Training Opportunities

Welcome UAF Staff and Faculty! If you, or someone you know, is interested in learning more about students with disabilities, neurodiversity, how you can support students, and how you can navigate inaccessibility or potential challenges within your classroom, we would like to invite you to participate in our fall workshop series. Please see below for more information. This training is offered to all UA employees, so please share with your colleagues!

Fall of 2026 we are offering three free and virtual

'All Access' to Neurodiversity workshops.

Embracing neurodiversity begins with recognizing the value of different ways of thinking, communicating, learning, and experiencing the world. Practical tools. Meaningful conversations. Stronger communities.

The Fall 2026 UA DS 'All Access' free virtual neurodiversity training series is designed to build on itself. Participants are encouraged to register for all three workshops for the full journey. Be sure to register early.

Each confirmation email will include a link to a brief pre-session survey. Early responses will give the coordinators and presenter time to incorporate your input into the session. Session video links will also be provided to all registrants, so if you can't make a workshop live, you'll have an opportunity to catch up and stay connected as the series continues.

Q&A will be an integral part of each presentation. After the series concludes, UA DS will also offer a free 30-minute follow-up Coffee Chat to continue the conversation (date and time to be determined). An invitation will be sent to all registrants.

The first workshop is right around the corner, so please register now using the yellow and blue buttons. To find out more information about each individual workshop and our presenter, please see the information below.

Workshop 1 - Understanding Neurodivergence in Higher Education on September 16th.

September 16th @ 2 pm �ֻ�ֱ��, 3 pm Pacific

This session is designed for University of �ֻ�ֱ�� faculty and staff across roles and campuses. All are welcome.

Session Summary

Participants in this 90-minute interactive workshop will have the opportunity to share experiences, ask questions, and learn to better understand and communicate with neurodivergent people. We will identify current practices you are already using and answer questions you have coming into the workshop, as well as those that arise throughout. We will explore neurodivergence as a culture, including communication tools for culturally responsive interactions. Participants will be better able to recognize and respond to communication patterns and needs of neurodivergent people, along with common barriers experienced by this population, and will come away with tools to apply best practices in their daily lives. Resources for future learning will also be shared.

Before The Session

You will be invited to complete a pre-session survey when you receive your confirmation email.

Workshop 2 - Supporting Neurodivergent Students and Others: How to Accommodate Within Class and When to Refer to Disability Services on October 19th.

October 19th @ 1 pm �ֻ�ֱ��, 2 pm Pacific

This session is designed for academic administrators, faculty, staff, and instructional designers. All are welcome.

Session Summary

Participants in this 90-minute interactive workshop will have the opportunity to share experiences, ask questions, and learn new ways to support, teach, and assess neurodivergent students, as well as provide a flexible environment for all students. We will examine proactive as well as responsive ways to ensure not only legal ADA compliance but true inclusion and accessibility. We will explore designing curriculum and assessments to deliver an accessible educational experience to all students, and particularly neurodivergent students, including weaving classroom accommodations into pedagogy. For non-faculty, we will translate these practices into practical applications for supporting students outside of the classroom. Participants will come away with information they can implement right away that will make a difference in student access and response. Resources for future learning will be shared as well.

Before The Session

You will be invited to complete a pre-session survey when you receive your confirmation email

Workshop 3 - Navigating Classroom Challenges on November 20th.

November 20th @ Noon �ֻ�ֱ��, 1 pm Pacific

This session is designed for academic administrators, faculty, and instructional designers. Student affairs professionals may also wish to attend. All are welcome.

Session Summary

Participants in this 90-minute interactive workshop will have the opportunity to share experiences, ask questions, and explore proactive and responsive classroom management tools for higher education environments. We will review past learnings and consider correlations between course design and delivery and student regulation. Participants will explore how to establish classroom expectations and create relationships at the start that will support student behavioral management and intervention. We will identify current practices you are already using and answer questions you have coming into the workshop, as well as those that arise throughout. Participants will come away with practical tools they can implement right away that will make a difference in the student and faculty experience. Resources for future learning will be shared as well.

Before The Session

You will be invited to complete a pre-session survey when you receive your confirmation email

Our 'All Access' Neurodiversity Presenter: Sara Sanders Gardner. Image of Sara Sanders Gardner and her dog.

"Neurodivergence is part of the diversity of this region. It is not something to be fixed. It is something to be welcomed

and celebrated." - Sara Sanders Gardner.

Sara Sanders Gardner (they/them) is an Autistic neurodiversity professional with more than 25 years of experience advancing understanding in higher education and the workplace. Their work brings together lived experience, research, and practical implementation to help organizations better understand, support, and engage neurodivergent people.

Sara created and directs Bellevue College's nationally recognized Neurodiversity Navigators program, one of the first college-based neurodiversity support programs of its kind in the nation. The program uses strengths-based education, self-advocacy, identity development, and Collaborative Problem Solving™ to help neurodivergent students navigate college and prepare for meaningful careers. Sara also taught college courses for more than a decade, designing curriculum specifically for neurodivergent students.

Sara has designed and delivered Neurodiversity Cultural Responsiveness training for Microsoft's Neurodiversity Hiring Program since 2015 and developed neurodiversity e-learning used across seven countries for Amazon Web Services. As founder of Autistic at Work LLC, they also provide workshops, training, and consultation to colleges, universities, corporations, and other organizations seeking to strengthen their understanding of neurodiversity.

Sara's expertise is grounded in both professional and lived experience. They are the parent of an adult Autistic child and were raised in an Autistic family. Sara also served as technical editor for Wiley's Neurodiversity For Dummies and Autism For Dummies, bringing a depth of lived and professional experience that informs their practical, engaging approach to neurodiversity education.