Strategies for Teaching Based on Autism Research
Long-Term Initiatives
Mission Statement Initiatives in Progress Long-Term Initiatives
- Personal Learning and Professional Development
- Learning from the autistic community and caregivers of individuals with autism to better understand how we can advocate for the populations we serve
- Seeking partnerships with community members and DEI practitioners to build capacity internally
- Continually seeking professional development opportunities related to DEI
- Continuing to carve out time during recurring meetings for ongoing discussions about inclusive language, cultural responsiveness, advocacy, social justice, and representation
- Evaluating Curriculum and Materials
- Continuously evaluating and updating curriculum and training materials—including training videos, content, graphics, and illustrations—to be more inclusive, culturally responsive, and accessible
- Seeking feedback from customers and community members about the inclusivity of our curriculum and materials, as well as ideas for additional DEI initiatives
- Creating a feedback form on our website for requests related to increasing diversity and representation in our materials (e.g., visual supports)
- Creating instructional materials related to culturally responsive teaching
- Hiring, Recruitment, and Retention
- Evaluating our recruitment and retainment practices to build a diverse and inclusive organization
- Continue offering employees competitive benefits, paid time off, and flexible work arrangements
- Creating a leadership course for all employees to participate in
- Dedicating time for wellness and establishing personal connections to foster inclusion and belonging in the workplace
- Building Relationships with our Community
- Expanding our work with families to encourage collaboration, shared goals, and consistency between home and school
- Seeking volunteer opportunities to better serve our community
- Advocating for the autistic community and students with disabilities by promoting acceptance and inclusion
- Evaluating our sponsorships through a DEI lens
- Evaluating our suppliers through a DEI lens
- Increasing Access
- Expanding accessibility in trainings and curricular materials:
- Adding captions to all videos
- Adjusting content to meet accessibility guidelines
- Increasing access for non-English speaking providers, students, and families
- Creating visual supports and resources in multiple languages
- Providing translated materials and/or interpretation during training
- Expanding curriculum materials to be multi-culturally relevant
- Continuing to provide free resources to families and educators
- Working with districts and schools to ensure our services reach educators and students from multi-cultural backgrounds (including underprivileged populations)
- Expanding accessibility in trainings and curricular materials:
- Sustainability and Reducing our Carbon Footprint
- Creating instructional materials related to sustainability and climate justice
- Examining our sustainability practices to create initiatives related to reducing our carbon footprint
- Using digital tools in lieu of printed materials (i.e., workshop handouts) to minimize printing and waste