Community Learning Days Workshop Highlights Neurodiversity
Creating inclusive spaces and supporting neurodiverse students at Whitman College
By Mónica Hernández Williams
Learning with Love. Guest speaker Mia Love, Mindset Strategist and Coach and Facilities Director at Stanford University, led the “Embracing Neurodiversity” workshop at Whitman.
Earlier this month, Whitman College faculty, staff and resident advisors came together to learn new ways to support neurodiverse students and create a more inclusive campus for everyone.
On Jan. 15, community members from across campus filled the lower level of the Reid Campus Center to attend the first Community Learning Days workshop of the Spring 2025 semester. Community Learning Days aim to provide faculty and staff with the tools and strategies to better serve the evolving needs of Whitman’s diverse student body. The program is sponsored by the Division of Inclusive Excellence and is part of the college’s commitment to creating a welcoming and supportive environment for each member of our community.
“I love Community Learning Days. I learn so much,” says Mary Raschko, Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Associate Professor of English. “It sets the tone for things we need to be thinking about as we move through the year and how we engage with students.”
Raschko serves on the Inclusive Excellence Council and was part of the subcommittee of faculty, staff and students who planned the two-hour event.
Digging Into Neurodiversity
Mia Love, a Mindset Strategist and Coach, led the workshop, titled “Embracing Neurodiversity: Unpacking Neurotypical Privilege and Unlocking Neurodiversity Superpowers.” Neurodiversity refers to the range of differences in individual brain function and behavioral traits.
Love is known for interrupting ableism and bringing awareness to neurodiversity on a national level. During her talk, she challenged attendees to reframe their thinking and assumptions about neurodivergent people.
“Neurodivergent brains think differently,” she said. “I’m here to help you unpack a world that was not designed for people who think outside of the box.”
The workshop included breakout discussions and activities designed to help participants reflect on potential barriers faced by neurodivergent people on campus. They were also encouraged to recognize the unique strengths and perspectives that neurodivergent individuals bring to the Whitman community.
Love, who also serves as the Facilities Director at Stanford University, met with Whitman’s facilities team after her talk to discuss how neurodiversity directly impacts accessibility.
3 Key Takeaways
Mia Love’s presentation highlighted three important takeaways for members of Whitman’s community:
- Neurodivergent brains work differently. It’s important to welcome and embrace individual differences and commit to continually learning how to best support one another.
- A need for accommodation does not equate to intelligence level. We all need some level of support—whether it’s learning how individuals best communicate, acknowledging sensory sensitivity or managing our emotional responses.
- A spectrum of support. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, we can be understanding of individual needs and avoid making people feel odd or unique when asking for accommodations.
Creating a Safe Space
This year, the Community Learning Days planning committee worked with the Residence Life and Housing Office to integrate the workshop into the training for student resident advisors (RAs).
“We know how critical RAs are in the student experience,” Raschko says. “If we could all have this common learning experience together, hopefully, that creates better common understanding among faculty, staff and student-staff whose roles focus on supporting students throughout their entire time at Whitman.”
Whitman alum Callie Gilchrist ’21 agrees. She is the Community Director for Prentiss Hall and says the event prompted RAs to think about possible ways to make students feel more comfortable in their residence halls.
“My group had a really good conversation about possible barriers to neurodivergent people in physical spaces, like bright lights and the ability to control the temperature in their room,” says Gilchrist. “Opening the conversation to think about those things more will be really helpful for future spaces being built and when it comes to adapting the current spaces we already have on campus.”
Continual Learning Opportunities
Building safe, inclusive spaces is an ongoing effort. Community Learning Days is just one campus program aimed at fostering a more inclusive campus for every member of the Whitman community. Previous topics include strategies to create more inclusive classrooms, cultural taxation and systems of oppression, and navigating professional boundaries and hierarchies from different social identities.
Other programs led by the Division of Inclusive Excellence take place throughout the academic year. Students, staff and faculty are encouraged to contribute to the conversation of advancing inclusive excellence on an individual level.
“Sometimes we need to realize that we are not ‘it’ for a particular student,” says Raschko. “We need to take humility in that and branch out to our campus network to find out how to best help that student.”
Learn more about Whitman’s commitment to Inclusive Excellence.
Did You Know?
Whitties have the opportunity to explore the science behind neurodiversity and brain development by taking classes in Whitman’s new neuroscience major: Brain, Behavior and Cognition.