Understanding Accommodations
Although most students with disabilities are able to learn in the general education classroom, it’s sometimes the case that the disability gets in the way of their capacity to learn the material or to demonstrate skills. A student with a traumatic brain injury might have difficulty staying focused, just as a student with a learning disability might experience trouble reading. Regardless of such barriers, these students are able to learn the required content. However, in order to succeed in the general education classroom, they might require adaptations: allowable changes in educational environments or practices (i.e., supports or services) that help students overcome the barriers the disability imposes. Adaptations provide them with opportunities to achieve the same outcomes and to obtain the same benefits as students without disabilities. Two types of adaptations are accommodations and modifications.
Adaptations
Accommodations
Do not change the expectations for learning
Do not reduce the requirements of the task
Are used with students who experience barriers to learning
Modifications
Do change the expectations for learning
Do reduce the requirements of the task (e.g., reduce number of items, alternate assignments, lower-level reading assignments)
Are used with students who require more support or adjustments than accommodations provide
Margaret J. McLaughlin, PhD
Professor, Department of Special Education
University of Maryland, College Park
For Your Information
Teachers might believe that, if they are using differentiated instruction or Universal Design for Learning (UDL), they do not need to provide accommodations for students with disabilities. Although these approaches might meet the needs of many, some students with disabilities will require the further support or services that accommodations offer.
