Setting 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. In general, instructional or testing environments should be well lit with a comfortable temperature, good ventilation, and minimal extraneous noise or other interruptions. Even under ideal conditions, however, some aspects of the environment or setting might present barriers for some students. These students might benefit from setting accommodations, which allow for a change in the environment or in how the environment is structured. They provide support that allows students with disabilities to achieve the same instructional goals as students without disabilities; however, keep in mind that setting 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 offers examples, though not an exhaustive list, of setting accommodations that address common barriers or challenges students experience when they access or demonstrate learning.

Common Barriers	Example Setting Accommodations
Staying focused or maintaining attention	Separate setting (e.g., different room for testing) Different location in classroom (e.g., away from distractions such as windows or friends) Preferential seating (e.g., near teacher) Study carrels to block visual stimuli Noise-reducing headphones Individual setting Small-group setting Reduction of visual clutter
Regulating behavior (e.g., disruptive, distracts other students)	Separate setting (e.g., different room for testing) Preferential seating (e.g., near teacher) Study carrels Individual setting Small-group setting
Seeing text or illustrations (e.g., too far from whiteboard, glare from windows)	Preferential seating (e.g., near whiteboard) Different location in classroom (e.g., away from windows) Special lighting
Hearing information	Preferential seating (e.g., near teacher) Different location in classroom (e.g., away from noisy areas)
Physically accessing resources or needed equipment/assistive technology	Different location in classroom (e.g., near electrical outlet, end of row) Separate location to access equipment (e.g., computer lab) Adaptive furniture or equipment (e.g., adjustable height desk to accommodate a wheelchair) Ample space for adaptive furniture or equipment Larger desks or tables (e.g., to accommodate equipment) Space for a service animal Storage areas for equipment Wide, clear aisles for easier navigation
Organization of materials	Visual supports (e.g., labeled storage containers, color-coded binders) Checklist of needed supplies

Following are examples of setting accommodations teachers can use to help students access or demonstrate learning.

Example 1:

Kaden is an energetic 10-year-old with ADHD. When assigned independent work, he is often distracted by the noise and movement within the classroom. To address this challenge, his teacher gives him a collapsible study carrel to put on his desk during independent seatwork.

Example 2:

Rae, a clever 15-year-old girl who has a learning disability, struggles to organize her instructional materials. The special education teacher helps Rae color-code her binders to help her organize the necessary materials (e.g., notes, class assignments) for each class.

Example 3:

Cierra is a six-year-old with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She is highly sensitive to noise. The teacher gives her a set of noise-reducing headphones during independent seatwork to help her focus on her assignments.

Keep in Mind

It is possible to bundle accommodations within the same category (e.g., two setting accommodations) or from different categories (e.g., response and setting 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.