Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
(Maddie Mackey) I work for a local council as an educator and mentor at The Lab - a social group for autistic teenagers with an interest in technology. Operating out of a makerspace at a public library, we allow participants free use of tools so that they can tinker, experiment, and build their skills, both social and technical. I see these students gain confidence, discover and ignite new passions, and grow their independence.
It isn't all easy, however. Providing a safe space for neurodivergent teens has its challenges. We have had to support participants through emotional instability, interpersonal clashes driven by contradicting neurodivergent sensitivities like noise and light levels, communication barriers, and more. However, with a little patience, when given the right support, we have seen participants bloom, stepping out of their comfort zone and sometimes even developing their own projects.
I'll share some reflections on what participants at The Lab do, how we structure the sessions, and the considerations we take to foster a neurodivergent-friendly learning environment - hopefully this provides you with some insights that can help you to improve your pedagogy too.
I believe that by creating an inclusive environment for neurodivergent people, we make it easier to learn for everyone. After all, accessibility for one is accessibility for all.
pretalx.com/pycon-au-2025/talk/JAYENP
python, pycon, australia, programming, conference, technical, developers, panel, sessions, libraries, frameworks, community, sysadmins, students, education, data, science
Videos licensed as CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0
PyCon AU is the national conference for the Python programming community, bringing together professional, student and enthusiast developers, sysadmins and operations folk, students, educators, scientists, statisticians, and many others besides, all with a love for working with Python.
Licensed as CC BY-NC-SA - creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Produced by Next Day Video Australia: https://nextdayvideo.com.au
Fri Sep 12 10:00:00 2025 at Ballroom 3
(Maddie Mackey) I work for a local council as an educator and mentor at The Lab - a social group for autistic teenagers with an interest in technology. Operating out of a makerspace at a public library, we allow participants free use of tools so that they can tinker, experiment, and build their skills, both social and technical. I see these students gain confidence, discover and ignite new passions, and grow their independence.
It isn't all easy, however. Providing a safe space for neurodivergent teens has its challenges. We have had to support participants through emotional instability, interpersonal clashes driven by contradicting neurodivergent sensitivities like noise and light levels, communication barriers, and more. However, with a little patience, when given the right support, we have seen participants bloom, stepping out of their comfort zone and sometimes even developing their own projects.
I'll share some reflections on what participants at The Lab do, how we structure the sessions, and the considerations we take to foster a neurodivergent-friendly learning environment - hopefully this provides you with some insights that can help you to improve your pedagogy too.
I believe that by creating an inclusive environment for neurodivergent people, we make it easier to learn for everyone. After all, accessibility for one is accessibility for all.
pretalx.com/pycon-au-2025/talk/JAYENP
python, pycon, australia, programming, conference, technical, developers, panel, sessions, libraries, frameworks, community, sysadmins, students, education, data, science
Videos licensed as CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0
PyCon AU is the national conference for the Python programming community, bringing together professional, student and enthusiast developers, sysadmins and operations folk, students, educators, scientists, statisticians, and many others besides, all with a love for working with Python.
Licensed as CC BY-NC-SA - creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Produced by Next Day Video Australia: https://nextdayvideo.com.au
Fri Sep 12 10:00:00 2025 at Ballroom 3
