This course has been used by faculty at Barnard College, Central European University, Coastal Carolina University and more!
Please contact me if you would like to learn more about this course or bring it to your campus.
Description: This course is designed to introduce educators (including faculty, staff, advisors, librarians, and others) to the history, politics, and key terms of neurodiversity and its relevance to higher education. Participants will explore the origins of neurodiversity in the Autistic advocacy movement, learn the histories and definitions of key terms such as “neurodiversity”, “neurodivergent”, and “neurotypical”, and explore the relevance of disability law and policy to neurodiversity. First-person perspectives from neurodivergent students and staff as well as classroom case studies provide real-world reference points and applications for this background. This course is ideal for educators who are looking to build their foundational knowledge of neurodiversity and set goals for working toward greater inclusion. The course consists of four asynchronous modules, which can be combined with an optional “kick-off” or “wrap-up” event to summarize learning and make connections to campus or program goals.
Module 1: Neurodiversity history, theory, and key terms
Module 2: Lived experience: Learning from neurodivergent students and staff
Module 3: Neurodiversity in higher education: Law, policy, and beyond
Module 4: Applications in course design and teaching
Course goals
- Define key terms related to neurodiversity
- Recognize the roots of neurodiversity in Autistic activism
- Explore the relationship between disability law & policy and neurodiversity
- Engage with first-person narratives of neurodivergent students and staff in higher education
- Practice navigating learning scenarios involving neurodiversity through case studies
- Reflect on your own relationship to neurodiversity and draft goals for working toward greater inclusion
Please contact me if you would like to learn more about this course or bring it to your campus.
Course author information
Sarah Silverman, PhD is an instructional designer and instructor of Disability Studies. As an autistic educator, she has a personal stake in Neurodiversity as well as extensive college teaching and faculty development experience. Sarah provides training and consulting about the relevance of neurodiversity in higher education with a focus on the history of neurodiversity as a social justice movement. Her writings appear in To Improve the Academy, the Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy, the blog Feminist Pedagogy for Teaching Online, New Directions for Teaching and Learning, and at http://www.sarahemilysilverman.com.
Sarah E. Silverman 