Please find a description of this workshop below and contact me if you are interested in bringing this learning opportunity to your campus or organization.
Neurodiversity, or the naturally occurring variation in human cognition, is becoming a popular topic in higher education and adjacent fields as more of our students identify as “neurodivergent” and neurodiversity gains recognition as an important component of DEI initiatives. But what is neurodiversity, and what is the history and political importance of this concept? This workshop will introduce educators to the basic terminology of the Neurodiversity paradigm (including the terms “neurodivergent” and “neurotypical”) as well as the history of Neurodiversity as a social justice movement with roots in the Autism rights movement. With connections to the broader disability rights and justice movement as well as psychiatric survivors and Mad Pride movements, Neurodiversity challenges our fundamental assumptions about normality. After this historical and political context, the workshop concludes with an introduction to a neurodiversity-informed approach to Universal Design for Learning.
Rather than just a “teaching strategies” workshop, this offering is a unique learning and reflection opportunity for participants to consider how the politics and history of Neurodiversity can challenge and guide our teaching practices. This workshop will be useful for instructors, staff, and administrators in higher education as well as K-12 educators, informal and community educators, and anyone else who considers themselves an educator.
I also have experience facilitating longer programs for faculty on Neurodiversity. Please see my neurodiversity consulting page for more information.
Facilitator Bio:
Sarah Silverman, PhD (she/her) is an educator focusing on disability studies, pedagogy, and educational technology. Her interests include accessible and feminist pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and disability-informed critiques of educational technology. As an autistic educator, she has a personal stake in Neurodiversity as well as extensive college teaching and faculty development experience. As a critic of academic surveillance technology, she combines her interests in disability studies and instructional design to advocate for accessibility and privacy in higher education. 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 on her blog at www.sarahemilysilverman.com
Sarah E. Silverman 