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Continued learning, both inside and outside a formal training program, is important for all members of LITS to help create a more inclusive and welcoming environment. Training sessions, along with opportunities for discussion and reflection, help us move forward with our efforts.

Training Emphases 

Fall 2024 -Spring 2025 - “Neurodiversity and Allyship”

This year's training should be completed by June 30, 2025

Each LITS staff member should complete two (2) of the following options each semester.

1. Tedx Talks - Watching all four will count as one (1) training option

  • Andrew Pfeiffer - Neurodiversity: The Untapped Competitive Edge - 12 minute Ted Talk. “Neurodivergent people have profound strengths. However, they are much more likely to be unemployed. In his passionate talk, data leader and proud advocate for neurodiversity inclusion Andrew Pfeiffer shows the TEDxCanberra audience the positive impacts of being part of a truly inclusive workplace.”
  • Rebranding The Brain: Neurodiversity at Work | Dave Thompson - 12 minute Ted Talk. Dave Thompson “uses his experiences as a neurodistinct professional himself, along with those in building, managing, and scaling neuroinclusive hiring programs internationally to develop and share how we can change the workplace to work for everyone. “
  • Redefining Professionalism through a Lens of Neurodiversity | Bry Miller - 13 minute Ted Talk. “Autistic workers are three times more likely than any other disability and eight times more likely than the rest of the US population to be unemployed (Carrero, 2021). Why do we think this is? From examining the limited existing research on this topic and through use of self-disclosure, this TEDx Talk will introduce how our implicit bias toward neurodivergent people may be impacting this statistic, as well as how we can redefine our societal concept of professionalism.”
  • Empowered Minds: Championing Neurodiversity in workplaces | Jonathan Laloz - 15 1/2 minute Ted Talk. “In this talk, #autism #employment expert Jonathan Laloz challenges preconceptions, highlights the financial and innovative upsides, and provides actionable steps for integrating neurodiversity into your workplace to ensure a more inclusive and thriving future for all.” 

2. LinkedIn Learning Courses - Each course counts as one (1) option

  • Hiring and Supporting Neurodiversity in the Workplace - This course is roughly 1 hour long, and covers “neurodiversity and the importance of recognizing how different individuals’ learning and communication style influences how they work best.”
  • Autism in the Workplace - Roughly 1 hour and fifteen minutes long, this course provides “an overview of autism, including the language used to discuss it and the impact of multiple diagnoses. They explain autism traits, then dive into ways to work effectively with your autistic colleagues in social interactions, learning preferences, creating an environment where they can work comfortably, and building psychological safety as a manager. They show you how to be inclusive in job posts, interviews, onboarding, performance evaluations, and more.”
  • Empowering Dyslexic Thinking at Work - Roughly 1 hour and fifteen minutes long, this course “explores why dyslexic thinking is a superpower and a key skill for the future of work. Discover ways to empower dyslexic thinkers in the workplace—including strategies for dyslexic thinkers to share their strengths, challenges, and needs—as well as how to evaluate an organization’s recruitment and hiring processes to empower dyslexic thinkers. 
  • Understanding and Supporting ADHD Colleagues in the Workplace - This course is roughly 1 hour long, and will help to “find out how to identify and recognize ADHD by learning more about what it actually looks like and how it manifests on the job. Explore ways to be an ally to your coworkers with ADHD, acknowledging their strengths and weaknesses and being more empathetic about where they’re at. Get the skills you need to communicate more effectively and deliver better results for your team.”

3. Attend LITS department meetings where there are campus guests speaking on DEI topics: During the 2024-2025 academic year LITS dept. meetings, there will be a few separate opportunities to meet some of our campus colleagues and learn about their resources (and also help break down silos of communication). Each dept. meeting with a guest counts as one (1) option

  • Weds. Sept. 18, 2024 8:45 – 9:50am in Stryker All Night Reading Room -- David Walden, Director, Counseling and Psychological Services
  • Weds. Nov. 20th, 2024 8:45 – 9:50am in Stryker All Night Reading Room -- Prof. Tara McKee, Associate Professor and Chair of the Psychology Dept. and Mad Bartlett '25

4. Belonging at Burke: Belonging is an integral component to DEI work because it invites acknowledgement of diverse voices and fosters acceptance and authenticity for all in the workplace. With this year’s DEI theme being Neurodiversity and Allyship, belonging is an integral tenet to the LITS DEI Committee's work and our training this year. While the LITS DEI Committee feels that personal conversations with co-workers always add to each others’ understanding of DEI and how it impacts the real humans with whom we work, working to create a sense of belonging thus seems especially relevant to this year’s theme. Not only will these conversations allow each of us to be better allies for others, it will also let each of us know we have allies in our coworkers–it will support creating a more inclusive workplace. That is to say, we will all leave the conversations with a fuller sense of belonging.

In each session, we will provide a few guiding questions for conversation within small groups of about 3-5 people. The intent of these sessions is to offer an opportunity to get better acquainted with one other and promote a sense of belonging. There will be in-person (e.g. meet in the break room or the atrium) and virtual/zoom sign-ups so folks can get better acquainted with each other. Please use the sign-up form located here. Each session counts as one (1) option.

  • Virtual: Thursday, September 12th at 11 AM (Zoom)
  • In Person: Tuesday, September 17th at 2 PM (All Night Reading Room)
  • In Person: Thursday, October 10th at 10 AM (All Night Reading Room)
  • Virtual: Tuesday, October 15th at 2 PM (Zoom)

5.  Addressing Accessibility/Disability in the Classroom Fall 2024 Virtual Meeting Series: Sponsored by the Accessibility Resources Department, each of these workshops will count as one (1) option.

  • Disability Law and the Role of the Faculty

Presenter: Adam Lalor, Ph.D. Vice President, Neurodiversity Research and Innovation at
Landmark College
Date and Time: Thursday, September 19th from 12:00 Noon – 1:00 PM
Location: Join the meeting now, Meeting ID: 239 295 475 898, Passcode: KqobiB

  • The Language of Disability: Suggestions for What to Say and What Not to Say

Monday, November 11th: more information to come

 

Spring 2024 - “Building Mindfulness, Building Networks”
 

Spring 2024 training should be completed by June 30, 2024.

Each LITS staff member should complete two (2) of the following three (3) options:

1. Asynchronous/LinkedIn Learning offerings: Continue and complete 2 more of the offerings presented in fall 2023. 

· Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (47 min)

· Skills for Inclusive Conversations (53 min)

·Hiring and Supporting 

· Neurodiversity in the Workplace (1 hr 3 min)

· Supporting Allyship and Anti-Racism at Work (48 min)

2. Attend LITS department meetings where there are campus guests: During the spring ‘24 LITS dept. meetings, there will be a few separate opportunities to meet some of our campus colleagues and learn about their resources (and also help break down silos of communication). Folks should attend 1 of these department meetings to complete this option. 

3. Mindful moments: Starting shortly before spring break (TBD), there will be the opportunity for folks to sign-up to meet with LITS colleagues in a small group (3-5 persons) for approximately 15-30 minutes. There will be in-person (e.g. meet in the break room or the atrium) and virtual/zoom sign-up so folks can get better acquainted with each other. The guiding questions for these group gatherings will be based on the same/similar questions used in a previous training presentation.  Folks should attend 1 of these ‘mindful moments’ to complete this option. 

Fall 2023

All LITS staff were requested to complete two (2) of the following by December 22, 2023:

The LinkedIn Learning videos include assessment; you can access them by entering your Hamilton email address and password. If you have a connected LinkedIn account, you will also be asked for your LinkedIn password. 

To assess the training we asked that all LITS staff fill out a brief form after finishing each training session.

Spring 2021 Racism

Rhodes Perry offered several workshops throughout the semester, starting on Monday, January 18, 2021, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Mr. Perry describes the initial session as, “Racism is pervasive in the United States. It is deeply woven into the fabric of every institution and system, including higher education. It also exists on an interpersonal level, challenging the relationships we cultivate with our peers and colleagues. During this introductory workshop, we will examine how racism arises in our daily exchanges and practice ways we can safely disrupt it using the skills and resources we will gain. Our goal will focus on the ways we can begin undoing the learned and everyday behaviors that reinforce racism. Together we will move towards building a healthier campus culture that centers those on campus least likely to feel safe.”

Summer 2020 Implicit Bias

We expect for all LITS staff to complete an Implicit Bias learning module we developed, based on The Implicit Bias Video series created by the BruinX unit within the University of California, Los Angeles’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.  These modules are to promote self-assessment and reflection. 

We encourage LITS staff to take one or more of the Implicit Associations Tests (IAT) from Harvard's Project Implicit. This project compares differences between people and groups in regard to implicit bias. We hope you will find it valuable in increasing your self-understanding of the implicit bias attitudes and stereotypes.

Spring 2020 Microaggressions

In January 2020, Terry Martinez, Vice President, Dean of Students and Chief Diversity Officer at Hamilton, facilitated a discussion for LITS staff using Ouch! That Stereotype Hurts resources from the Diversity & Inclusion Center. We watched a video demonstrating how to respond in moments of diversity-related tension. We then discussed the practical, specific skills that can be immediately applied in the workplace.  All LITS staff are enrolled in a Blackboard course containing the now mandatory learning modules. 

Fall 2019 Microaggressions

During the fall of 2019, we had several division meeting presentations on the topic of microaggressions. These interactive sessions, led by LITS DEI Task Force members, helped LITS staff to be more aware of intentional and unintentional communication issues. 

Contact

Nhora Lucía Serrano, Ph.D.

Director of Learning and Research Services

Phone
315-859-4493

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