Currently, there is a shift to “redesign for inclusion” across education, with much of the discourse focused on adopting a Design approach by way of UD and/or UDL.  Designing for inclusion is gaining momentum in that it allows the professional to re-evaluate their values, role and approaches and respond to the needs of diverse clients in today’s demanding world.  UD for guidance allows the time to reevaluate the relationships and tools in guidance.
 
This program will explore how guidance professionals across FET can adopt the Universal Design (UD) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) theoretical approaches in their practice, and adopt a UD attitude (Quirke et al. 2023).  Past guidance theories will be explored so as to appreciate the influences on practice today, while the focus is to enable guidance professionals to respond to the challenges of inclusion, exclusion, social justice and evolving learning and work environments.  The objective will inform a UD Guidance informed practice.
 
The program is informed by PhD research that explored Guidance, Inclusion and UD and UDL that was completed by Mary Quirke in 2023 in Trinity College Dublin. Mary Quirke is a practising guidance counsellor for over 30 years in Ireland, with experience of inclusive practice across the education and work environment.

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