Accommodations and Supports
Definition: The IEP includes identification and provision of support services that foster students’ skill development and achievement of post-school goals (e.g., environmental adaptations, accommodations, related services such as assistive technology and occupational therapy).
Environmental adaptations & accommodations
- The federal Job Accommodation Network (JAN) offers free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues. Includes resources for employers, teachers, individuals with disabilities, and agency personnel. Information is sorted by type of disability or by topic.
- Charting the Course: Supporting the Career Development of Youth with Learning Disabilities (PDF, 122 pages, 2010), from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (NCWD), includes quick reference charts, tables, and tools. Information includes the types and impact of learning disabilities, needed supports, and research-based interventions.
- Getting Accommodations at College: Tools for School when you have a mental health disability. Attractive, user-friendly tipsheet from Transitions RTC in Massachusetts (PDF, 2 pages, 2011).
Natural Supports
- Definitions and resources for natural supports, from the University of South Florida’s Project 10 Transition Education Network.
- Several articles on building natural peer supports in the classroom, from the Inclusive Schools Network.
Online training
- Online Training to Improve Accommodations Decision Making from the National Center on Educational Outcomes at the University of Minnesota. It includes case-based video clips, and contains five interactive, multimedia professional development modules on best practices in how to select, administer, and evaluate the use of accommodations. You have to set up an account, but the training is free.
