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LEAP Indiana Virtual Prof. Dev. Speaker – Sarah Silverman
January 24 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am
This session is part of the LEAP Indiana Virtual Professional Development Series
Neurodiversity and UDL: A Friendship Worth Fostering
Dr. Sarah Silverman
Neurodiversity and Universal Design for Learning are often mentioned alongside each other in higher education – but what is the connection between the two? Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework used to design learning that is accessible to the greatest number of students with less need for individual accommodations, while neurodiversity describes the variation that naturally exists in human cognition. Neurodiversity as a framework and UDL have several major points of agreement. The first is that there is no average or standard regarding cognition and learning. UDL frames this in terms of there being no “average learner,” instead focusing on “learner variability.” The Neurodiversity paradigm introduced by Nick Walker suggests that “There is no ‘normal’ or ‘right’ style of the human mind, any more than there is one ‘normal’ or ‘right’ ethnicity, gender, or culture,” although some cognitive styles are more marginalized in society than others. Neurodiversity theory and UDL both endeavor to break down this “myth” of normality. The first part of this workshop will offer participants a tour through the histories of both the neurodiversity and UDL concepts. Then, we will clarify the areas of overlap between Neurodiversity theory and UDL, and where these two frameworks may disagree or diverge. We will discuss ways in which neurodiversity theory and activism may help to inform and shape the implementation of the UDL to support neurodivergent students, with a specific focus on how communication differences can be respected and honored using UDL. The second part of the workshop will offer participants an opportunity to consider three elements of course design that can benefit from a neurodiversity perspective: the disability accommodations statement, class participation guidelines, and framing for collaborative group activities.
Location
Virtual – register for connection information
Audience
All Faculty and Instructors
To request a disability-related accommodation, please contact the Office of Institutional Equity at oie@pnw.edu or (219) 989-2163 five days prior to the event.