Accessibility for PDA pupils with The Access Hub

So when people hear the word accessibility, I think it's used a lot.

They often automatically think about those physical access things such as ramps or lifts.

So what does accessibility really mean when we're talking about neurodivergent children and young people?

Well, It's a massive question, isn't it? And it's one of those that really drives the heart of what we all do for our careers, our livelihoods, but also what actually means an awful lot to us about our daily lives.

And I think one of the biggest misunderstandings around accessibility is that if you ask most people, what does accessibility mean? Straight away, they picture a wheelchair or a lift or wider doorways, et cetera.

And those things, yeah, they're absolutely essential, but Thankfully, society has become much better at recognising those more physical barriers.

But when we're talking about neurodivergent children and young people, accessibility is something that's so much broader than that.

And in so many ways, it's less visible.

It really is.

So I suppose for me, accessibility is about one simple question, really.

Can this child genuinely access their education, their relationships and the opportunities that are around them? without constantly battling against that environment they're in.

And especially when we're talking about PDA, neurodivergence, it now has to sit at the crux of what we're looking at in terms of education.

So it's a very different question from asking whether they're physically present in school.

So a child, yep, physically present, they're there.

But over the years, I've worked with hundreds of schools, local authorities, families, professionals, and All across the country, one thing that's become really clear to me is that we often confuse that child in presence, so the attendance of a child.

Child's there, accessing the school educational environment.

However, accessing is that question mark.

Because we think when a child is sitting in the classroom, they're accessing education.

But that's not always true.

And a child can be sitting, maybe quietly at a desk, and looking like they're coping perfectly well.

But while internally, and I think this is where your parents, they know their children the best, don't they? And this is where your parents know that their child can be on the front looking like they're coping perfectly well, but internally they are working incredibly hard just to manage the noise, the light, the unpredictability, the social interactions, the social expectations that we have as a society.

And if we think about the world around us, even outside of education, that lots of your parents will know, there are continuous demands placed upon her.

So if you think within a school environment, by the time the child gets home, child or young person gets home, there is nothing left at all.

And that's when I really advocate for parents that parents will describe that moment, won't they? And I'm sure loads of your listeners can relate to this, that the child gets them from school and school says, They're having a great day, being brilliant, being great.

And the child gets to the door, drops the bag, and everything falls apart at that point.