What is the purpose of the UD@UL Community of Practice?
The ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ Universal Design Community of Practice was established in 2021 by a group of staff facilitating the . The aim is to foster informal practice exchange and conversation around Universal Design, accessibility and inclusive practice. Events are open to ALL staff, teaching and non-teaching. You may be new to Universal Design and wish to simply come along to listen and learn, or you may have experience of applying Universal Design in practice and would like to share what you have done with others.
How can I engage with the UD@ UL Community of Practice?
Live events are scheduled throughout the Academic Year. Our new UD Café is on the first Thursday of every month 11.30am – 12.15pm. Come along in person to share a cuppa, or log in online on Teams. If you prefer to share practice/avail of resources online in your own time, check out the new Brightspace site.
You can also get involved by engaging with content on the new , sharing resources through our Brightspace discussion forum and by attending our live face-to-face and online events.
Is the Community of Practice open to all staff?
Yes absolutely! Whether you are in a teaching role or a non-teaching role in UL, you are welcome at any event or to engage with the Brightspace content. Inclusive practice and Universal Design is relevant to all staff working ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ.
Enrol on the Universal Design Brightspace page.
Events for semester 1 AY2025/2026
UD@UL Café
Our new Universal Design Café is an informal practice sharing opportunity that aims to create an opportunity for conversations relating to universal design. On the first Thursday of every month at 11.30am you are invited to a short presentation focusing on a specific theme/activity relating to Universal Design. You can choose to attend online/face-to-face in the Graduate Attributes Hub, Millstream Courtyard. Our first UD Café is on Thursday next, October 2nd 11.30am with a focus on assistive technologies. Thomas O’Shaughnessy, Manager of the Educational Assistive Technology Centre ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ, will speak about assistive technologies available to students ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ. The idea is to offer plenty of time for questions and discussion. Tea/coffee/treats provided for those attending face-to-face, so please register if you prefer to attend face-to-face to give us an idea of numbers. . In November, we will look at the new focus on belonging and identity within the UDL framework (version 3.0), which was published in 2024. This presentation will be particularly useful for those of you who completed the badge prior to 2025. . For our December café, we will have a special Christmas themed Universal Design bingo. Concepts relating to Universal Design, accessibility and inclusive practice will be explored while enjoying mince pies and other Christmas treats. .
Online Practice sharing - Collaboration with SETU and DCU.
Would you like to share your practice with/learn from colleagues beyond UL? In January/February 2026 (date tbc), you are invited to share your practice with colleagues in South East Technological University (SETU) and Dublin City University (DCU) through an online event. You can also simply attend the event to hear from colleagues in those institutions. .
Join our UDL Community of Practice
We warmly welcome new members to our UDL Community of Practice, including all staff at all levels. As a UDL CoP member, you can join the growing conversation in Universal Design for Limerick.
Join our UDL Community of Practice! All are welcome.