Munster Technological University welcomes the launch of ALTITUDE – the National Charter for Universal Design in Tertiary Education. ALTITUDE focuses on widening inclusion in tertiary education, marking the start of a national conversation about how the sector can more strategically embed a universal design (UD) approach. Funded by the HEA under PATH 4, the ALTITUDE Project is an extensive cross sectoral collaboration involving six national agencies, fifteen higher education (HE) institutions and six Education and Training Board (ETB) representatives. ALTITUDE was launched this week at AHEAD’s Panorama Conference
The learner population in tertiary education is becoming increasingly diverse, and students’ lives are also increasingly complex. Educational institutions have a role to play in ensuring their programmes, services and environments are accessible to all. A working group of senior leader representatives from across the further education and training (FET), and higher education (HE) sectors, is currently being devised to guide the development of a formal adoption process for institutions, with adoption expected to become available to institutions by late 2024/early 2025.
Speaking today, President of MTU, Professor Maggie Cusack, said: “As a National Partner in the Project, Munster Technological University welcomes the launch of ALTITUDE – the National Charter for Universal Design in Tertiary Education, which is working towards embedding a universal design approach across the sector.
“Universal design is a significant component of MTU’s approach to meeting the diverse needs of our student and staff population and to ensuring everyone in MTU has the opportunity to flourish and reach their potential. I commend the important cross sectoral action to develop the ALTITUDE Charter and the related toolkit, and I look forward to MTU embedding a universal design approach”.
Recommendations and Outcomes
The vision of the project looks to a future in tertiary education where ‘all learners are transformatively included through universal design in education’, deriving the name ALTITUDE. It seeks to move the sector in that direction by supporting HEIs and ETBs to make sustainable progress towards systemically embedding a UD approach which places human diversity at the heart of tertiary education design, and fosters student success for all learners.
Drawing from national and international literature, the Charter recommends key strategic enablers which institutions should put in place over time to support the sustainable implementation of UD, and proposes collaborative action to work towards goals under 4 key pillars of the institutions involved:
- Learning, Teaching & Assessment;
- Supports, Services & Social Engagement;
- the Physical Environment;
- and the Digital Environment
Institutions who adopt the Charter will over time benefit from:
- a more unified language of and commitment to a universal design approach in their institution
- a greater culture of shared responsibility for UD, access, and inclusion, bringing to life the ‘Inclusion is Everyone’s Business’ mindset.
- a more effective and learner centred approach to compliance with national legislation and policy
- and most importantly, the iterative development of programmes, services, and environments that enable equitable opportunities for all learners to thrive and be successful.
The cross-sectoral development of the ALTITUDE Charter represents a landmark moment for the tertiary education sector, signalling its intent to place human diversity at the heart of its design and delivery.
The launch of the ALTITUDE Charter was accompanied by the ALTITUDE Technical Report. This report outlines the context for the development of the Charter, the evidence base that underpins it, the alignment of the Charter with legislation and policy, and contains recommendations on its implementation. A more practical Toolkit to support implementation of the Charter is in the final stages of development and will be released in the coming months.
Further information on the ALTITUDE Charter is available here: https://www.itsligo.ie/
