About the Universal Design in Education Conference

Higher education institutions and systems worldwide are in a period of extraordinary challenge and change. The drive to increase participation in higher education is often at odds with the need to encourage and develop all students to be technically proficient and yet creative, independent and socially aware thinkers that are engaged with the world outside of the campus walls.

The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, with the support of the Technological University for Dublin (TU4D) initiative will host a two day conference consisting of a series of workshops, keynote speakers, exhibitions and a 24 Hour Universal Design Hackathon.

The conference will explore themes of:

    • Theme 1: Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
    • Theme 2: Educational Technology
    • Theme 3: UD and Healthcare
    • Theme 4: UD and Standards
    • Theme 5: UD in Product Design
    • Theme 6: UD in ICT
    • Theme 7: UD in Engineering
    • Theme 8: UD in Architecture

Conference partners are:

    • Irish Design 2015
    • NSAI
    • DCU
    • IT Blanchardstown
    • DIT
    • IT Tallaght

Conference supporters include;

    • Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, RCA
    • Campus Enagage, IUA
    • IOTI
    • UCC
    • SAUL
    • Norwegian Council for Design and Architecture
    • Oslo and Akershus University College
    • Hasselt University, Belgium
    • Institute of Designs in Ireland

Conference Steering Committee:

  • Dónal Rice, Senior ICT Advisor, Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD)

  • Dr. Ger Craddock, Chief Officer, CEUD

  • James Hubbard, Senior Design Advisor, CEUD

  • Margaret Kinsella, Lecturer in Creative Digital Media. ITB

  • Dr. Larry McNutt, TU4D Support Team, (Technological University for Dublin)

The 24 Hour Universal Design Hackathon in being held with the support of the Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture. 

The 24 Hour Universal Design Hackathon 2015 is a Universal Design competition that runs in parallel to the International Universal Design in Education Conference in Dublin (UDIEC 2015).

The theme for the 24HrUDHack 2015 is about improving the learning curve of products for a wider range of users.

A total of 50 international participants will be selected to compete on five mixed teams of professional designers, design educators and experienced design students. Each team will work through the 24 hour period to prepare a new Universal Design.

The five new design concepts will be presented at the end of UDIEC 2015 conference. A jury of Design Champions will select a Judges' Choice Award and the audience (UDIEC 2015 conference attendees) will vote for the People’s Choice Award. Prize Packages will be awarded to promote further development of the winning Universal Designs.

The theme for the 24HrUDHack 2015 is about improving the learning curve of products for a wider range of users.

Participants in previous years have said “It was life changing”, “Intensive and Immersive” and “Being part of a Universal Design Challenge 24 hour all-nighter is like a full course on UD in one day”

Read more about the “24 Hour Universal Design Hackathon 2015"  

ENTELIS Project Seminar

On the morning of Thursday 13 November, the ENTELIS Project seminar will take place in advance of the start of the Universal Design in Education Conference.

Conference delegates and ENTELIS project partners  interested in attending this ENTELIS Project Seminar should register separately for this on the ENTELIS project website at www.entelis.net.

Information about the ENTELIS Project Seminar, 13th November

Seminar title: Reducing the digital divide: the role of Education

New digital technologies are rapidly changing society, including the way people interact, the way they learn and the way they work. Nevertheless not all people participate equally in the digital revolution and there is evidence that the so called digital divide exists. There are many reasons why the digital divide exists.  A major barrier for many people is related to the inaccessibility of products and services, including educational programs, basically because in their design phase universal design principles have not been taken fully into account.

The ENTELIS project, funded by the European Commission under the Lifelong Learning Programme, contributes to the development of strategies to reduce the digital divide, especially where this regards persons with disabilities and elderly. It does so by exchanging good practice, research, work with policy makers and by organizing an annual international seminar. 

A State of the Art report produced by the ENTELIS consortium clearly indicates that to bridge the digital divide barriers have to be removed and people have to be empowered. Change needs to occur solving some of the issues at the root and education is therefore key, whether this is the education of designers of products and services and their providers, as well as the education and training of persons with disabilities in using available solutions and services more effectively.

For that reason the second international ENTELIS seminar that will be held in Dublin on the 12th of November and is dedicated to the role of education in bridging the digital divide, in close collaboration with the Conference on Universal Design in Education that will be held in the same venue as the second ENTELIS seminar. The specific focus of the ENTELIS network neatly matches the specific focus of the Universal design in Education conference, providing a holistic introduction to strategies and good practices in making the (digital) world a better place for all.

The full programme and a link to the registration form is available on www.entelis.net.

The local host and promoter of the ENTELIS seminar is the Irish National Federation of Voluntary Bodies. http://www.fedvol.ie/