How Vocational Rehabilitation Can Facilitate Inclusive Design of Learning?
Anita Murphy
CEO | Expert in Digital Training and Document Imaging | Empowering Communities with Innovative and Inclusive Workforce Solutions
In 2015, the world was committed to following the UN’s 4th Sustainable Development Goal to ensure inclusive and unbiased quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. It's not just an excellent idea: it's an integral part of a society's well-being and economic vitality.
Today, about 258 million school-age children are not in school. Almost one-third of them are children with disabilities. Even children with disabilities who enroll are far less likely to complete school than others. In other words, the following facts have led to a shocking result: less than 5% of children with disabilities graduate, only 3% of adults with disabilities are literate, and only 1% of women with disabilities are literate.
Today, about 258 million school-age children are not in schools globally. If we talk about the percentage of K-12 students with disabilities across the US schools, it may vary from 6% to 15% due to the inconsistencies in states’ laws and how the school administration and other officials are unable to identify the learning needs of these individuals.
So what went wrong?
Ineffective policies? Lack of leadership? Insufficient resources? Poor educational strategies? or what?
There could be many reasons to be blamed, but the main problem is how we make decisions to create more inclusive classrooms and schools?
We Can Do Better
Have you heard of the WYSIATI principle? The word is an acronym for What You See Is All There Is, coined by Nobel Prize honoree Daniel Kahneman. Many educators make a similar, unintentional error: I can't see it, so it doesn't exist.
What you see is all there is the idea that minds tend to make judgments and form impressions based on the available information.
The consequence of this in teaching and learning is the WYSIATI principle. What this means is that students in classes have all kinds of invisible, day-to-day things going on that can impact their ability to learn, such as:
It is irrelevant whether or not students must reveal their specific challenges. The point is that challenging circumstances exist and must be brought to light.
Awareness on our end and others' identifying and removing barriers can benefit everyone, but it is essential for people with disabilities who need it the most.
A Design Thinking Approach to More Inclusive Classrooms
Design Thinking is a process that tackles problems from the perspective of what is best for everyone; that's why it's important to remember inclusive design and development.
Disability culture is more than just a medical diagnosis, and disability inclusion needs to be at the heart of the design process. That way, we can build inclusive schools, technology, and public spaces that accommodate people with disabilities.
Implementing Design Thinking in Schools
Diversity and inclusion mean designing and teaching for variance when we talk about inclusive schools. Faculty can practice inclusive pedagogy by following universal design principles and offering several representations, modes of engagement, and opportunities for expression.
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Learning must involve various means and modes, including considering various forms of responding to learners and more diverse presentations of information. Different methods such as inclusive design can facilitate teaching for students with disabilities while offering an alternative, non-traditional avenue for everybody.
Inclusive pedagogy can be an intentional and considered process—something initiated at the design phase—rather than one of revision or omission.
Why is Design Thinking Essential for Schools? Why Now?
Design Thinking is more relevant than ever because human society now realizes that digital must serve, rather than disturb, the lives of society. The next wave of new technologies we're experiencing will be so novel that we will need to work on how to use them. Artificial intelligence and virtual reality are some examples.
While many people talk about the power of Design Thinking, they often talk less about why it works.
Design Thinking eliminates several mental biases that commonly lead to bad decisions.
By utilizing Design Thinking, schools are more likely to conceptualize the new idea's benefits instead of focusing on the costs.
Instead of learning to solve a problem just within your current knowledge, simply assuming that the solution you're looking for lies within the scope of what you already know, design thinking forces you to step outside of your area of expertise, with an emphasis on acknowledging what you don't know as much as what you do.
Vocational Rehabilitation as a Convener in Design Thinking Approach
Vocational rehabilitation plays a lead role in design thinking. It is the only platform with the main focus on employment for people with disabilities.
Second, vocational rehabilitation programs facilitate disparate groups in education, from administrators to teachers to students, as well as community members who can play a role in creating an inclusive school environment.
Third, vocational rehabilitation providers are ideally positioned to drive change in schools because they work directly with people who have disabilities daily – not just as clients but also as employees and volunteers – giving them unique insight into what barriers exist for people with disabilities when it comes to accessing education.
Furthermore, vocational rehabilitation programs provide appropriate training and tools through their instructor-led eLearning and micro-learning courses to help advance the design thinking approach according to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
Final Thoughts
The end goal of design thinking is to create a sustainable, inclusive community. Design thinking is at work when an organization looks at its activities from an outside perspective to see how well it serves everyone involved – from students to administrators to parents and potential donors or volunteers.
The vocational rehabilitation programs utilize design thinking to decide whether the school's practices address the challenges to meeting the program's outcomes or if there is a need to alter the practice, reprioritize funding, or achieve the desired performance.
Thank you for reading my post?here on LinkedIn.?I am the CEO of Onebridge Center where we provide corporate training and skills training to help individuals break barriers to work. Feel free to connect with me?here?or via?Facebook?and?Twitter.?
About Anita Murphy
Anita Murphy is the Founder/CEO of the?Onebridge Center?a training company with a heavy focus on skills training. They provide this through their innovative program called, “Digiskills” to assist individuals to gain the computer technology and applications training needed to break barriers to employment in the modern workplace and through corporate training for organizations and government agencies looking to upskill their workforce. Anita has 16 years of experience in driving sales, business development, management, finance, operations, and managing teams. She is also a Veteran of the United States Army Reserves and a 10ksb Goldman Sachs Alumni.