Katrin Simone Heimann

Universal Design and Conflict: Developing a trauma-sensitive and neuroinclusive community building and conflict engagement toolset to facilitate Universal Design in Higher Education and beyond

Universal design for learning is based on the idea that individual accommodation as the main principle to address issues of access and inclusion is neither sustainable nor equitable. Instead, it promotes community and co-creation as essential to inclusive teaching- particularly for neurodivergent students, many of whom carry experiences of trauma from discrimination.

This project explores how university teachers can meaningfully foster community and collaboration in neurodiverse classrooms, despite students’ varied cognitive setups, conflict capacities, and past experiences.

The research will be conducted at University of Amsterdam and Universitiy of Melbourne.

Watch Katrin's winning pitch in the lecturer category from the Bevica Scholarship Award Show 2025 here:

We made a short interview with Katrin after she won The Bevica Scholarship lecturer grant: