Chapter 2
Accommodations, Modifications, and Supports
For many years, teachers of students with visual impairments have used the words “adapt” and “modify” to refer to visual enhancements of learning media and the word “recommendation” to refer to suggested strategies, technologies, and skills. Statewide academic achievement assessments mandated by No Child Left Behind changed special education vocabulary. Now, “modification” means changes in the content of curricula, lessons, and assessments. Accordingly, a reading assignment might be shortened or the number of possible answers in a multiple-choice assessment reduced. Changes in delivery and response methods used for instruction, and the technology used for these changes, are called “accommodations.” Braille might be used for the presentation of written text, or a head-mounted laser pointer might be used to indicate multiple-choice responses. The term “support” is a little ambiguous, but often refers to things such as equipment and special training for staff. Understanding these distinctions is important because school districts base their policies on the words used in the mandates.
Every school district is required by law to include descriptions of specific accommodations, modifications, and supports in the Individualized Education Program (IEP). They are also required by law to make this information available to all staff who provide instruction so that it can be used in accordance with implementation of the IEP (IDEA, 2004). Many school districts comply with this mandate by including in the IEP an accommodation, modification, and supports page. In the past, typical accommodations, modifications, and supports were listed and checkmarks were placed in boxes next to the ones that were appropriate for the student being admitted or reviewed. Items included things such as preferential seating, shortened assignments, and extra time. Now school districts replace this long standing practice with a section in the IEP calling for a list of specific accommodations and modifications, including information about where, when, and by whom they will be used. The following steps will help you make sure that accommodations, modifications, and supports necessary for your student are implemented during instruction throughout the day, every day.
Include an “Accommodations” section in the Functional Vision Assessment
Important accommodations listed in the “Recommendations” section of your Functional Vision Assessment (FVA) are not automatically included in the IEP accommodations section even if the IEP committee accepts your report. You need to have two separate sections in your FVA.
The recommendations section might include, for example,
- referrals,
- registrations with appropriate agencies, and
- family support.
The clearly labeled accommodations section should include specific things that relate to instruction and testing such as the use of the following:
- magnifiers
- telescopes
- talking calculators
- tactile symbols
- screen readers
- direct lighting
- enlarged print
- extra spacing
- high contrast
- reduced complexity
- color
- objects with light reflecting qualities
- preferred viewing areas and distances
- hand-under-hand guidance
- extra time for tactile exploration
Include sensory accommodations in the Individualized Education Program
After you list the accommodations needed by your student in a clearly labeled section of the FVA, you need to make sure that they are also listed in the IEP accommodations section. Follow your school district’s standard procedure when possible. Specificity is important. (See Table 2.1.) Items and accommodations commonly listed are influenced—sometimes heavily—by the needs of students with learning disabilities. Even when an accommodation applies to your student, it may be very vague. A teacher who sees an accommodation such as “preferential seating” typically thinks of a student who needs to sit on the front row in order to pay attention during a lesson, not a student who has reduced distance acuities and cannot see a model used during a science lesson without sitting next to it. Talk to your special education supervisor about the best way to include your accommodations in the IEP.
Orion TI-30XS MultiView
Talking Scientific Calculator
Light Box
Mini-Lite Box
Digital Light Box Artwork
MATT ConnectTM
Table 2.1. Sample Accommodations, Modifications, and Supports Section of IEP1 (List as appropriate)
Note: In the example below, no modifications (changes in content) are listed. All of the examples are accommodations listed in the FVA.
Accommodations and Modifications | Frequency | Location (name of school) |
Instructional setting and person responsible | Duration (date to date) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Use 18-point, non italic, sans serif type fonts | Daily | Bowie | Pre-K class: Bennet | 1/5/17 to 1/5/18 |
Use contrasting background colors for object location | Daily | Bowie | Pre-K class: Bennet Specials: Spender, Cardenas, and Ponti |
Same |
Use a cutout window to isolate single elements in multi-element pictures | Daily | Bowie | Pre-K class: Bennet | Same |
Name partially obscured elements in pictures | Daily | Bowie | Pre-K class: Bennet | Same |
Use bold lines for writing and cutting | Daily | Bowie | Pre-K class: Bennet | Same |
Outline outer edges of the salient feature of pictures presented from distances greater than 3 feet | Daily | Bowie | Pre-K class: Bennet | Same |
Use sunglasses outdoors as appropriate | Daily | Bowie | Playground: Kelly Field trips: Bennet Garden: Bennet |
Same |
Supports: (Describe supports such as equipment, consultation, or training for school staff to meet the unique needs of the student.) Reading stand, dome magnifier, variable beam penlight with exchangeable colored lens hats |
Inform team members
Using IEP sections such as the one in Table 2.1 ensures that your accommodations are included in the mandate for distribution and use, but you will need to do more. Remember that the incidence of visual impairment among school-aged children is very low. Teachers cannot apply accommodations they do not understand. Many terms such as peripheral field, distance, near, high contrast, and complex need explanation. But, even more, teachers need to see you model the use of accommodations in regularly occurring activities. Teachers who have no experience with visual impairments cannot be expected to make the leap from general information to specific application on their own. And you cannot expect that they will visualize the same application you have in mind unless you demonstrate it. You may find that the teachers with whom you work appreciate having a quick and easy reference guide to share with assistants. The Intervention Guide (see sample in Table 2.2) from the BVEE, or something similar, can be used to serve this function.
Table 2.2. Sample Intervention Guide
Priority Activities | Media/Objects affected by poor visual efficiency | Related visual developmental sequences (V) and/or Related perceptual skill deficits (P) |
Intervention Accommodation (A) Skill (S) Strategy (St) |
---|---|---|---|
Arrival time | Name tag on cubby | V: High contrast/low contrast P: Identification |
A: Enhance contrast with wide tip, black marker on white background St: Identify name written in cursive and manuscript on tag |
Hook on coat rack | V: Fixating/tracking/scanning | S: Scan from left to next hook in row until empty hook is located | |
Journal time | Notebook | V: High contrast/low contrast | A: Use bold line paper to enhance contrast |
Centers | Picture books | V: Simple/complex P: Closure and figure-ground |
S: Identify single element in scene St: Name partially obscured objects for student St: Use cutout window to isolate feature then find feature without cutout |
Puzzles | V: Part/Whole P: Constancy, Part/whole |
S: Assemble two halves of single-object pictures cut in half St: Teach clockwise rotation pattern |
|
Morning circle | Weather pictures | V: Outer edges/internal detail | A: Outline outer edges of salient feature |
Playground | Anything in bright sunlight | V: Fixating/tracking/scanning | A: Sunglasses |
Arts and Crafts | Lines for cutting | V: High contrast/low contrast | A: Used bold marker to enhance contrast |