By Jaime A. Heidel The Articulate Autistic
Before a person is a jobseeker, they are first a student, and the type of education they receive (and whether or not that education is accessible to them) will have a profound and lasting effect on their employment prospects for the rest of their lives.
In honor of International Day of Women and Girls in STEM, which is observed on February 11th, this article will take a closer look at education and vocational guidance, and the importance of making sure that all students can access the education and training they need to achieve success in their chosen fields.
Why Inclusive Education Matters
Here at Specialisterne, we’ve previously focused on the importance of making job descriptions inclusive to neurodivergent job-seekers and ensuring the interview process is more accessible to neurodivergent candidates. However, without inclusive education and vocational guidance, neurodivergent would-be employees may find barriers to taking even these first steps on their career path.
This is why inclusive education is so important. For these candidates, it’s not that the talent or skills aren’t there; they are. It’s that the education they’ve thus far received has failed to bring out that talent and hone that skill because the existing curriculum doesn’t fit the learner.
When education and training are accessible for all, each individual, regardless of disability, neurotype, or learning style, has a chance to reach their full potential in the workforce and beyond.
How to Make Your Education and Vocational Guidance Inclusive
1. Familiarize Yourself With Neurodivergence
The first step to making education and vocational training accessible to neurodivergent students is to familiarize yourself with neurodivergence.
What does it mean to be neurodivergent?
Neurodiversity is the concept that there is diversity or difference in the way that our brains work and process information. A neurodivergent person is someone whose brain functions differently from societal norms.
What are some common types of neurodivergence?
Common types of neurodivergence include but are not limited to, autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, Irlen syndrome, Tourette syndrome, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Learning disabilities can also fall under the umbrella of neurodivergence.
Take the time to learn at least the basics of each type of neurodivergence that may show up in your classroom. This will help you prepare a foundation for creating inclusive and accessible educational opportunities for everyone.
2. Offer Learner-Led Educational Opportunities
Another helpful approach to inclusivity in educational and training programs is to adopt a learner-led approach. Discover what needs your students have, how they best learn information, and what they’re most interested in, so you can make modifications to your current program.
A learner-led approach also allows students to lead with their strengths as well as apply their own personal learning modifications to their current studies. This not only eases the transition process but gives neurodivergent students a feeling of control amidst change.
Weave Inclusive Practices into Your Everyday Curriculum
By far the most efficient and inclusive approach to education and vocational guidance for neurodivergent learners is to weave inclusive practices into your everyday curriculum. This means that regardless of the learner, neurodivergent or neurotypical, disabled or abled, the training itself will have inclusive practices automatically woven in. Universal Design for Learning can support educators in building materials that meet the diverse needs of all learners.
This way, students who are unaware of their neurodivergence or disability or who do not feel comfortable sharing their needs individually are still accommodated.
Here’s how that might look in your classroom:
Explain how the day will go and what will be learned through sequencing.
For example, “Today, we will be learning X. First, we’ll hand out a packet of information we’ll be showing you, second, we’ll look at the slides on the smartboard, and third, we’ll take questions. After that, we’ll break for lunch. When we come back, we’ll move into groups of three, which have already been assigned, for further discussion. We’ll wrap up at 3:30 PM.”
Start with the basic concepts first, and then use those concepts as building blocks for more complicated instruction.
This is called ‘scaffolding’, and it’s very beneficial for people who learn information from the bottom up (common in neurodivergent people) rather than from the top down (common in neurotypical people).
Follow up with trainees periodically to check for understanding.
Checking for understanding is critical to making sure your neurodivergent students are fully accessing their education and progressing toward their goals. Try emailing a brief questionnaire to students each week to be sure everyone in your class is on the same page. This will help you catch misunderstandings that you can address privately with the trainees who need it.
Teach new concepts in a way that allows students to connect previously learned material to new material.
This sequential style of teaching is ideal for detail-oriented, bottom-up learners. When a neurodivergent student can connect previous information to new material, the confusion they may have felt in previous classes melts away, and their feelings of confidence soar!
The Takeaway
When a person comes to your training program to learn, make sure you offer them just that, the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills they need to be successful and competitive in their career. Make sure your classes are accessible, and that each graduate leaves with the skills they need to build a strong foundation and excel in their chosen field.
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