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Accessibility matters! Young innovators engaged in the AccessCoVE Innovation Competition

The image shows mentor Sofia Strömqvist from KTH presenting to high school students. She stands at the front of a classroom beside a laptop and projected slide stating the title of the presentation "designing for everyone", while students listen from their desks.

In Sweden, mentor Sofia Strömqvist, researcher from AccessCoVE partner KTH has been visiting high schools to engage students and spark discussions about how we can make society more accessible and inclusive for all citizens.

Creative students from across Europe are currently taking part in a series of five mentoring sessions, where they are developing their ideas and strengthening their design skills through the principles of Universal Design. The goal is to explore how to design products, services, and environments that work for as many people as possible from the very start.

The mentoring programme includes:

  • Session 1: How to Communicate and Present an Idea – Tuesday, 3 February 2026
  • Session 2: What is Accessibility and Why It Matters – Tuesday, 17 February 2026
  • Session 3: Universal Design and Inclusive Thinking – Tuesday, 3 March 2026
  • Session 4: From Problem to Solution: Design Thinking in Practice – Tuesday, 17 March 2026
  • Session 5: From Idea to Impact: Making Your Innovation Real – Tuesday, 31 March 2026

The next session in the series continues to guide students from understanding accessibility challenges to developing practical, innovative solutions with real-world impact. At the end of one of the latest session on the 17th of february, some of the students shared their thoughts anonymously on why accessibility matters:

“We should have the same rights to the same resources”

“Freedom is a right, not just a need”

“Everybody should have the same opportunities”

“It is like freedom for all. It is important for the society”

“It is necessary for the people to know what accessibility is and how to work to get the places to be as inclusive as possible”

Together, their reflections represent a belief: accessibility is about equality, freedom, shared opportunities, and building a fair society for everyone. In the ongoing mentoring sessions, teams are:

  • Identifying real accessibility challenges
  • Exploring creative, practical solutions through design
  • Learning how accessibility benefits everyone

The next step will be final project submissions in March, followed by the public final in May.

Stay tuned!

For more information about the competition, visit:
https://innovation-competition.accesscove.uom.gr