Ever since I saw Javier Motta-Mena present about this topic at The Badge Summit at CU Boulder two years ago, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Now I finally have a place to record our thinking.
Neurodivergent students in higher ed are often handed an impossible choice: disclose and risk being stigmatized, or stay quiet and risk being written off as unreliable or checked out. Either way, the burden lands on them.
What if we stopped asking students to carry that?
That's what Javier and I dig into in Allyship by Design, a podcast episode co-produced with Learning Mechanics and Education Design Lab. We make the case for treating neurodivergence allyship as a learnable, demonstrable skill, not just a value you claim to hold.
This work sits at the intersection of inclusive design and skills validation, two things I care about deeply. When we think about why mental health first aid belongs in every educator's toolkit, the same principle applies here: preparation matters more than good intentions. Faculty and staff who've done the work to understand neurodivergent experiences can demonstrate that readiness through verifiable credentials.
And this connects to a larger conversation about how we validate skills and experience. The common language for talent, trust, and economic mobility we've been developing at Education Design Lab applies just as much to allyship skills as it does to technical competencies.
I'm really proud of how this episode came together.
This episode makes a simple but important argument: allyship isn't just something you believe in. It's something you can learn, practice, and prove. When institutions shift the burden away from students and onto prepared, credentialed faculty and staff, everyone benefits.
The conversation about inclusive design in higher ed is just getting started. Digital badges and verifiable credentials give us new tools to move from good intentions to real accountability.
📄 Companion Guide + input form → https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tHzmtbfbgsAn_Zv22d7huppNZKRXbhlwMC3V_WxpU7I/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.6sc8pmbiklnw
🗓️ Live follow-up discussion, September 10 → https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aVWXfhagTZOFiXqETZh5PQ#/registration
