1.3 Enabling Diversity - addressing silent assessment

Comments

• • Johan van de Worp
  • 1682334933

  Here you can read a report from this workshop (with thanks to the reporter for making it):

  This workshop uncovered the silent assessment that systematically excludes people with a disability (and others) from the academic field. This workshop also helped us to explore what each of us can do to create an inclusive academic environment.

  We played a game based on the ‘spoon theory’ and divided ‘spoons’ over different tasks for one day. We got to experience how frustrating it is to make these choices. Especially when an unexpected urgent matter comes in. This helped us to understand the main challenges that disabled people face when they (try to) enter the academic field. To remind us of that there was an empty table for all the people who weren’t able to attend.

  We talked about the spoon theory, that metaphorically describes the amount of physical and/or mental energy that a person has available for daily activities. Not every activity weighs equally for everyone: each illness is different, and each person is different. More important: people never really know how many ‘spoons’ they will get on a specific day. This varies depending on in- and external factors and may feel like a ‘constant gamble’ and can lead to severe physical exhaustion and mental problems that cost even more ‘spoons’. Further, we talked about crip time, that denotes the extra time a person might need to perform any task and to listen to their ‘bodymind’.

  Recognition & Rewards is about people ‘who are already in’. People with a disability, however, very often don’t even get in. When they manage to do so, they most likely made sacrifices. The burden is on them, what can we do to make them feel (more) welcome and belonging?

  These solutions were mentioned:

  • Recognizing that it’s hard to ask for help.
  • Being specific when offering help.
  • Trusting them when they say an activity is too much, don’t press them.
  • Educating yourself on their condition.
  • Think of solutions in which people can work together (co teaching).
  • Include multiple voices.
  • Pay attention to context and relationships.
  • Think about what kind of differences you want include (skin color, gender, sexual orientation, etc.).
  • Focus on condition or impairment (selfcare management), the workplace and resources.

  Different methodes of using ICT in teaching by re-using (parts of) courses, making courses as a team, etc.

  
• • Claartje Chajes (Communitymanager RRview)
  • 1683208710

  @herrienwapstra, @sannekevanvliet, @leandervanderspek, @aliceschippers, @soniaoliveira, @judithdehaan, @maschaweijers are there any collegues on RRview whom you want to share your insights with? Please tag them in the comments or send the report as a tip (via the circle with dots in the upper right corner of the article).