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Neurodivergent Classrooms




Neurodivergent Classrooms


2 Completed / 2 In Progress

Client: Public High School

Team: Lindsey Wikstrom, Jean Suh, Jessica Martin

Neurodivergent Classrooms is a series of designs for Adaptive Daily Living and Occupational Therapy rooms within a public high school in Queens NY.  This project welcomes students with diverse neurological profiles, recognizing and respecting the natural variation in how people think, learn, and process information.

In 1950s, several dozen public schools were constructed around the city made from concrete, using a typical 30’ structural bay, and most are still in use today.

In creating these rooms, we imagine them to be relocatable and replicable, with hopes that design for neurodivergent students will spread and become accessible to all.

Adaptive Daily Living is a class that students across the ability, disability, and autism spectrum are engaged in. It is primarily about building independence and teaching young adults how to occupy an apartment as they grow up and potentially branch out on their own. In our ADL rooms, we have designed a small apartment inside a classroom. The single classroom becomes a one bedroom apartment with laundry room and foyer through the use of color. By painting each zone in a unique way, it feels like there are more rooms in one, and that the bedroom is separate from the kitchen and from the laundry. It includes a full kitchen, designed to fully function on the existing electrical load in the classroom, with all the appliances you might have in your home. The countertops, sinks, storage, door handles and appliances are all sourced and sized to be more accessible beyond what's typical.

These colors are chosen very carefully. First, they are designed not to offend or distract. Students on the spectrum can react negatively to certain bold, bright or harsh tones.

In ADL1, we chose light orange to welcome everyone into the warmth of a home. Light blue to bring a calming effect to the bedroom. Since the laundry area is small, we chose navy blue. And finally, the kitchen, where green makes the space feel fresh but warm, exciting but stable.

In ADL2, a color-matched turquoise kitchen dominates the space, building from existing plumbing connections and using off-the-shelf cabinet boxes to break up the long wall and responding playfully to the changing accessible countertop heights.

In OT1, each therapy space is indicated by a saturation of color, calming blues and purples, accented by natural wood storage across the wall for staff. A small escape bench is also carved out in wood near the warm orange curtained area where pillows, carts, and tumble blocks can be checked out and used in other spaces across the school.

The student population includes individuals who identify as neurodivergent, such as those with cognitive delays, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), multiple disabilities, and speech and language delays. We designed a new adaptive daily living classroom to teach essential life skills to neurodiverse individuals in a safe, accessible, and supportive environment.

The kitchen, dining area, bed area, and laundry station are tailored to accommodate different abilities and learning styles, with visual aids and step-by-step guides. We aim to empower individuals to live independently and improve their quality of life. Throughout the process, we researched neurodivergence, the role that sensory processing plays in stimuli seeking and avoidance, and ways to integrate elements of the Autism Aspectss design criteria towards designing neuro-inclusive spaces. We also hosted a community engagement session to better understand how to meet everyone’s need for flexibility and care.








Index
             

           

2 Completed / 2 In Progress

Client: Public High School

Team: Lindsey Wikstrom, Jean Suh, Jessica Martin

Neurodivergent Classrooms is a series of designs for Adaptive Daily Living and Occupational Therapy rooms within a public high school in Queens NY.  This project welcomes students with diverse neurological profiles, recognizing and respecting the natural variation in how people think, learn, and process information.

In 1950s, several dozen public schools were constructed around the city made from concrete, using a typical 30’ structural bay, and most are still in use today.

In creating these rooms, we imagine them to be relocatable and replicable, with hopes that design for neurodivergent students will spread and become accessible to all.

Adaptive Daily Living is a class that students across the ability, disability, and autism spectrum are engaged in. It is primarily about building independence and teaching young adults how to occupy an apartment as they grow up and potentially branch out on their own. In our ADL rooms, we have designed a small apartment inside a classroom. The single classroom becomes a one bedroom apartment with laundry room and foyer through the use of color. By painting each zone in a unique way, it feels like there are more rooms in one, and that the bedroom is separate from the kitchen and from the laundry. It includes a full kitchen, designed to fully function on the existing electrical load in the classroom, with all the appliances you might have in your home. The countertops, sinks, storage, door handles and appliances are all sourced and sized to be more accessible beyond what's typical.

These colors are chosen very carefully. First, they are designed not to offend or distract. Students on the spectrum can react negatively to certain bold, bright or harsh tones.

In ADL1, we chose light orange to welcome everyone into the warmth of a home. Light blue to bring a calming effect to the bedroom. Since the laundry area is small, we chose navy blue. And finally, the kitchen, where green makes the space feel fresh but warm, exciting but stable.

In ADL2, a color-matched turquoise kitchen dominates the space, building from existing plumbing connections and using off-the-shelf cabinet boxes to break up the long wall and responding playfully to the changing accessible countertop heights.

In OT1, each therapy space is indicated by a saturation of color, calming blues and purples, accented by natural wood storage across the wall for staff. A small escape bench is also carved out in wood near the warm orange curtained area where pillows, carts, and tumble blocks can be checked out and used in other spaces across the school.

The student population includes individuals who identify as neurodivergent, such as those with cognitive delays, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), multiple disabilities, and speech and language delays. We designed a new adaptive daily living classroom to teach essential life skills to neurodiverse individuals in a safe, accessible, and supportive environment.

The kitchen, dining area, bed area, and laundry station are tailored to accommodate different abilities and learning styles, with visual aids and step-by-step guides. We aim to empower individuals to live independently and improve their quality of life. Throughout the process, we researched neurodivergence, the role that sensory processing plays in stimuli seeking and avoidance, and ways to integrate elements of the Autism Aspectss design criteria towards designing neuro-inclusive spaces. We also hosted a community engagement session to better understand how to meet everyone’s need for flexibility and care.