The Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) has been announced as the winner of the Universal Design and Inclusion Award at the national eGovernment Awards.
Now in their 23rd year, these annual awards celebrate excellence and innovation in the delivery of digital government services to citizens and businesses.
TUS received the accolade, presented by Minister Jack Chambers, for its transformative initiative, ‘TUS – Universal Access – Unlocked Potential,’ which embeds Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles into the core of its Careers & Employability services.
TUS triumphed over a strong field of contenders, including the Atlantic Technological University, Water Ways Ireland, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, showcasing a pioneering model for inclusive service delivery in the public sector.
Commenting on the achievement, Aoife Prendergast, Careers & Employability Manager, TUS, said: “Winning this prestigious award is a powerful validation of our belief that truly thoughtful design works for everyone. At TUS, we see Universal Design not as an optional extra, but as the foundational strategy to unlock the full potential of every student. Our team’s dedication to creating genuinely accessible, consistent, and supportive career pathways is what this recognition celebrates.”
The winning submission detailed TUS’s strategic shift from career services across seven campuses to a single, unified, and universally designed support system. This initiative was praised for going “far beyond minimal compliance,” actively addressing barriers to career development and work-integrated learning for a diverse student body.
The success of the initiative is built upon three core pillars:
- Universal Access to Training: Pre-placement training was completely redesigned. Training now uses accessible resources like captioned videos and simple guides so every student can easily understand key information, regardless of their learning style.
- Fighting Financial Barriers: The service actively works with employers to promote inclusive hiring. Crucially, it advocates for paid and flexible placements to ensure students from lower-income backgrounds or those with caring responsibilities are not locked out of opportunities.
- One Great Service for All: Career services were successfully merged from seven separate campuses into one single, high-quality department. This guarantees every student receives the same consistent, expert support, regardless of their campus location or individual needs.