ADCET UDL Symposium: Institutional Change Through UDL - Building a Culture of Inclusion at Maynooth University, Ireland
In-person presentation
Maynooth University (MU) is committed to fostering an inclusive learning environment that supports its increasingly diverse student population. Guided by the Maynooth University Strategic Plan (2023-2028) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the university prioritises reducing barriers to learning, addressing intersectional disadvantage, and integrating inclusive practices across all aspects of teaching and learning.
A key component of this work is the UDL Teaching and Learning Fellowship, a collaborative project involving four Faculty UDL Teaching and Learning Fellows, the Access Office, and the Centre for Teaching and Learning. This initiative focuses on embedding UDL principles institution-wide through:
- A transdisciplinary UDL Resource Hub to provide open-access teaching and learning resources,
- A university-wide awareness campaign to engage faculty, professional staff, and students in fostering inclusive teaching and learning, and
- Cross-campus collaboration with professional and support units to ensure that UDL-informed inclusion becomes embedded within institutional culture.
This presentation shared insights from MU’s cross-faculty approach to UDL implementation, and outlined key learnings, challenges, and successes in building an institutional culture of inclusion. The strategic rationale behind this initiative, the steps taken to engage staff and students, and their vision for the future were discussed.
Participants were invited to reflect on MU’s model in relation to their own institutional contexts, contributing to a shared discussion on scalable and sustainable approaches to implementing UDL at a university-wide level.
Presenter
Dr Margaret Flood is an Assistant Professor in Inclusive Education at Maynooth University, Ireland and Academic Advisor for the Maynooth Access Programme. She also leads Years 1 and 2 of the BScEd programme. With a background in teaching, curriculum and policy development, and teacher professional learning, Margaret is passionate about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and inclusive education. She has led inclusive curriculum initiatives and supported professional development nationally and internationally at local, institution, and government agency level . As a Fulbright Scholar, she collaborated with CAST on UDL Guidelines 3.0. Margaret also hosts the podcast Talking about all things Inclusion.
(June 2025)