The B!G Idea and IDI (Institute of Designers in Ireland) are working with CEUD (Centre for Excellence in Universal Design) and NDA (National Disability Authority) to integrate universal design into The B!G Idea programme. Once you get your head around all the acronyms you will agree with us that this is a very exciting prospect and one which offers huge potential to our 2022 bunch of students.

The project means that universal design and universal design for learning will be integrated more into the programme which will make The B!G Idea as inclusive as humanly possible. Learning resources and programme accessibility will be prioritised which will lead to an all-round understanding of creativity, universal design and innovation.

The B!G Idea are developing the programme and will continue to improve accessibility for all learning materials, lesson content and our website (keep an eye on changes coming soon). You may have noticed on social media that we now include captions on our videos making them easy to follow and understand for those hard of hearing.

Of course, it’s not just the students that we have to consider. Teachers play a huge role in the programme and we are working hard to make sure that they are kept in the loop in all respects too. We are developing a student dictionary which will explain all The B!G Idea language. Sometimes we get too excited about our programme and forget that others aren’t spending all day every day working on all things B!G Idea and so we will clearly explain what all our terms and special words mean. We will also develop a set of guidelines to be used on all our lesson materials so that The B!G Idea brand and standards of accessibility are carried through on everything that we use in the classroom.

Our website will be constantly monitored and updated to make sure that it is clear, concise and accessible at all times. We have a special scoring system to stop us from ever forgetting and which means that everything we write will be easy to read and to understand.

We haven’t finished yet. We will continue to develop softer skills such as collaboration, communication, curiosity, and system-thinking in the programme. We will create lots of new and fun activities to develop these skills through active and engaging learning experiences which will see The B!G Idea bounding full of promise into 2022.