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Accessibility and universal design are key elements in ensuring an equitable and inclusive society. With this vision in mind, the European project ATHENA (Accessible Training in Higher Education Curricula) has worked extensively to integrate these principles into higher education programs across Europe. This Erasmus+-funded initiative has been led by the European Disability Forum (EDF) and has collaborated with four universities (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, European University Cyprus, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Masaryk University) and a European association of higher education institutions (EURASHE).

After two years of work, the project has mapped the current state of accessibility and universal design in higher education programs across four countries and developed a series of recommendations. These recommendations are aimed at a broad range of stakeholders, including policymakers, quality agencies, educational leaders, curriculum designers, educators, and user representatives. The goal is to ensure the effective implementation of accessibility and universal design across various higher education disciplines.

Some of the key recommendations include:

1. To policymakers and governments: Advocate for the inclusion of accessibility and universal design training as a legal requirement for any higher education (HE) curricula.
2. To quality agencies: Make clear what the expectations are with regard to integrating accessibility and universal design in HE programs.
3. To educational leaders: Promote initiatives aimed to raise awareness about accessibility and universal design, involving diverse stakeholders such as organizations of persons with disabilities, accessibility experts, and disability rights advocates.
4. To program creators: Include accessibility and universal design principles across all fields of knowledge, raising awareness about key concepts, user needs, and solutions.
5. To instructors: Include the concept and principles of accessibility and universal design in the training activities and materials.
6. To stakeholders: Establish connections with educational leaders and program creators. For instance, invite them to events you organize or ask for opportunities as guest lecturers.

Another achievement of the project has been the development of model courses that integrate accessibility and universal design concepts across different areas of knowledge. At UAB, for instance, a course syllabus titled Audiovisual Translation and Accessibility has been developed, which could be introduced in any Translation and Interpreting degree.

Both the full set of recommendations and model courses are available on the project website: https://athenaproject.eu/wp2-recommendations.