Content design for neuroinclusivity
Design content that more people can understand. Neuroinclusive content is clearer for everyone.
Most of us judge content by what we personally find easy to read. But the people you communicate with do not all think the way you do. Around 1 in 5 people are neurodivergent, and once you include acquired neurodivergence, such as anxiety, depression or a response to trauma, the number is much higher.
When content is hard to take in, neurodivergent people are often made to feel like the problem. We are not. The content just needs to be designed differently.
This workshop shows you how to design digital content that more people can understand and act on. You will learn practical, research-backed techniques you can apply straight away.
Dan Warby is Autistic with C-PTSD, so they know first-hand what inaccessible content feels like. They are also a content strategist and digital accessibility specialist with more than 20 years’ experience. Everything in this workshop is grounded in research, and informed by lived experience.
- Up to 10 participants
- 2 hours
- Live online
- We are on the Australian Government Plain English Training Panel
What you'll learn
- What neurodivergence is.
- Why neuroinclusive content reaches more people.
- Choose the right format for your content.
- Design content that is easier to read and scan.
- Use images in ways that help rather than distract.
- Make your content easy to find.
- Practical tools to check your own content.
Who this course is for
Ask us about this course
Course outline
Understanding neurodivergence
- What neurodivergence is, both lifelong and acquired.
- How neurodivergent people experience content.
- Why neuroinclusion helps everyone.
Designing neuroinclusive content
- Choosing the right format.
- Rethinking FAQs.
- Basics of neuroinclusive design: layout, structure and formatting.
- Appropriate use of images: engagement versus distraction.
Reducing cognitive load using better practices
- Page titles, headings and lead paragraphs.
URLs and findability. - Content governance and keeping content current.
Putting it into practice
- Tools to check your content.
- Practical exercises using your own content.
Optional module: verbal and in-person communication
For teams who communicate in person as well as in writing, we can add a module on:
- clear verbal communication and capacity check-ins
- giving and receiving feedback using Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
- quick wins for everyday teamwork.
Duration
This workshop usually takes 2 hours. We deliver it as a single session online.
Participant numbers
We can deliver this workshop for groups of up to 10 people, so everyone gets individual attention. To include more people, we can run another session or bring in a co-facilitator.
How we engage participants
This workshop combines:
- a guided presentation, grounded in lived experience and research
- discussion and questions throughout
- practical exercises using your own content.
We share the slides and exercises in advance, so participants can prepare in the way that works for them.
We run the session with neuroinclusive meeting etiquette. For example, we use the raise-hand function, and there is no music when you join.
We model neuroinclusive practice in how we run the session, so you experience it as well as learn about it.
Course materials
We will share the slide deck, recording, transcript and neuroinclusive content checklist. The workshop slides themselves follow the neuroinclusive principles we teach.
How we tailor this course
Discovery
We'll meet with you first to understand your work environment. We'll seek to understand what:
- you want to achieve through this training
- types of communications you write
- audiences you write for
- specific issues we can overcome.
Course content design
We'll tailor this workshop to your organisation, so the examples and exercises reflect the content your team works with.
We ask you for a few real pieces of your own content. And we build these into the session.
Validation
We share the materials and outline with you to make sure it’s aligned to what you need.
Trainer
The training is delivered by someone with lived experience of neurodivergence.
Evaluation
We check back in to assess what worked, and share what we heard from your team members.
Prerequisites
How this course aligns with government standards
This workshop draws on the Australian Government Style Manual and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These standards are a strong foundation, but they are not always neuroinclusive. We follow them where they support neuroinclusion, and we adapt them where they do not.
Combine training with our other offerings:
Training + coaching
We train you then check in with you during 1:1 or small group coaching sessions
Training + pilot writing
We teach you then run through applying what you learned to selected content.
Your trainers
Dan Warby (they/she)
Dan is Autistic with C-PTSD, and a content strategist and digital accessibility specialist with more than 20 years’ experience. They bring lived experience of neurodivergence to their work, alongside deep expertise in content design and accessibility.
Dan’s favourite work is behind the scenes: content operations, workflow, governance and content architecture. The detailed, systems-level work where their Autistic pattern recognition really comes in handy.
What our clients say