The term “neurodiversity” recognizes that variations in brain development and function are natural and valuable aspects of human diversity. In educational settings, particularly in nursing professional development, acknowledging and accommodating neurodivergent learners is crucial to fostering equitable, inclusive, and psychologically safe learning environments. This aligns with Standard 7: Ethics within the NPD Scope & Standards (Harper & Maloney, 2022), which emphasizes learner needs and upholding ethical obligations related to equity, inclusivity, and advocacy. This article explores the impact of compassion, stigma, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) on creating accessible education for all neurotypes, grounded in both research and lived experience.

Understanding Myself

My name is Laykin, and I was always the kid who could not keep her room clean. My parents tried everything, and the clothes still ended up piled up on my bed and the floor, staying there indefinitely. As somewhat of a perfectionist, I never understood why it felt so overwhelming and why I couldn’t just clean my room.

When I was 29 years old, I was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and suddenly, everything made sense. Things I had internalized as personal failures now had language. With that language came compassion; I wasn’t defective because I didn’t keep my room clean or make friends as easily as other kids. I’m neurodivergent.

Understanding Neurodivergence

Under the umbrella of neurodivergence, the most recognized conditions include ADHD and autism, but it also encompasses others such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, and Tourette syndrome (Major et al, 2024). Individuals experience diverse support needs across differences across individual areas of support. Rather than a linear scale ranging from “less affected” to “more affected,” these needs are better understood as multidimensional, like a wheel with colored slices representing different areas of support (e.g., communication, sensory processing, working memory). Each slice is shaded differently to indicate the level of support needed. Two people with the same diagnosis may have very different experiences, one might need high support for communication and low support for working memory, while another might need the opposite. Each experience is highly individual. As the saying goes, “If you’ve met one neurodivergent person, you’ve met one neurodivergent person.” In NPD terms, this means that learning environments must be adaptable, supporting varied support needs, and meeting diverse learner needs.

Neurodivergent individuals make up a meaningful portion of the population, and it is safe to assume this diversity is reflected in our classroom spaces. This raises an important question: how can we create safe, productive, and accommodating learning environments for neurodiverse populations?

Stigma and Compassion

Before discussing accommodation, we must consider stigma and the compassion it takes to combat it. Stigma, defined as “a set of negative and unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something” (Miriam Webster, n.d.), remains deeply ingrained in perceptions of neurodivergence.

I have encountered descriptors such as lazy, weird, or lacking empathy, which are inaccurate and harmful. What may be perceived as laziness could reflect difficulty with executive functioning. What is labeled as weird may simply reflect differences in communication or social norms. And what is mistaken for a lack of empathy often reflects differences in how empathy is processed or expressed.

Associated stigma often leads to masking, which can be defined as attempts to camouflage natural behaviors to meet social expectations, to avoid stigma (Pyke-Hobbes et al, 2023). In learning environments, this may look like a learner forcing eye contact, suppression of stimming behaviors, or remaining silent despite confusion. Masking requires significant cognitive and emotional effort, reducing a learner’s capacity to fully engage and potentially leading to burnout.

Compassion requires pausing to consider another’s experience and accepting responsibility for creating learning that includes every learner. Stigma is a significant barrier to education, and compassion is the key to dismantling it. Once we address stigma using compassion, we can more clearly see how environmental impacts often determine success.

Environment Over Capability

Environment, not capability, determines accessibility (Hamilton & Petty, 2024). I once spoke with a parent of a neurodivergent child who shared that the most impactful accommodation wasn’t a tool or resource, it was understanding. Simply knowing what neurodivergence is and being willing to adjust the environment based on support needs changed everything.

This has also been true for me and my neurodivergent daughter. The more I step back, consider what I can’t see, and meet her where she is, the more secure and supported we both feel. Compassion is powerful, especially in the learning environment. Learning spaces can be overstimulating bright fluorescent lights, constant background noise, and busy PowerPoint slides. Personally, if fluorescent lights are too bright, I struggle to focus on anything else.

For neurodivergent learners, this creates an inaccessible environment (Major et al, 2024). Creating flexibility in learning, using differentiated instruction and assessment and promoting self-advocacy empower inclusive education. Before we discuss how to accommodate, it is important to examine how accommodation is typically handled. Having personally been through this process, I can attest to how deficit-based it often is.

The Nature of Accommodation and Moving Beyond

Schools and employers tend to use a deficit-based disclosure approach, requiring individuals to provide formal documentation from a licensed professional proving deficits and justifying the need for support. This can reinforce barriers and discourage disclosure (Cameron & Roth, 2024).

A neurodivergent friend of mine once struggled with time limits and the wording of exam questions. I gently suggested seeking accommodation, but they hesitated out of embarrassment, afraid of being perceived as less capable. The institution required detailed proof of deficit, reinforcing stigma and turning an accommodation process into a barrier itself.

To move beyond bolt-on, deficit-based processes, we must become change agents, using compassion and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to create accessible education from the start (CAST, 2024). This directly relates to NPD Standard 4, Competencies 6, 9, 11, and 12 (Harper & Maloney, 2022) which promote inclusivity by evaluation of audience and integration of resources that address engagement.

Compassion is step one. Without understanding, we risk falling into assumptions (Hamilton & Petty, 2024). I once had a learner who frequently used their phone during class. The automatic assumption might be, they’re not paying attention. But I approached with curiosity instead:

Laykin: “Is everything okay? I noticed you were on your phone frequently in class.”
Learner: “Yes, I use a tapping app to help me focus. It really helps me absorb information.”
Laykin: “Thank you for sharing that. I’m so glad you feel safe enough to use tools that help you learn. Your comfort and access to learning are always my top priority.”

This interaction could have gone very differently had I led with judgment instead of curiosity. Compassion fosters understanding and understanding builds accessibility. Additionally, UDL reimagines accessibility by designing learning environments that serve all neurotypes from the start. It focuses on providing (CAST, 2024):

• Multiple means of engagement (the why of learning)
• Multiple means of representation (the what of learning)
• Multiple means of action and expression (the how of learning)

By building flexibility and options into our instruction, we promote accessibility and comfort that support learning rather than creating barriers (Morina et al, 2025).

To implement UDL, begin by assessing your audience: Who am I teaching, and what is their context? Next, identify potential barriers. A short, anonymous pre-course survey can help uncover environmental sensitivities, learning preferences, and accessibility needs.

For example, let’s say you are teaching a nursing residency cohort. Your survey reveals that 25% of learners are sensitive to bright light, half prefer role-play while half dislike it, and 80% find case studies helpful.

To design universally, you might dim lighting and explicitly invite learners to make themselves comfortable stand, move, wear sunglasses, or use noise-canceling headphones. In my classrooms, I model this vulnerability by sharing my own need to adjust for fluorescent lights. Sometimes, being the first accommodation encourages others to do the same. 

Examples of additional classroom adjustments include keeping communication clear and concrete — avoiding ambiguous language and figures of speech — supporting accessibility for varied processing. Encouraging questions at any time, and allow optional participation in gamified activities, with observation as an alternative allowing flexibility for varied learning and sensory needs. Most importantly, reflecting on biases and challenging automatic thoughts that are inaccurate will re-center in compassion.

In curriculum design, offer flexibility. If a learning objective includes role-play, provide the option to complete a case study instead; choice fosters psychological safety and inclusivity. In my classrooms, these small changes have had a big impact and are clearly reflected in qualitative data collected in class evaluations.

The Impact of Inclusive Learning

As a neurodivergent nursing professional development specialist, I recognize that learning is not one-size-fits-all. Learners who feel comfortable retain more information. Compassion and UDL are simple, effective tools to challenge deficit-based systems and support all learners from the start. In my practice, these approaches have made a tangible difference. This is an example of NPD Standard 9, Competency 5 (Harper & Maloney, 2022) in that it supports diverse learner needs through creating inclusive, accessible learning environments.

Qualitative feedback I’ve gathered from anonymous evaluations shows that learners feel more confident, retain information more effectively, and feel unconditionally supported. I’ll close with one memorable encounter with a learner who initially resisted the class:

Learner: “Can I talk to you?”
Laykin: “Of course.”
Learner: “I came into this class with such a bad attitude. I thought it would be useless, but I’ve been so pleasantly surprised. I look forward to it every week, and I’m sad it’s ending. Thank you for answering all my questions.”
Laykin: “Thank you so much for sharing that. My goal is always to make learning accessible and engaging for everyone.”

Compassion and accessibility start with us. Let’s lead by example.

References

Cameron, V., Roth, J., & Maloney, P. (2024). Disability Through a Nursing Professional Development Lens: Creating Inclusive Learning Environments. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 40(3), 177–179. https://doi.org/10.1097/NND.0000000000001048

CAST. (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines (version 3.0). Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org/

Harper, M. G., & Maloney, P. (2022). Nursing professional development: Scope and standards of practice (4th ed.). Association for Nursing Professional Development.

Hamilton, L. G., & Petty, S. (2024). Compassionate pedagogy for neurodiversity in higher education: A conceptual analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1093290

Major, R., Jackson, C., Wareham, J., & Pidcock, J. (2024). Supporting neurodivergent nursing students in their practice placements. Nursing Standard, 39(7), 57–65. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.2024.e12262

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Neurodiversity. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved October 20, 2025, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neurodiversity

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Stigma. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved October 20, 2025, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stigma

Pryke-Hobbes, A., Davies, J., Heasman, B., Livesey, A., Walker, A., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2023). The workplace masking experiences of autistic, non-autistic neurodivergent and neurotypical adults in the UK. PLoS ONE, 18(9), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0290001