The Inclusive Herd Model: Designing for the Edges

A Methodology for Universal Performance

Sophie Youngs

Strategic Learning Architect

Level up with Sophie

The Core Premise: The Myth of Average

For generations, we have built our schools, workplaces, and training systems around a flawed blueprint: the average. We design for the “average” student, the “average” employee, the “average” user.

But as Harvard researcher Todd Rose demonstrated with the famous cockpit dilemma, when you design for the average, you design for no one.

The Inclusive Herd Model shifts the focus from “fixing the person” to fixing the design itself. Its fundamental truth is simple:

When you design for the edges, the entire herd thrives.

The Metaphor: Who Is in the Herd?

To build an inclusive system, we first have to understand who is running in it.

1. The Horse (The Traditional Learner)

Profile:

Horses are neurotypical or conventionally successful learners and employees.

They understand unspoken rules, sit through long meetings without distress, and follow predictable, linear paths to achievement.

Reality:

Although the system was built for them, even Horses suffer under rigid design—burnout, disengagement, and the exhaustion of "one-size-fits-all" expectations.

2. The Zebra (The Neurodivergent Innovator)

Profile:

Zebras represent neurodivergent individuals—ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Anxiety, and beyond.

Their “stripes” are their strengths: hyperfocus, curiosity, systems-level thinking, direct communication, and creative problem solving.

Struggle:

Inside a Horse-designed world, Zebras are treated as broken horses.

Their traits are reframed as deficits:

• “disruptive” instead of energetic
• “impulsive” instead of decisive
• “too much” instead of brilliantly unconventional

3. The Herd (The Organization)

The Herd is the classroom, team, or company.

It is the ecosystem where Horses and Zebras run side by side.

The health of the herd depends on the environment—not on the conformity of individuals.

The Methodology: From Bolted-On to Seamless

Most organizations use the Accommodation Model:

1. Build a standard (horse-friendly) track.
2. Wait for a Zebra to struggle or request help.
3. Bolt on a separate ramp—awkward, reactive, and stigmatizing.

The Inclusive Herd Model moves beyond accommodation.

It leverages Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to create a Seamless Slope:

• Proactive:
• We assume diversity exists from the start.
• Integrated:
• Support is woven into the environment, not duct-taped on later.
• Universal:
• Everyone benefits from multiple means of
• Engagement (why)
• Representation (what)
• Action & Expression (how)

When the environment adapts, the people no longer need to.

The ROI: The Curb-Cut Effect

Why should organizations care?

Because of the Curb-Cut Effect—the Herd Benefit.

When city planners cut sidewalks for wheelchair access, something unexpected happened:

Parents with strollers used them.

Travelers with luggage used them.

Delivery workers used them.

Everyone benefitted from a design originally created for the edge.

The same principle applies to organizational design:

• A document-everything culture created for Zebras with memory challenges becomes a lifeline for overwhelmed new hires.
• Flexible environments built for sensory needs prevent burnout in Horses juggling demanding family lives.
• A break-it-down project style for those with executive dysfunction helps the entire team avoid scope creep.

Designing for the edge removes barriers for all.

Conclusion

Accessibility is not a checkbox. It is a strategy for optimization.

When we remove the barriers that hold back the Zebras, we clear the track for the entire Herd. I don’t build for the average. I design systems where everyone can run.