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Accommodation, Modification &
Assistive Technology

 "But they know how to read, they do not require the lessons to be scanned" 

 "I am just asking her to write a few words. Spelling tests are good for her." 

 "I know he can do it, he just doesn't manage his time wisely! 

 "Reading a comic book for a book report is out of the question, and not really fair to the other students." 

  "He does not pay attention in class, and is frankly a very lazy student."  

 "As far as I am concerned, offering him a calculator is equivalent to cheating." 

 "Audiobooks is not reading." 

 ALL REAL WORLD EXAMPLES OF EDUCATOR BIAS 

WHY is accommodation SO imperative for SUCCESS

As educators we often hear things like, "curriculum is very character heavy, the cognitive load on children with dyslexia causes mental exhaustion."

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OK! But what does that mean?!?! 

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  • According to Dr's Berninger and Richards, without modification, accommodation or assistive technology YOU are expecting the dyslexic children in your classroom to work 500% harder than their peers. Yes 500 times harder. 

  • This is assuming the dyslexic child in your classroom can read and spell at grade level. Due to balanced literacy, most cannot which is why accommodation is so important. Keep in mind 7% of children with dyslexia never learn to read, and the majority have life long issues with spelling and reading comprehension (Balcr, 2017).  

 

IMAGINE THIS... you have a child in your classroom that utilizes a wheelchair (visible disability). One day I walk into your class, remove this child's wheelchair and insist they walk to the blackboard; informing them they will be graded on their ability. Unfathomable right? I would be fired on the spot. Every time you deny a child with dyslexia (invisible disability) an accommodation, modification or other learning tool YOU ARE DOING JUST THAT. 

"Accommodations are only helpful if the student knows how to use them properly" International Dyslexia Foundation

Accommodations

"Accommodations are instructional or test adaptations. They allow a student to demonstrate what he or she knows without

fundamentally changing the target skill. Accommodations do not reduce learning or performance expectations Instead, accommodations change the manner or setting in which information is presented or the manner in which students respond." International Dyslexia Foundation

Modifications

"Modifications are instructional or test adaptations that allow a student to demonstrate what he knows or can do, but

the target skill is also reduced in some way. Modifications usually lower performance expectations (e.g., lessening the complexity

of the items or the task required)."

​International Dyslexia Foundation

Assistive Technology

"Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities."

Assistive Technology Industry

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