University for All Roadshow: Taking Inclusion on Tour in UCD

The University for All project team continues to support mainstreaming inclusion across UCD and ensure an inclusive experience for all students. For the second year running, the University for All Roadshow was organised from 13th-23rd February with the help of the Access Leaders and Widening Participation Leads. The Roadshow is to raise student awareness of University for All and their role within it.

The Roadshow’s message is simple: UCD is open to all students, from all different backgrounds. Every student has earned their place to be here. With the University for All initiative we are rethinking the way we teach and deliver our learning, adopting more accessible technologies to support students, and designing a future campus that meets the needs of everyone.

For a fortnight each lunchtime, the Roadshow was set up in different buildings across campus, twelve locations in all. A flyer with key information about the initiative and positive actions that students can take to be more inclusive was handed out. University for All branded merchandise was available for students to take including notebooks, pens, pencils, pins, card holders, and donuts.

This year, we asked students the simple question: how can the University be more inclusive? Students provided hundreds of suggestions; some of these were about alterations to be made to the campus for physical accessibility, changes that lecturers could make to include more students in classes and assessments, better communication of and increased access to various supports, and increasing awareness around the different cultures that students are a part of.

The Roadshow provided a great opportunity for students to use their voice and to be an active member of the UCD community. WPC Representatives valued the opportunity to speak to students directly outside of the classroom.