IADT declares its adoption of the ALTITUDE Charter & Joins the National Call to Action on Universal Design

IADT is proud to join today’s national call to action for institutions and agencies to work towards a more universally designed tertiary education system. IADT strongly believes that ‘inclusion is everyone’s business’, and that all staff play a role in creating an environment where the diversity of learners in our community can thrive. By adopting the ALTITUDE Charter, IADT have committed to work collaboratively across our institution to embed a universal design approach more firmly in our practices and processes in the years ahead, building on the good work already achieved in this area. 

David Smith, IADT President, welcomed this landmark development: “The ALTITUDE Charter supports our strategic commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. As Ireland’s campus for the creative industries, we recognise the fact that universal design builds equity of opportunity into our provision, affording our diverse community the means to flourish together and to work for positive social and sustainable change. We fully support this important cross-sectoral effort and will commit to working and progressing the actions and goals outlined in the ALTITUDE Charter as we implement our strategy in the years ahead.”

Following the adoption of the ALTITUDE Charter and support for the national call to action today, IADT will now seek to establish an ALTITUDE working group under the Teaching and Learning Committee. This working group will collaborate to progress the actions and goals outlined within the Charter. 

Dr Selina Guinness, IADT Head of Teaching and Learning, commented: “This initiative, designed and developed in close collaboration with our sectoral partners, is widely supported by colleagues in IADT. The ALTITUDE Charter provides a mandate to implement inclusive pedagogies designed to meet the needs of our increasingly diversified cohorts of students.  Colleagues invested in Universal Design for Learning will now come together across functional areas to advance IADT’s commitment to a progressive higher education, founded on equipping all learners with the creativity, critical thinking, and resilience required to meet success.”