is the relationship between design, power, and social justice? “Design justice” is an approach to design that is led by marginalized communities and that aims expilcitly to challenge, rather than reproduce, structural inequalities. It has emerged from a growing community of designers in various fields who work closely with social movements and community-based organizations around the world. This book explores the theory and practice of design justice, demonstrates how universalist design principles and practices erase certain groups of people—specifically, those who are intersectionally disadvantaged or multiply burdened under the matrix of domination (white supremacist heteropatriarchy, ableism, capitalism, and settler colonialism)—and invites readers to “build a better world, a world where many worlds fit; linked worlds of collective liberation and ecological sustainability.” Along the way, the book documents a multitude of real-world community-led design practices, each grounded in a particular social movement. Design Justice goes beyond recent calls for design for good, user-centered design, and employment diversity in the technology and design professions; it connects design to larger struggles for collective liberation and ecological survival.

Current ideas about human diversity often highlight the importance of the relational and dynamic nature of interactions across different domains of human function, activities and participation. Universal Design (UD) is defined as design that is usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible and without the need for adaptation or specialization. The term ‘universal’ is intended to embrace human diversity, making it the opposite of the one-size-fits-all approach. The Universal Design conference series was started in 2012 with the aim of promoting UD as a discipline-independent philosophy and approach which can transcend the boundaries between communities of knowledge and communities of practice. The first part of this book is a collection of 6 invited papers arising from some of the informal and semi-formal discussions and debates which took place as part of the UD 2022 conference in Italy. Authors were invited to submit papers presenting real case studies, and asked to discuss not only the opportunities and strengths, but also the challenges encountered when implementing UD in various domains. The second part of the book presents 6 essays by researchers who have worked on different aspects of UD over the years, each written from the perspective of the author’s own research strand. The book will be of interest to all those working in the field of universal design and inclusivity.

Learning design is an ill-structured process that must account for multiple stakeholders, contextual constraints, and other instructional needs. Whereas many theories outline learning theories, less is known about the formative design process and how it impacts the design and development of learning technologies. This is critical because a formative view considers the issues that educators encounter and how to overcome them during the learning design process. This edited volume provides a multi-faceted look at theories, studies, and design cases that employ formative design in learning across multiple domains. Topics include processes oriented around design thinking, design-based research, and others. Additional chapters provide contextual considerations, such as describing how formative design was used to design learning solutions for STEM learning and food banks, as well as overcoming challenges in emergency remote teaching. In doing so, the book provides an interdisciplinary view that explores how scholars and practitioners engage in formative practices that support a wide array of learners and contexts.