DESIG*ness: inclusion and accessibility in design teaching

DESIG*ness is a project that aims to make teaching methods in the Higher Education (HED) system, particularly in Academies of Art and Design, more inclusive and accessible.

The project, co-funded by Erasmus+, consists of a thirty-month international course, including training for teachers, workshops, summer schools and the production of operating tools for more inclusive teaching.

DESIG*ness was led by the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti – NABA. In addition to BAM! Strategie Culturali, the partners include the Art Academy of Latvia Riga (Latvia), the Vilnius Academy of Arts (Lithuania), Cerpa Italia Onlus non-profit organisation in Trento and the Design For All Italia association.
The project code is 2023-1-IT02-KA220-HED-000166430

An experimental European project such as DESIG*ness required communication able to group partners, audiences, activities and results together within a coherent and accessible account.

The involvement of six organisations with different roles, from three different countries, required a shared coordination effort, common tools and ongoing coordination to promote the course, encourage stakeholder involvement and ensure a solid digital presence even after the formal conclusion of the project.

BAM! co-designed the communication strategy through a workshop based on the Digital Engagement Framework, working with project partners on objectives, target audiences, communication channels and engagement approaches. BAM! led the project’s strategic communication, developing a Communication Handbook, a content toolkit, usage guidelines, a shared editorial plan and practical tools to support the consortium’s work. It also designed the website’s accessible information architecture, developed in collaboration with the Vilnius Academy of Arts, incorporating a dynamic roadmap, a news section and a multimedia playlist.

During the course of the project, BAM! also coordinated the content strategy, helping to showcase the collection of accessible videos, the guidelines, the final toolkit and the stakeholder engagement activities, which were delivered through workshops, questionnaires, follow-up calls and collaborative tools.

The project outputs can be seen on the dedicated website.

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