Episode 62

Universal Design in Learning

with Dr. Nina G

Brought to you by your hosts:

Hannah Brenner
L&D Specialist
Derek Smith
L&D Specialist
With special guest:
Dr. Nina G | Author, Comedian, and Keynote Speaker
Nina G is the San Francisco Bay Area's favorite female stuttering stand up comedian (granted she is the only one). She is also a disability activist, storyteller, children's book author and educator. She brings her humor to help people confront and understand social justice issues such as disability, diversity, and equity. When she isn’t performing at comedy clubs like the San Francisco Punchline or the Laugh Factory, she is playing colleges and presenting as a keynote speaker to children with disabilities and training professionals! Nina is part of the comedy troupe The Comedians with Disabilities Act, which brings laughter and awareness to audiences of all ages across the country.

Description

This week, we welcomed Dr. Nina G, a keynote speaker, author, comedian, and disability advocate who talked to us about how companies can be more accommodating to employees with disabilities.

Nina discusses how sometimes training can be hard to accommodate for – if an individual has dyslexia, writing notes or reading from slides may be impractical.

At the same time, some video content may be impractical for an individual who is deaf, who relies on gestures and strong facial communication to understand a message.

To become a more welcoming environment for individuals with disabilities, Dr. Nina G has one, emphatic recommendation: hire more disabled people. Research shows that the more accustomed we are to working with people with disabilities, the better at it we become.

Building a workplace that accommodates all people is like building a workplace that engages people. It may take some learning and effort, but will eventually improve the results your business is able to produce.

If you’d like to learn more about Universal Design in Learning, you can get in touch with Dr. Nina G at her website!

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We’ll see you next week!