Types of Accommodations to Include in an IEP or 504 Plan

By the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) Editorial Team

Students with learning disabilities (LD) — such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia — often need accommodations in order to complete the same assignments as other students. Accommodations do not alter the content of assignments, give students an unfair advantage, or change what a test measures. They do make it possible for students with LD to show what they know without being impeded by their disability.

Once your child has been formally identified with a learning disability, you may request accommodations for your child's specific needs. If your child is eligible for an Individualized Education Program (IEP), the IEP team — which includes the parents — must decide which accommodations are appropriate and include them in the student's IEP. If your child is not eligible for special education services under IDEA, he or she may still be eligible for accommodations under a 504 Plan.

Read more HERE.

Decades-Old Suit Over Special Education Services in Baltimore Comes to a Close

A nearly 30-year-old lawsuit over special education services in Baltimore has finally been settled.

Vaughn G., et al., v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, was filed by the Maryland Disability Law Center as a way to address delayed evaluations for students with disabilities, a violation of the federal Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.

The 84,000-student district agreed, in 1984, to find ways to eliminate the delays in evaluation and improve special education overall. But for years, the district failed to meet any of the deadlines agreed to in the original consent decree. Several additional agreements between the district and the lawyers representing students with disabilities attempted to resolve the deep-rooted problems, with little success.

But in March 2010, Baltimore entered into a settlement agreement in the lawsuit, which the district called a probationary period. The city had to continue providing special-needs students with services, give them support in obtaining a regular education, and work to reduce the numbers that are suspended each year during that time. "The probationary period is now over," the district said in a written statement today. The case "is officially closed."

Read more of Nirvi Shah's On Special Education article HERE.