EASTBIO Doctoral Training Programme Manager, University of Edinburgh
“It has been a joy and a revelation to work with the Communication Inclusion People team. We first approached them in spring of 2023 with a query about a potential training workshop on Inclusive Communication that would be piloted for the EASTBIO Doctoral Training Programme and aimed to UKRI BBSRC (UK Research and Innovation Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) funded students, members of the Management Group and the EASTBIO team (about 20 delegates).
They were not only quick to understand the goals of this workshop and its context within the UKRI-funded doctoral landscape, but also readily aware of the different impacts that the initiative would have on the student experience and their long-term professional development.
Our planning discussions were very meaningful and imbued with exciting potential for growth! The team responded with a quick and enthusiastic willingness to address the remit and, also, help the DTP Training & Development committee to explore the scope for a Programme audit in terms of Inclusive Communication and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion more general.
Following excellent feedback of the previous pilot workshop, the Communication Inclusion People team helped EASTBIO DTP with a further – substantial – training workshop that was part of the DTP Induction Day, taken by all students and supervisors in October 2023 (about 100 delegates).
The workshop participants, in both cases, commented on the unreserved benefits for themselves (specific mention of neurodiversity within the advice shared), but also for their subsequent approach to working in research inclusively, the inspiration of being aware and engaging in the diverse ways of communication that inform professional practice, the sense of validation they got, not to mention a wealth of practical ideas in response to the interactive work done.
On the basis of the input we received from our participants and our student reps, we contracted the Communication Inclusion People to organise a pilot audit of one of our student-led training events and we are confident that the team will provide us with plenty of evidence and recommendations for measures to enhance our inclusion-positive programme.”