Progettare l’accessibilità: una nuova laurea magistrale per formare professionisti dell’inclusione

Accessibility has progressively evolved from a technical adjustment to a cultural posture that reshapes design processes and professional responsibilities. Grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and recent European and Italian legislation, accessibility is now recognized as a necessary condition for equity, independent living, and social justice. This shift, aligned with the social model of disability, calls for professionals able to integrate accessibility into the design of spaces, services, products, and practices from the outset. Universities, within their missions of research, training, and societal engagement, are central to fostering this transformation. The new Joint Master’s Degree in Designing Accessible and Inclusive Life Contexts, promoted by the University of Bergamo and the University of Salento, represents a pioneering educational response. It combines pedagogical, social, legal, economic, and technological knowledge to prepare professionals capable of operating in education, work, housing, leisure, and personal services. A particular focus is placed on assistive and digital technologies, essential tools to enhance autonomy and participation. The program also develops transversal skills—communication, problem solving, decision making—and research competencies, ensuring evidence-based inclusive practices. The curriculum is organized into seven interdisciplinary educational clusters following the EduNext model, integrating theoretical knowledge, applied skills, and transversal competencies. Blended learning combines online lectures and interactive activities with intensive workshops in which students collaborate with people with disabilities, institutions, enterprises, and communities. This structure promotes systemic perspectives and intersectoral collaboration, while modular design and digital micro-credentials enable flexible and lifelong learning pathways. More than an academic innovation, the Master’s program positions accessibility as a structuring principle of design, consistent with the framework of Design Justice. By advancing interdisciplinary dialogue, co-design methodologies, and digital inclusion, it contributes to the creation of a new professional profile—the designer of inclusion—while acting as a cultural driver able to influence policies and practices. In doing so, it consolidates accessibility as a shared ground for innovation, democracy, and sustainable development at national and European levels.