Response Accommodations

Accommodations are adaptations or changes to educational environments or practices designed to help students with disabilities to overcome learning barriers presented by their disability. Response accommodations allow students with disabilities to complete instructional assignments or assessments through ways other than typical verbal or written responses. They provide support that allows students with disabilities to achieve the same instructional goals as students without disabilities; however, keep in mind that response accommodations:

Do not change the expectations for learning
Do not reduce the requirements of the task
Do not change what the student is required to learn

The table below provides examples, though not an exhaustive list, of response accommodations that address common barriers or challenges students experience when they demonstrate their learning.

Common Barriers	Example Response Accommodations
Verbal communication	Type responses on a tablet or computer Visuals or gestures Alternate modes of communication (e.g., written, augmentative alternative communication device, sign language)
Written communication (e.g., putting thoughts on paper, organizing information)	Speech-to-text software Graphic organizers Templates (e.g., for outlines, paragraphs, essays) Checklists
Oral expression (e.g., articulation, finding words) or speaking in front of a group	Alternate response mode (e.g., written report) Increased wait time Visuals Circle or point at answers
Spelling, grammar, and punctuation	Computer/word-processing program with spell-checking feature Computer/word-processing program with grammar-checking feature
Grammar and punctuation	Computer/word-processing program with grammar-checking feature
Organizing information	Graphic organizers Templates (e.g., format to write a friendly letter, guide to write a five-paragraph essay)
Mathematics computation	Calculator Abacus Concrete objects or manipulatives Sheet of basic math facts
Visual-spatial tasks	Graph paper to help students align numbers when writing mathematics problems Write answers in a test booklet (instead of filling in bubbles on an answer sheet)
Handwriting	Scribe Computer Braille writer Record responses Text-to-speech (or voice recognition) software Alternate response mode (e.g., oral response) Finger spacer Handwriting guide
Staying focused	Write answers in a test booklet instead of on a bubble sheet (this does not require the student to solve the problem in a booklet and then transfer it to a separate sheet) Graphic organizers Monitor understanding of directions (e.g., student restates directions)
Dexterity or muscle control (e.g., difficulty holding a pencil, difficulty keeping papers in place)	Scribe Word-processing program Text-to-speech software Record responses Pencil grip Paper stabilizer (i.e., non-slip material to keep paper from moving) Word-prediction software
Hearing	Interpreter Scribe

Some of the accommodations in the table above—for example, graphic organizers—are also instructional strategies or interventions. How can teachers tell the difference between the two when they plan instruction for an individual student? As outlined in the table below, one key difference is the purpose for which each is used.

	Accommodation	Instructional Strategy
Definition	Adaptation or change in practices or educational environments (e.g., the way in which a student is allowed to demonstrate learning)	Instructional strategy or intervention (e.g., a writing strategy)
Purpose	Addresses a barrier presented by the disability Allows students with disabilities the opportunity to perform tasks as well as students without disabilities (i.e., levels the playing field)	Addresses a skill or knowledge deficit but does not specifically address a barrier or increase access Improves the performance of most students with or without disabilities
Example: Graphic Organizer	Baylor, a 15-year-old student with a learning disability, has difficulty organizing information. When she writes a paper, Baylor struggles to put her thoughts down on paper. To address this barrier, her teacher gives her a graphic organizer to use before she begins writing. This helps her to identify main ideas and details to include in his paper.	Mr. Haywood, a 4th-grade teacher, is beginning to teach his students how to write an expository essay. To scaffold this process, he gives his students graphic organizers to help them to organize information before they begin writing.

Following are examples of response accommodations teachers can use to help students demonstrate their learning.

Example 1:

Kaden is an energetic 10-year-old boy who has ADHD. When assigned independent work, his impulsive behavior results in him beginning a task before reading the directions. Because he does not know what to do, he completes the work incorrectly or not at all. To address the barrier presented by this impulsive behavior, Kaden’s teacher requires him to restate the directions to a partner before he begins working. In this way, the teacher and Kaden can monitor his understanding of directions before he starts a task.

Example 2:

Rae is a clever 15-year-old girl with a learning disability. When she is assigned to write a paper, she struggles with spelling and grammar, despite the fact that her computer word-processing program has spelling- and grammar-checking features. This causes her to spend more time dealing with spelling and grammar issues than putting her thoughts down on paper. The teacher plans to address her barriers by providing Rae with a speech-to-text app.

Example 3:

Cierra, a six-year-old with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), has difficulty expressing herself orally. During circle time, the teacher asks the students questions about the calendar. Instead of requiring her to respond orally, Cierra’s teacher allows her to use an alternate method of response (i.e., a board with pre-selected pictures or words related to the current calendar).

Keep in Mind

It is possible to bundle accommodations within the same category (e.g., two response accommodations) or from different categories (e.g., response and presentation accommodations). However, teachers might want to start by implementing one accommodation. This will allow the teacher to collect data on a single accommodation, evaluate its effectiveness, and determine whether it is practical for use in the classroom. After effectively implementing one accommodation, the teacher can implement another that might benefit the student.