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Inclusion & Design
Inclusion is often a vague buzzword lacking clear definitions or accountability.
Through our research and lived experiences, we have clarified its meaning.
Ambiguous Inclusion​
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Not Assessing Needs - Improper evaluation or understanding needs leading to incompatible programming or environments.
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Token Inclusion - Superficially including someone without truly considering their specific needs or contributions.
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Ableist assumption - The assumption that everyone with different needs should behave and perform like those considered "typical," which overlooks the diverse abilities and experiences of individuals.
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Silo mindset - Treating different aspects of an individual's well-being (learning, social, emotional) separately, without considering interrelationship impact.
Authentic Inclusion
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Active Listening for Inclusion - Ensure voices are heard to meet individuals where they are at.
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Data and Research-informed approaches and strategies to support decision-making
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Indivdualized Approach without no assumptions or judgments.
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Holistic consideration of factors that impact well-being so everyone feels SEEN, HEARD, RESPECTED, and VALUED.
Important Questions that ought to be asked ...
Parents / Educators:
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What evidence-based factors inform current support and services for my child/student?
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How are decisions made to align with my child's/student's best interests?
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Do the provisions support current and future needs?
Students:
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Do I feel like my unique self is truly seen and valued by my teachers and peers?
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Am I getting the support I need to really flourish, rather than just get by?​​
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Do I have opportunities to communicate and show my skills according to my strengths?
We define inclusion as a commitment to supporting all individuals, encompassing diverse learning, social, emotional, and physical needs, as well as fostering cultural integration and gender equity. Our THREE core focuses are:
Diverse Learning
Pathways
Multilingual & Culturally
Responsive Spaces
Social-Emotional Growth
Recognizing different learning profiles and leveraging tools like Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to create flexible, accessible learning experiences and programming tailored to varied student needs.
Integrating language learning and development with educational psychology to foster cognitive and social development in diverse environments, promoting a blended approach to language acquisition and cultural understanding.
Cultivating multiculturalism through culturally responsive approaches to support mental health and resilience, ensuring diverse and supportive environments where everyone can thrive.
Human-Centred Design
Design (Thinking) is often taught inaccurately as a linear, step-by-step process, failing to consider the interconnectedness of systems involved, leading to incomplete or suboptimal results. Real-world project experiences have taught us that incorporating Systems Thinking is crucial for tackling complex problems effectively.
Design as a Box-Ticking Process
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Limited consideration of surrounding eco-systems and stakeholders.
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​Select voices are heard with narrow perspectives informing overall design.
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Insufficient pre- and post-launch testing and validation leading to limited opportunities for refinement.
Design to Discover & Empower
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Deep exploration focusing on understanding underlying reasons behind problems, not simply presenting superficial solutions.
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Multi-dimensional perspectives and data sources for a holistic view of the problem space.
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Iterative Process - rapid experimentation, learning and adaptation for impactful, future-proof design and flexibility.
Important Questions that ought to be asked ...
Designers / Decision-Makers:
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Who are we truly designing for, and who might be left out?
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What assumptions and hypotheses are being made in the process?
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How do we define, measure and track success and impact?
Users/Clients:
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Have we explored all relevant viewpoints?
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What are the potential negative ripple effects of the design? ​​
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How do we ensure sustainable and measurable positive impact?
Design, to us, means creating a space where people feel safe, and valued fostering collaboration in a shared ecosystem. In Learning or Service Experience, we focus on three key areas
Systems
Thinking
Human
Centricity
Design
Thinking
Departments, teams, and individuals in many organizations are structured by function, creating silos that can impede collaboration Adopting an ecosystem mindset and a systems approach help teams align and grow strategically.
Psychological safety is essential to create environments that encourage mindset shifts and behavioral change. Human-Centred Design provides frameworks to meet emotional needs, fostering a sense-of-belonging and ownership, to drive sustainable positive impact.
Design Thinking is not only an effective innovation tool, the non-linear iterative process that emphasizes feedback and reflection helps foster a user-centric mindset, enables co-creation in collaborative settings, and builds trust among and across organizations.
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