What is a 504?
A 504 Plan is a document/contract between the school and a student with a disability that lists what the student needs in order to to learn and what the school will do to make sure the students has what they need to learn.
For example, a student’s disability may cause problems with taking tests. Changes could be made to give the student more time to complete tests or have the students take tests in a different area. Those are simple reasonable accommodations.
Other accommodations are not so simple and are sometimes unreasonable. If a student has a diagnosis that makes it difficult to sit still, tolerate certain sounds, smells or lights or remain quiet in class, it can be challenging to make changes that do not interfere with other students’ learning.
All students have a right to go to school. Students with disabilities have a right to a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE). Schools have to meet the needs of all students in the classroom.
If one student is sensitive to lights, it would be unreasonable to have class in the dark. A reasonable accommodation would be to allow the student to wear sunglasses in class. another reasonable accommodation might be to change the lightbulbs from fluorescent to LED (*depending on the costs).
If a student couldn’t remain in their seat, it would be unreasonable to let the student run around the classroom. A reasonable accommodation would be to get a chair that rocked or a set that bounced.
Other reasonable accommodations for disabilities are adaptive equipment, including but not limited to screen readers, headphones, weighted blankets, electronic communication devices, chairs, standers, pencils, paper and the list goes on. Those have to be reasonable too.
A robot would be unreasonable and probably a major distraction to the other students and even teachers. AI software or apps would be reasonable. A classroom jacuzzi would be unreasonable. A heating pad would be reasonable (bag of rice type heating pads – not electric blankets).
*Cost is always a factor. Most schools/districts will cover costs of accommodations unless covering costs would cause non-compliance with the state policies on spending.
DEFINITIONS
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which “prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability”
Reasonable Accommodation – modifications or adjustments to the tasks, environment or to the way things are usually done that enable individuals with disabilities to have an equal opportunity to participate in an academic program.
FAPE – Free and Appropriate Education Act – education that meets the needs of students with disabilities as well as the needs of students without disabilities, at no cost to the student.
Adaptive Equipment – also called assistive devices are tools, devices or equipment that assist individuals with temporary or permanent disabilities walk, talk, hear, see, breathe or process information.