THEME:Listening. In a noisy world, listening is not passive - it’s an intentional act of leadership. Turn down the volume and tune in to the voices that matter most—the people we serve. Together, let’s amplify the power of listening to transform education, strengthen communities, and shape a more connected future for career and technical education in Minnesota.
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Walking a mile in someone’s shoes may help you see and experience what they do, but it may not give you insight into the full experience. Afterall, it’s only a mile – not a lifetime. From this lens, Beth Pitchford will discuss the first person experiences of neurodiverse students, staff, and faculty.
Learning what these challenges are can help lead the way to identifying solutions that actually work and increase confidence. To support students with executive dysfunction, we must go beyond the standard recommendations of planners, lists, and reminders to identify creative, individualized solutions. Meanwhile, lack of access to credible diagnosis continues to be a devastating barrier especially to people of color. Faculty and staff who are neurodiverse have the potential to be the strongest advocates for neurodiverse students as they have first-person experiences of many of these challenges. Yet, they also face the same challenges as the students often needing better executive function support, access to diagnosis, and empathy.
This session will educate you about neurodiverse learners among us, share creative solutions, identify barriers these individauls face, and present how Dakota County Technical College is addressing this with the intent of improving access for students. The Double Empathy Problem will be introduced.
