Learning Group: Practices for Supporting Neurodiverse Audiences

In the final event of the series coordinated by our DEAI Committee, hear about real life examples from Network Members that showcase how they and their organizations create more welcoming and accessible experiences for neurodiverse audiences. Red River Zoo will address some of the challenges they have faced in their work and how they’ve overcome those barriers, as well as their top priorities when considering their neurodiverse community in programming through the lens of their Adaptive Camp program. Lincoln Park Zoo will share how they standardize their available pre-visit information, train staff to be welcoming, and provide knowledgeable points of contact and resources that expect variation in the guest experience. By featuring initiatives and work that emphasize the importance of flexibility, trying new things, and listening to audience needs, the committee hopes to demonstrate that extending empathy to people allows us to make meaningful strides to advance conservation. This will be a conversation of learning together and one of the outcomes we hope to achieve IS to walk away with more questions so we can move the field forward. We encourage you to continue these conversations on the DEAI channel of our discussion board after the event.