On Wednesday May 28, the In2science team and volunteer mentors from our partner universities gathered at beautiful Deakin Downtown for a professional development workshop. Presented by the amazing Dr Rebecca (Bec) Muir, manager of Disability and Neurodiversity Inclusion at La Trobe University, this interactive, fun, and occasionally challenging workshop explored our perceptions of neurodiversity and gave practical advice on how we can all be more neuroinclusive in our day-to-day lives. We asked our fabulous attendees to share their thoughts on the event.
eMentor Gracy Arora from Deakin University, who is currently working with a student from Maffra Secondary College, had this to say about the experience:
“As an international student living in Australia for the past two years, I’ve often found it challenging to truly feel at home. However, during the two-hour neuroinclusion training session led by Dr Rebecca, I experienced a profound sense of belonging and understanding that I had not felt before. The session was incredibly enlightening—it introduced me to concepts I had never encountered and shifted my perspective in powerful ways. Dr Rebecca’s delivery was thoughtful, clear, and deeply impactful. The safe, respectful environment she cultivated made everyone feel seen and heard, and for the first time in a long while, I felt equal and included. Coming from a psychology background, I’ve sometimes struggled to fully grasp how neuroinclusion should be practiced in everyday settings. This session not only clarified those gaps but also gave me the confidence to approach these topics with greater sensitivity and awareness. I walked away with a new language of inclusion and a greater appreciation for the small, often overlooked actions that can make a big difference. It was a truly eye-opening experience, and I am immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to participate.”
La Trobe Masters student and eMentor, also at Maffra Secondary College, Kajanan Sathiyaseelan shared these insightful words:
“Looking back, I have learned a lot as an eMentor from explaining science to kids who are hungry for knowledge to being their friend and sharing my struggles as a neuroatypical person in my academic journey. I had the amazing opportunity to attend a lecture by Rebecca Muir on neurodiversity. She broke down the phobia that society often holds about neurodiverse people. What they really need is love and support from fellow humans, along with a safe space to express themselves and just be themselves. Inclusion is a simple step. We need to stop fearmongering, start loving, and treat everyone as our fellow humans. As a neuroatypical person, I understand the struggles of those who share my spectrum. Be the change.”
Emma Iacuone, also from La Trobe University and mentoring at Epping Secondary College, offered her thoughts:
“I had the amazing opportunity to attend the ‘Neuroinclusion in practice and language’ workshop presented by the lovely Dr. Rebecca Muir! I got to meet with other mentors and eMentors from the program, where we learnt together about neuroinclusive language, and what being neuroinclusive in a classroom setting can look like. The biggest idea I took away from the workshop was that each person has different needs, and that when I am in the classroom, it is a good thing to ask all students about what they prefer. This reduces the assumption that neurodivergence is uncommon, and I can change how I share information or explain concepts to students with different learning styles. I felt the workshop atmosphere was extremely supportive, fun (I learnt how to fold an origami chatterbox!), and informative. I wanted to say thank you to the In2science team for the opportunity to be a part of this workshop!”
Lenny Zhang, an eMentor from The University of Melbourne mentoring at St John’s Regional College, said the following:
“As someone who hates stepping out of their comfort zone, pushing myself to come to this workshop was a challenge although I knew it was going to help me to expand my knowledge in an unfamiliar field. However, this challenge took me by surprise. I had learnt knowledge, theories and ideas that I was unprepared for yet desperately needed. As a psychology student, I have often heard of the words neurodiverse and neurodivergent, but I never understood the difference between them. I also felt a deep connection with the cutlery theory, which articulated why we may react differently to the big and small stressors in everyday life. I felt welcomed, accepted and respected. Small fidgets were provided that could suit people’s learning needs, as some of us, such as me, learn better with a certain level of “distraction”. We were given multiple breaks to refuel our bodies and let our concentrated minds rest. Before we knew it, Dr Rebecca Muir has made the workshop more than a classroom that taught us about neurodiversity, but also a place that demonstrated how to create a safe space that respected the differences between people.”
One of our favourite aspects of In2science is being able to give back to our hard-working and committed volunteers with these exceptional professional development workshops. Our mentors learnt so much from Bec and have upskilled not only their mentoring, but their everyday interactions with diverse people. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Bec for running this fantastic workshop sharing her extensive knowledge about becoming more neuroaware!
