Designing Workplaces for Neurodiverse Workers

Time limit: 365 days

This course will describe how to design workplaces that are compatible with the cognitive and behavioral challenges of neurodiverse individuals. Participants will learn how to eliminate features that cause distress, performance deficits, and precarity. Environmental factors including the use of surface colors, natural and artificial lighting, visual complexity, acoustics, textures, scents, and circulation routes will be explored. Participants will also discuss how to develop supportive spaces for hypersensitive individuals; people on the autism spectrum; or with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, and dyspraxia.

This course is introductory, there are no prerequsites.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this activity, the learner will be able to:

Recognize the range of neurodiversities that may be present in a workplace
Describe how neurodiversities influence the processing of sensory information
Examine how neurodiversities affect design-related expectations and experiences
Apply principles of neurodiversity supportive design to nurture the performance of individuals who are neurodiverse

Audience:

This educational activity is intended for design professionals including interior designers and architects, and occupational and environmental health and safety professionals including nurse practitioners, registered nurses, researchers, total worker health professionals, and other allied health professionals.

Instructor:

Sally Augustin, PhD, MBA, is a core researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center for Healthy Workplaces and a practicing environmental/design psychologist and the principal at Design With Science. She has extensive experience integrating science-based insights to develop recommendations for the design of places, objects, and services that support desired cognitive, emotional, and physical experiences. Her Design With Science clients include manufacturers, service providers, and design firms in North America, Europe, and Asia. They book Design With Science's services again and again—applying neuroscience pays off.

Work completed by Dr. Augustin has been discussed in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Forbes, Huffington Post, Psychology Today, Prevention, Salon, and Self and design publications worldwide. She is an invited contributor to the online version of the Harvard Business Review where she has contributed articles on a range of topics, from engaging workplaces to design and culture. For Metropolis, she has written a series of articles about successful spaces titled "Places that Work." She has discussed using design to enhance lives on mass-market national television and radio programs.

As the editor of Research Design Connections, Dr. Augustin has written widely on science-based design for a broad audience of people interested in the designed world. She speaks frequently to audiences in North America, Europe, and Asia at events such as the annual meeting of the American Institute of Architects, the International Design & Emotion Conference, the bi-annual meeting of the International Positive Psychology Association, the bi-annual meeting of the Association of Neuroscience for Architecture, NeoCon/IIDEX, the American Psychological Association’s annual meeting, the Environmental Design Research Association annual conference, Healthcare Design, Living-Futures, and Applied Brilliance.

Sally Augustin is a graduate of Wellesley College (BA), Northwestern University (MBA), and Claremont Graduate University (PhD). She holds leadership positions in professional organizations such as the American Psychological Association (past-president, environmental psychology division) and the Environmental Design Research Association (chair, work environments network). Dr. Augustin is the author of Designology (Mango, 2019), Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012).

Course Format:

This course is a recorded, on-demand course offering, made available online through Canvas Instructure. Once purchased, you will have access to the course for 365 days.

Accreditation:

The Center for Occupational and Environmental Health designates this activity for a maximum of 1.0 Contact Hour. Participants should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC)

This CEU is registered with the Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC) for continuing education credits. This credit will be accepted by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), International Interior Designers Association (IIDA) and Interior Designers of Canada (IDC).

This program is registered for 1 CEU value. The IDCEC class-code is: CC-120157-1000.

AIA CES Provider statement

The Center for Occupational and Environmental Health is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number 10080301. All registered AIA CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider or this learning program may be sent to AIA CES (cessupport@aia.org(link sends e-mail) or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).

This learning program is registered with AIA CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.

AIA CES approved for 1.0 LU|HSW.

AIA Course Expiration: 12/06/2026.

Nurses:

Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 12983, for 1.0 contact hour.

Accessibility:

If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) to fully participate in this event, please contact Michelle Meyer at (510) 642-8365 or mmeyer@berkeley.edu.

Sponsors:

This course was produced in partnership with the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at UC Berkeley, and the Interdisciplinary Center for Healthy Workplaces.

Cancellation Policies:

All sales of on-demand online classes are final. No refunds will be made for cancellations.

Full course description