Join us for this exciting immersive workshop and experience first-hand examples of different classroom environments and some of the challenges that neurodivergent people encounter, as either students or staff, as we help to build the template for truly accessible environments for everyone.

Designed by Caudwell Children in collaboration with experts by experience, during this group workshop you will spend time in spaces carefully re-created to highlight some of the challenges people face in the built environment.

Flickering lights, noisy air conditioning, overwhelming communication or overpowering smells can all be common pitfalls of designers, estates or employers who fail to consider a neurodiverse population.

We will explore the potential causes of bad practice (e.g budget constraints, product innovation gaps, outdated guidelines, lack of awareness) and identify practical solutions by listening to a wide range of stakeholders including designers, architects, facility managers and experts by experience.       

As employers and service providers across the world begin to recognise neurodiversity within their workforce and service users, many education environments still struggle to meet the needs of many neurodivergent people. In this immersive workshop we will re-create some typical classroom spaces, identify the potential pitfalls and aim to create an inclusive, accessible alternative.

This interactive experience will feature some examples of poor practice and participants will be invited to experience potentially heightened sensory stimuli. 

Light, sound, smell, furniture, communication, colour, management practices and other environmental influences will all be examined as groups work towards creating a template of best practice by recognising how different people may experience stereotypical spaces.

Attendees will have the option to not participate in the immersive elements of the workshop, but can still take part and contribute to the evidence gathering and discussion.

This workshop is delivered by national charity, Caudwell Children and XR Therapeutics:

• Ben Sutcliffe, Caudwell Children
• Kathryn Turner-Morgan, Caudwell Children
• Penny Day, XR Therapeutics
• Shaun Allan, XR Therapeutics
• Emma Rosillo, Caudwell Children
• Maria Luigia Assirelli, Floyd Slaski Architects Ltd
• Stephanie Kyle, Architect & Inclusive Design Consultant, Maber Architect