From the start, this course was never going to be traditional: it wasn’t meant to be.
Neurodiversity SPARK partnered with W5 LIFE and Belfast Metropolitan College to co-deliver a first-of-its-kind Open College Network Northern Ireland Level 2 Award in Digital Skills for Life and Work, a fully funded course designed specifically to support neurodivergent adults to build skills, confidence, and pathways into work or education.
Funded through the Department for the Economy NI’s Skill Up initiative, the three-week programme brought together a group of brilliant learners from across the neurodivergent community, and focused on making learning accessible, empowering, and flexible from day one.
One key function for SPARK to help build an environment where anxiety, fear of judgement, and shame could be replaced with confidence, safety, and curiosity. We supported day-to-day coordination, vetting, and delivery, and more importantly, we helped shape a space where people felt safe to ask questions and take part.
This was a strengths-first learning space, and the course evolved in real time to meet the learners’ needs. Through inclusive and trauma-aware practices, we met learners where they were, focusing on building confidence, supporting individual needs, and making learning actually enjoyable.
We want to extend a huge thank you to the incredible team at Belfast Met, the passionate and dedicated staff at W5 LIFE and the independent trainers who joined us and gave it 100% every single day. Your energy, empathy, and commitment made this experience what it was. We did it, team!
One participant, Claire, eloquently captured the transformative impact of this programme. We asked Claire to write something for us, to help encourage others to sign up for a course like this.
NEURODIVERSE SKILLS FOR LIFE – A REVIEW
(By Claire)
Returning to academia as a mature student has always proved problematic for myself. Not due to my age, but due to the fact I am neurodivergent. Autistic to be precise. Without going into the complexities of my condition, it is fair to say that quite simply put my brain is wired differently, therefore I will learn differently and indeed I should be taught differently.
One would be forgiven for thinking this would be the case when you enter the sphere of learning, however the experience of being thrust into further education can be extremely traumatic for an autistic person.
Initially when you apply to a further education establishment or indeed enter higher education and you wish to disclose you are neurodivergent, you may be asked if you need ‘adjustments’. But what does that really mean?
How do you even begin to explain you learn completely differently, you may need individual attention, you struggle so much with executive functioning, you fear you will have a major meltdown and alienate potential classmates because you simply cannot cope.
Where does one find the tick box for such adjustments? Should I divulge information such as my clothes were being too noisy today, the sun was shining just a bit too brightly today, thus giving me sensory overload! How very peculiar must that sound to someone!
Can I say school smells weird and what will my teacher think when I yet again ask for something to be explained at least one hundred times until I essentially ‘get’ what everyone else has so easily grasped!
I can assure you one million percent what people will think, because I have been that person, I have been in that situation and I have seen the all too often eyerolls that comes from my fellow students when I find the overwhelming need to ask, dissect and discuss the most inane topics! Weirdo!
I make no apology for using this word, as to many people I am. I don’t have a problem with it – I fully understand due to my differences, that is exactly how I am viewed in a world which isn’t necessarily equipped to understand or indeed adapt to me.
Whilst I was keen to pursue further education, I was not exactly enamoured in once again having to enter what I could only describe as a neurotypical environment. I knew the same problems would resurface and ultimately I would face the same challenges. For those reasons alone I felt that I would never be able to pursue educational interests.
Enter Neurodiversity SPARK! What on earth was I reading? A course exclusively designed for neurodivergent adults – could this be the fit I had been longing for?
Could I actually learn skills in an environment that would and could adapt to my needs? Was it really possible that I would be able to learn with a group of like-minded people – people who were neurodivergent just like myself.
I was intrigued. It seemed too good to be true!
Tentatively I summoned up the courage to apply. Naturally I was overcome with anxiety and fear of the unknown. What would await me? Could I do it? Would anyone else even apply, or would I be the lone weirdo?
My fears were almost instantly allayed. A phone call from Gary who was facilitating the course immediately put me at ease.
From the outset of the call, I knew this was different, I knew this was not the ‘normal’ way of doing things and I also knew that this was exactly what I needed. Understanding.
Any concerns I had about how I would navigate the course, how I would learn and most importantly could I do it were met with an enthusiasm and a passion that I had never before encountered.
For the first time in my life, I felt enthused to enter education again, however this time I felt empowered!
What an amazing group of participants we had! Each one of us was extremely different but also very much the same!
We all overcome our fears, our issues, and indeed, for myself, my extreme dread of even attempting to learn a new skill.
How wonderfully accepting we were of each other—there was no judgement, no prejudice, and most importantly, no need to explain anything.
Our behaviours were not scrutinised, our meltdowns were not viewed as failures and it didn’t matter if we needed anything explained for the umpteenth time – we were successfully navigating through our course in our own unique way.
Neurodivergent individuals will naturally thrive when anything in life is tailored to meet their needs and how each and every one of us has done just that!
Of course that just does not come by chance. Tutors that understood and respected our differences, who took the time to explain subjects in a way that we could comprehend as neurodivergent individuals was an integral part of our learning.
So what if you felt the need to stim, you needed to take a break, you needed to remove yourself from the stimuli that was all around you, or you just simply had to release your emotions – it was perfectly fine!
Nobody thought you were weird, nobody talked about it and most importantly nobody was judging. It’s all part of being wonderfully neurodivergent!
There was a beautiful gentleness that embraced our group, a deeper understanding of the challenges each and everyone of us faced and as we applied our newfound skills and progressed, I could feel encouragement all around me.
Should that have been from our tutors who had the utmost faith we could pass this course from day one or from Gary (our cheerleader) who encouraged and pushed each and every one of us to reach our full potential.
We were truly nurtured and fed the desire that this was in fact possible!
The course works so well due to the fact that everyone learns at the same pace – no one is left behind, we are all in this together! Even if you are feeling a little overwhelmed, your classmates are always there to give a helping hand.
Sometimes that silent nod of reassurance was all you needed to play to your strengths and dispel those weaknesses.
I am forever grateful to our amazing tutors and Gary, who always believed in each and every one of us, never gave up on us and who made progression something we wholeheartedly entered into.
We were guided every step of the way and not only do we now possess digital skills, we have also developed a deeper understanding of each other – an admirable quality indeed.
I have found my tribe!
To conclude, I would say that this has been one of the best experiences of my life.
When it comes to furthering my education, I would never have believed I could equip myself with the skills I now have. I am so thankful to have been given such a wonderful opportunity!
Neurodiversity SPARK – you have not ignited a flame in me – you have lit a fire.
I salute you!
