By SHANNON O. WELLS
At its heart, the upcoming Neuroinclusive Teaching Series, a collaboration between Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University, represents a shared effort to develop a more supportive and inclusive community.
That’s a key element Amy Tavares, program manager of the CMU's Olitsky Family Foundation Career Readiness Program. had in mind in summer 2023, when she expressed interest to Pitt’s Autism Center for Excellence (ACE) in creating a training series for the CMU community on neurodivergence and mental health.
"(The Olitsky) program aims to reduce employment barriers for individuals with cognitive and/or emotional differences," she said. "(It) takes a multifaceted approach in reducing barriers in both college and employment, which includes providing strength-based neurodiversity, disability and mental well-being trainings."
Gaining collaborators, the concept of a seminar project became more focused on the need to help educators understand neurodiversity, identify concrete strategies they can use in the classroom, and understand the accommodation process, said Leigh Culley, Pitt’s interim assistant vice chancellor for accessibility and director of Disability Resources and Services.
Christina Frasher, visiting faculty member in Pitt’s School of Education, added that, “As we share in our series, there is growing awareness of the various supports that neurodivergent students can benefit from, and we wanted to offer these perspectives and practices to the larger Pitt and CMU communities.”
The Olitsky Family Foundation program serves as the series' organizer and central location.
Tavares, Culley and Frasher, along with Jamie Kulzer, associate professor in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences; and Jacqui Pincus, associate director of grad/postdoc teaching initiatives at the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation, brought their insights and areas of expertise together to help create the virtual learning series, which kicks off with an introductory session at 2 p.m. Jan. 29.
They took a moment from preparing for the series to address some questions from University Times on neuroinclusive learning and what participants may expect to learn from the series.
University Times: What are your respective roles and perspectives regarding the upcoming Neuroinclusive Teaching Series?
Leigh Culley: I am one of seven collaborators from various departments within CMU and the University of Pittsburgh. Aside from planning and development meetings, I co-lead the series session on “Neurodivergence and the Accommodation Process.”
Christina Frasher: There has been a variety of programming at Pitt to support neurodivergent students. Our Center for Teaching and Learning at Pitt as well as CMU’s Eberly Teaching Center have offered programming to support neurodivergent students, including the recent Provost's Diversity Institute for Faculty Development last summer.
In addition, there have been a variety of events and presentations offered through our School of Education on building awareness of the diversity of experiences and needs of neurodivergent students. This has been an important collaboration between Pitt and CMU to share, affirm and offer practices and perspectives collectively to our academic communities.
Jamie Kulzer: Kelly Beck (assistant professor for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program in SHRS and I developed content for the “Introduction to Neurodiversity and Neuroinclusive Language” session. This session was able to incorporate research and resources for the University of Pittsburgh’s Autism Center of Excellence, which is focused on advancing research on autistic adults' mental health and suicide prevention.
It also incorporated materials from the Schools Unified in Neurodiversity (SUN) Collaborative, which is a collaborative of neurodivergent scholars, administrators, teachers, and advocates from the Pittsburgh area that trains public schools on how to better include and support neurodivergent students.
What inspired the series on neurodiversity and neuroinclusive as a collaboration between various units of Pitt and CMU? Was it driven more by concerns/requests from faculty, students, or Disability Resources and Services?
Jacqui Pincus: In Fall 2023, Amy Tavares and I met because her office and several others on CMU's campus were collaborating with the Pitt's Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) on an Autism and Mental Health training series for faculty and staff. Although the Eberly Center was not involved in that program, we both realized there was a big gap in programs for informing and supporting instructors about neurodiversity. So we wanted to develop that in partnership with relevant offices from both campuses. In general, however, my office was starting to see more interest from graduate students especially about neurodiversity programs.
UTimes: What should participants expect? Are there speakers from outside the two universities? Is it particularly interactive?
Culley: Each session in the series provides in-depth insights into neurodiversity and neuroinclusivity, each led by collaborators from CMU and Pitt. Topics include defining these concepts, implementing inclusive pedagogical practices, enhancing learning environments, and exploring accommodations to support diverse learners effectively. The sessions combine engaging lecture content with interactive activities.
UTimes: How will the series unfold? Does it continue throughout spring semester?
Culley: This series will be delivered throughout the spring semester, with each of the three core sessions repeated twice to maximize accessibility and participant engagement. To recognize participants’ commitment to learning, those who attend all three sessions will be awarded a Certificate of Completion. Those unable to attend all three sessions are still encouraged to attend individual sessions. There are plans to offer future programming including additional faculty and staff offerings from both institutions and student perspectives and contributions.
Frasher: There are plans to offer future programming including additional faculty and staff offerings from both institutions and student perspectives and contributions.
UTimes: How has accommodating neurodivergent students been approached as a pedagogical concern/topic at Pitt?
Frasher: This has been a continued focus at Pitt, from a variety of centers and schools, to support the success of all students (and faculty and staff).
Culley: Neurodivergent students who identify as having a disability and would like to explore accommodations at the University are encouraged to follow the established process through DRS, in alignment with the standard procedure for all student requesting disability-related accommodations.
Kulzer: Instructors are not required to accommodate neurodivergent students unless they have accommodations through the University disability services office. However, many instructors want to create a more accessible and inclusive learning environment. Strategies that help neurodiverse students are often helpful for neurotypical students as well (i.e., universal design.)
We just know that the learning and social environment is, by default, designed for neurotypical people and it can cause huge increases in the cognitive load of neurodivergent students.
UTimes: How common are such collaborations between Pitt and CMU and their individual departments?
Frasher: There has been a number of successful partnerships between Pitt and CMU over the years, and we hope this one will inspire continued collaboration around student support, well-being and pedagogical practices.
UTimes: Do students generally self-identify as neurodivergent when they enroll, or does it depend more on individual courses they choose?
Culley: Neurodivergence is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of neurological differences, including but not limited to autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, among other conditions. When registering with DRS, students are more likely to identify based on their medical condition rather than using the broader term neurodivergent.
Frasher: Students may register for accommodations with DRS, but it's important for instructors to be aware of supportive teaching practices, as many students are not aware that they are neurodivergent and/or may not feel comfortable asking for accommodations because of stigma, etc.
UTimes: How does considering and accommodating neurodiverse students reflect Pitt’s history/philosophy of inclusion and diversity?
Culley: Pitt is committed to ensuring equal access and fostering inclusive experiences for all students with disabilities. DRS recognizes individual uniqueness and provides accommodations and services through a holistic approach that fosters full participation and active engagement at the University.
This initiative's collaborative efforts across various departments reflect Pitt’s strong institutional commitment to inclusivity and equity. We are dedicated to this collaboration with our colleagues and look forward to continuously advancing these efforts.
Is there anything you’d like to add regarding neurodiversity, the foundational seminar, and Pitt’s efforts at the forefront of accommodating students with a diverse range of learning needs?
Culley: We are dedicated to this collaboration with our colleagues and look forward to continuously
advancing these efforts.
Tavares: We’re always looking for collaborators and community members interested in being a part of this series. Email atavares@andrew.cmu.edu if you're interested.
Shannon O. Wells is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu.
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