Different authors discuss the inclusion of attention services for students with disabilities in Spanish universities. However, in order to foster true inclusion, it is important for the entire university community to participate. In this sense, there are still no common tools or standardized protocols which enable the special educational needs of university students with disabilities to be attended to similarly at different higher education institutions. This article seeks to describe the initiative called Curricular Adaptations for University Students with Special Educational Needs (CAUSSEN) developed by the team in the Attention Unit for Persons with Disabilities and Special Education Needs at the University Rey Juan Carlos, which was implemented in the academic year 2016–17. Likewise, it also assesses the usefulness of this tool by the teachers’ assessment based on the satisfaction and level of perceived self-efficacy in attending to the special educational needs of students with disabilities.

Universal design for instruction (UDI) is a teaching strategy that has proved its value in the process of educational inclusion, resulting in a fundamental tool for the achievement of objective 4 of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. The lack of time of university professors and the scarce training offered in this subject make it difficult to know and implement UDI in university classrooms, increasing the risk of exclusion of students with some kind of disability. This study analyses the level of knowledge and implementation of the principles and strategies of UDI by university professors. Those professors did not have prior training, but they had access to the Curricular Adaptations of University Students with Special Educational Needs (CAUSSEN) tool as guide to implement different guidelines. The CAUSSEN tool is a document, developed by the Unit of Attention to People with Disability, in which there is information about UDI guidelines and accommodations referring to students with special educational needs. Results show a wide implementation of the UDI principles, despite the low level of previous knowledge its principles. This study concludes that there are practical alternatives to the lack of training, and that teachers’ self-perception of their own effectiveness and ability to cope with the inclusion of all students should be strengthened.

Guaranteeing inclusive, high-quality education for all requires comprehensive changes to the curriculum so that, instead of creating or perpetuating barriers, these barriers are eliminated. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) emerge as teaching strategies that encourage inclusion in education. This study presents the implementation of both models within the higher education framework, applying them to the Spanish Sign Language and Deaf Communities degree that is studied by a large number of deaf students. For this purpose, a descriptive study is presented with a quantitative methodological approach using a survey as an instrument. Four dimensions were established for designing the curriculum: course materials, teaching strategies, synchronous course management, and asynchronous. After student assessment, the results revealed their high level of satisfaction and the importance these teaching strategies had for their motivation, comprehension, and learning of the relevant competencies. There was also recognition of the importance of blended teaching methods for active learning as a vehicle for increasing student involvement and participation. This study concludes that it is necessary to continue progressing in the practical implementation of teaching models based on Universal Design, which also supports course management.

Social changes, technological evolutions, globalization and even the achievement of sustainable development objectives require the adoption of new business models, in which innovations are considered a cornerstone of achieving and maintaining a competitive and a social advantage. This descriptive and quantitative study discusses the results obtained after implementing an open innovation program to promote access to internships for university students with disabilities, in which three multi-national companies have participated. We used the Job Typicalness, Quality of Work Life and Employment Maturity Interview Questionnaires to collect information. The results show that the jobs performed by disabled participants are similar to those of other workers. This job typicality positively influences their perception of quality of life and job satisfaction. The open innovation process has focused on collaboration to provide accessibility and equity to the procedures of human resources departments for access to employment, that is, external collaboration has been used to offer an equal-opportunity hiring process. The information obtained allows us to conclude that companies need to increase their training and/or knowledge in the fields of diversity and inclusion to eliminate the barriers of access to employment found in hiring processes. This study reveals the importance of this type of open innovation among companies and organizations, not only for establishing diversity-sensitive human resources policies, but also for promoting the talent attraction with equal opportunities and an inclusive labour market.

Agenda 2030 expresses, through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and in particular through No. 4, the need to ensure an inclusive and equitable education, which promotes learning opportunities for all. At the university level, all students are urged to acquire the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge to promote sustainable development, so that they become graduates capable of facing the challenges of the future and the real demands of a society marked by heterogeneity, including the needs of people with some kind of disability. In this sense, the present work analyzed the impact of a transversal training program in Design for All on university degree students. For this purpose, a descriptive and comparative ex post facto study was developed in which the impact of an online training program was quantified by establishing comparative pre- and post-training. The results indicate that the approach, through the delivery of a training xplain eon Design for All, contributed to a change in the perceptions of students regarding disability, its role in the university and in the future workplace. Furthermore, it increased the knowledge of institutional action undertaken in terms of awareness and approach to human disability.