Maureen Haran, UDL Centre of Excellence Lead, ATU
On April 9th, the first round of formal adoptions of the ALTITUDE Charter – the National Charter for Universal Design in Tertiary Education – took place across Ireland’s further and higher education sectors. The charter’s development, led by ATU, spanned 18 months and involved collaboration among 15 higher education institutions, all education and training boards, and six national agencies. Approximately one-third of the 37 institutions in the tertiary sector have now adopted the charter.
The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless, on the day announced over €2.8 million in funding to support inclusive higher education environments as the first institutions adopted the charter. Statements of support were also released by the HEA and SOLAS. Commenting on the ATU’s adoption of ALTITUDE, ATU President Dr. Orla Flynn welcomed this landmark development: “I am delighted to share that ATU has formally adopted the Altitude Charter and indeed has played such a strong role in its development. The diversity of our community of staff and students is a huge strength within ATU, and universal design (UD) is a key component within our Strategic Plan, as we strive to continue to meet the needs of all learners. ATU has long been a leader in developing and embedding a UD approach to teaching and learning, as well as across physical and digital environments. Our aim is to work together to create an inclusive experience in which all learners have equity of opportunity to succeed. My thanks to the wider further and higher education community and to the HEA for the collegial support in ensuring this vital work is underway.”
The ALTITUDE Charter marks a key step towards creating equitable and inclusive educational experiences, and the collective efforts of the ETBs and HEIs in adopting the charter are commendable.
More information on the ALTITUDE Charter can be found in the following link.
https://www.atu.ie/about/teaching-and-learning/altitude-charter
If you have any questions please contact our UDL Centre of Excellence Lead, Maureen Haran (Maureen.Haran@atu.ie).
