Trend Watch Vol 4: Inclusion Beyond Accommodation

Let’s cut to the chase: Learner accommodations are a stop gap, not a solution.

When learners disclose the need for accommodations, they are offering feedback to you about how they are dis-abled by the design, social structures, and environment of your learning program. Essentially, ways your program excludes them.

Too often instead of creating inclusive learning, we wait until someone discloses exclusion (and know that a large number of people do not disclose) before taking action to adapt. We leave the barriers in place until someone submits a form and even then, the means of requesting adaptations are not always accessible.

What’s happening here is an inherent bias rooted in the medical-deficit model of disability.

If inclusion is your goal, we need to have some real talk about shifting from the medical-deficit model of disability to the social model of disability. Here’s the difference:

Medical-Deficit Model – Says people are disabled and we choose to accommodate them within reason. Disability is a defect located in the human; it’s their responsibility to seek accommodations.

Social Model – Says institutions, social structures, systems, and environments dis-able people, and we proactively apply universal design principles to remove barriers to inclusion. Humans may experience long-term or short-term impairments, but it’s the learning program’s responsibility to enable people to participate.

Accommodation says, “we tolerate your differences within reason.”

Inclusion says, “we actively remove barriers to enable participation and inclusion.”

However, accommodation as a stop gap while an organization is working on providing inclusive learning says, “while we are building a bridge to inclusive learning, we proactively offer adaptations to make what is available now more accessible to more people.”

Let’s explore the opportunities here. The variability within your learner population may comprise multiple dis-abled subgroups. Since at least 1 in 5 learners is neurodivergent, I’m going to ground this convo in neuroinclusion as our example.

1. We have the opportunity to proactively seek to understand our learner’s needs.

If you are providing learning programs, it’s your responsibility to conduct a learner needs assessment to not only understand your target audience’s education needs (knowledge and skill gaps + ideal outcomes), but their access and content processing needs. Learning is not once size fits all. Knowing your learner’s needs is necessary to proactively prepare training that allows for the greatest number of people to effectively benefit from the intended outcomes.

2. We have the opportunity to include and elevate neurodivergent voices.

At the heart of inclusion is co-creation. Make room at the table for voices that can help you understand the needs of those you seek to include. Elevate neurodivergent voices. Listen to understand and co-create inclusion.

3. We have the opportunity to design neuroinclusive learning experiences.

Designing inclusive learning means embracing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) alongside best practices of instructional design. Note that UDL is not a checklist – you still need to understand the needs of the audience you are designing training for to hit the mark.

Additionally, for neurodivergent (ND) learners we must consider social norms, the learning environment, personalization (autonomy and choice in learning), and accessible means to request additional assistance or adaptation. We must realize the anxiety ND learners bring to education and assessment experiences which is a common co-occurrent condition with neurodivergence that is heightened by navigating experiences designed to exclude. Also take care with pathologizing terminology that is damaging and disrespectful.

Perfection is not the target since perfection doesn’t exist. We design to remove known barriers to include the widest number of learners realizing there may be an additional specific need unaccounted for.

4. We have the opportunity to engage ongoing listening to evaluate accessibility and inclusion so we might iteratively improve.

Inclusion isn’t once and done. It’s iterative. It’s a process we must commit to and make a part of everything we do. We need to measure to know how well we are doing and what we can improve upon. Open loop channels of communication enable us to receive feedback, communicate what opportunities are afforded, and to co-create belonging.

5. We have the opportunity to co-create an inclusive culture.

Inclusive learning isn’t just an education issue; it’s a culture issue. Inclusion requires a paradigm shift which will necessitate some new priorities. Maureen Dunne, author of the Neurodiversity Edge, shares a pyramid model depicting how organizations can achieve neuroinclusion (I have notes but we can talk about that another time ??). Notably, it all starts with culture change. It starts with safety, trust and transparent communication. To co-create inclusive culture, we’re all learners, we’re all builders, we are collaborators designing a world where everyone is valued and belongs.

We’re just dipping a toe into what this shift means. Where can you take it from here?

Get-started resources

Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities by Walker – learn more about the models of disability, correct terminology, the history of the neurodivergent movement, what paradigm shift looks like. [OR GARCIA??]

CAST Universal Design for Learning – access considerations for designing accessible learning; note that these best practices are not a checklist and its still imperative we understand the target learner audience and apply instructional design.

The Neurodiverse Workplace: An Employer’s Guide to Managing and Working with Neurodivergent Employees, Clients and Customers by Honeybourne – learn how the assumptions based upon the social construct of “normal” inherently disadvantage people and what you can do about it.

Learn with me

I’m developing online resources and training on how to build inclusive learning, get speakers on board, and resources to help neurodivergent learners get the most out of professional development. Stay tuned!

Work with me

The learning programs we produce are inclusive by design. We embrace Universal Design for Learning, mapping it onto my cognitive neuroscience based 4A learning design model. We love helping organizations build the bridge from accessible to inclusive. Reach out to learn more.

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Tracy King, MA, CAE (she/they)

As Chief Learning Strategist & CEO of InspirEd, Tracy King leverages more than 20 years in workforce development consulting with organizations on education strategy and learning design. Tracy is the author of the award-winning book?Competitive Advantage, and they advise on how to grow reliably profitable and sustainable continuing education programs that transform learners. Tracy specializes in the intersection of learning science and technology. They are a thought leader, master learning designer, trainer-facilitator, coach and DELP Scholar. Their work has been featured on NBC, ABC, FOX, USA Today, Forbes, The Star Tribute and hundreds of nationally syndicated television, newspaper, and magazine outlets. For more information, please visit them online at www.inspired-ed.com

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