By responding to issues such as Accessibility, Disability, Inclusive Education, and Universal Design, Design Education is uniquely placed to positively impact upon the greater community. This paper discusses the emerging subject of Universal Design and its potential contribution towards greater inclusiveness in education (and by extension professional practice) in particular, and in society in general. Though Universal Design is relevant to disciplines such as Urban & Regional Planning, Architecture, Interior Design, and Graphics/Information Design, the focus will be on its applications in the context of Industrial/Product Design.

The changing higher education landscape presents new opportunities for redesign of course offerings for realignment with expected learning outcomes. This is the rationale for a case study on a newly introduced dedicated module on Universal Design at NQF Level 6. The said case study is used to test the validity and reliability of adopted outcome-based assessment and evaluation methods that include Self, Peer, and Facilitator Assessment modes.

The paper concludes by proposing strategies for promotion of Universal Design within a majority world context such as South Africa.

Please note: This paper was not submitted to a Peer Review process after the conference.