Faculty Advisor(s)
Orley Templeton
Files
Abstract
This doctoral capstone project, Adjusting Your L.E.N.S: Learn & Educate with Neurodiverse Students, focused on how occupational therapy (OT) can play a unique role in contributing to an inclusive postsecondary higher education (IPSE) program at a local university. This capstone project focused on supporting faculty, staff, and peer academic coaches, developing a transition camp for high school students, and enhancing the university’s current IPSE program to ensure that students with intellectual disability and autism can access higher education and learn within an inclusive and supportive setting. A faculty, staff, and academic coach training program was implemented to equip participants with the competence to better understand the neurodivergent population as well as the confidence to best support the students they work with. After participating in these training programs, attendees reported high satisfaction with relevance of content and perceived ability to apply inclusive strategies as well measurable gains in knowledge related to neurodiversity and student support. Two IPSE courses were revised and one was implemented utilizing universal design for learning and neurodiversity affirming frameworks. Transition camps and parent training focused on enhancing high school students’ with disabilities skills to be successful in a college environment were implemented. Attendees reported increased confidence in navigating college settings. Lastly, the capstone student completed a mixed methods research study on OT's role in inclusive higher education. Results from OT educators indicate that their unique domain of knowledge fosters the opportunity for numerous roles and interprofessional collaboration within the IPSE setting.
Publication Date
2025
Document Type
Poster
Department
Occupational Therapy
Keywords
inclusive post-secondary education, neurodiversity affirming, occupational therapy's role, universal design for learning, campus inclusion
Disciplines
Curriculum and Instruction | Disability and Equity in Education | Higher Education | Medicine and Health Sciences | Occupational Therapy | Other Rehabilitation and Therapy
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Potter, Jenna, "Adjusting Your L.E.N.S: Learn and Educate with Neurodiverse Students" (2025). Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2025. 12.
https://digitalcommons.misericordia.edu/otd_capstone2025/12
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Higher Education Commons, Occupational Therapy Commons, Other Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons