“Accommodation” is the adjustment of a rule, practice, condition or requirement to take into account the specific needs of an individual or group. To some degree it involves treating individuals differently. Different treatment to adjust for a disability is legally required if the accommodation is needed to ensure that the person has the opportunity to participate fully and equally.
The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada
Normally people don’t talk about ‘appropriate’ accommodations in the world of disability issues and rights. The use of the word ‘appropriate’ suggests that there is a judgment being made. Individuals with disabilities have a right to accommodations. Therefore, the issue of what is “appropriate” is not stressed. However, since we in the field of literacy are just beginning to work out what ‘good’ and ‘useful’ accommodations are with our learners, we need to examine what is or is not appropriate.
People with other kinds of disabilities describe the kinds of accommodations they require. Our learners are often totally unaware or at least unable to articulate what works best for them. Together the learner and the practitioner need to discover what works best. Often a learner will reject the use of an accommodation. They may believe that whatever you suggest is a “crutch” - that it is cheating or that you are denying them the right to learn to do it the right way.
You might try to explain that, when someone has a broken leg, a temporary crutch is a useful tool to help him or her get around. When their leg heals it is no longer needed. However, if someone has lost their leg they use a crutch or a wheelchair to get around. Their leg will not get better and their wheelchair ensures they can move around and get on with their life. To a person with a learning disability, the accommodation is like the wheelchair, something that enables them to get on with their life.
However some learners can’t relate to the above example. You might remind them about individuals who can’t read without their glasses. They will agree that glasses are not “cheating” and the individual would never be told to do their school work without their glasses. Glasses for someone with vision problems are an appropriate accommodation. Together the learner and the practitioner might find the appropriate accommodation that will allow the learner to be successful and move on with their life. Finding the best way for a learner to perform a task is what accommodation is all about.