Neurodiversity training was held at Wayo Women’s University!

The training was held on Thursday, November 21, 2024 at Wayo Women’s University!

Neurodiversity is a concept that stems from the diversity of our brains and nerves, and this applies to all of us. Because of these individual characteristics, we may feel “hard to live with”. We aim to build a society in which individuals’ brain functions and bodies are complemented and extended by technology, and the physical space, social systems, and customs are redesigned to eliminate the difficulty of living and allow each individual to demonstrate his or her “power” in his or her own way. As part of these activities, we hold exhibitions and training sessions. This time, we remade the neurodiversity training that we used to offer to the general public, and held a training for the educational field for students taking the teaching course at WAYO Women’s University.

In order to create a classroom that is inclusive of diversity, participants first learned about neurodiversity and experienced the “ASD Perception Experience Simulator”. In addition, participants made ideas for actions to be taken in response to “trouble cards,” which describe problems that may occur in educational settings due to the diversity of the brain and nervous system.

Neurodiversity Training Overview

Neurodiversity training consists of “Knowing,” “Experiencing,” and “Creating. Through these three curricula, we encourage participants to understand each other’s different viewpoints and respect diverse ways of perceiving the world, leading to the realization of a neuro-diverse society.

1) Know: Toward the realization of a neurodiversity society (Lecturer: Nanako Ishido)

As an introduction to the training, the participants learned about the history of neurodiversity, various case studies, and a society that respects neurodiversity as an overview of neurodiversity.

(2) Experience: ASD Perception Experience Simulator (Instructor: Neurodiversity Project Secretariat)

The participants experienced the “ASD Perceptual Experience Simulator” developed by Dr. Shie Nagai (Specially Appointed Professor, International Research Organization for Neurointelligence, The University of Tokyo) and Dr. Shinichiro Kumagai (Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo). By experiencing how the world looks like in an environment with different brightness and sound intensity, participants experienced the symptoms of visual hypersensitivity and blurred vision that ASD sufferers feel as if they were themselves.

Through the worksheet, the students who experienced the sensory world were asked to verbalize what they felt and what they would have trouble with in the sensory world they experienced. Some of them said, “The brightness and colors are completely different from those of the normal visual world,” “It felt very realistic and scary,” and “My eyes and my feelings seem to be exhausted.

(3) Create: Idea-thon (Instructor: Neurodiversity Project Secretariat)

An idea-thon was held to consider concrete actions that can be taken toward the creation of a neuro-diverse society. This time, using the “card for problems,” which is particularly relevant to the field of education, each group will think about “what kind of society we should build” and “what kind of classrooms we should create” based on specific problems.

Groups were asked to think of considerations and solutions to their problems, and two groups shared their ideas with the whole group as a representative.

Here, a wide variety of ideas were presented, ranging from those that could be implemented immediately to those that were fun and innovative, and those that were unique to students taking a teaching course.

Participants commented, “I was able to clarify the problems I was having,” “I thought it was important to create an environment that suits each individual student,” “This was a useful opportunity for classroom management when I become a teacher in the future,” and “I was reminded of the importance of putting myself in the student’s shoes.

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For those interested

The B Lab Neurodiversity Project promotes understanding of neurodiversity and works to build a society in which each individual can demonstrate their individuality and “power” in their own place. As part of these activities, we will continue to plan training programs while enhancing the contents.

We are also open to consultation regarding the introduction of neurodiversity training into training and other programs at companies and educational institutions. We are also considering online training as well as face-to-face training, so please feel free to contact us for more information.

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