The UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion and the Centre for Inclusive Design (CfID) have partnered to advance inclusive practice within UTS and support inclusive processes for the broader community.
‘The future of the higher education system and of universities is to become more deeply engaged with community and industry’, said Verity Firth, Executive Director, Social Justice at UTS.
‘Our role at the Centre is to drive the university’s social justice agenda, ensuring that the university’s engagement with communities, government, industry and individuals brings about a more just and equal society. External partnerships like this are crucial in order to achieve this. It allows both partners to leverage their capacity and collectively produce an even better social impact.’
The Centre for Inclusive Design is a social enterprise, partnering with industry experts, practitioners, entrepreneurs, and global partners to design systems, products, services and customer experiences based on inclusive principles.
At least five million Australians are vulnerable to exclusion based on the number of Australians living with disability and the elderly alone. They possess over $40 billion in annual disposable income, a significant portion of which is untapped due to design exclusion.
Our organisations will be working together to further develop UTS’s inclusive practices, as well as lead and advocate in the space of inclusive practices, systems and institutions.
The CfID is now based out of the Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion offices. Through the partnership, the Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion and CfID will help to improve UTS’s own systems, pool resources to broaden program offerings around inclusive practice, and collaborate on key strategic areas.
‘What really excites me about this partnership is the opportunity to make huge systemic change,’ said Dr Manisha Amin, CEO of Centre for Inclusive Design.
‘We are looking forward to bringing more people together to co-design solutions. One of our strengths at the Centre for Inclusive Design is working with businesses and companies, using evidence-based approaches to inclusion that generate return for everyone. We are looking forward to leveraging UTS’s strengths in methodology and research around diversity to engage further on complex social issues.’