Instructional Accommodations for Students with Disabilities  

Students with dyslexia who receive dyslexia instruction that contains the components described in this chapter will be better equipped to meet the demands of grade-level or course instruction. In addition to dyslexia instruction, accommodations provide the student with dyslexia effective and equitable access to grade-level or course instruction in the general education classroom. Accommodations are not one size fits all; rather, the impact of dyslexia on each individual student determines the necessary accommodation. 

Listed below are examples of reasonable classroom accommodations:  

• Copies of notes (e.g., teacher- or peer-provided) 

• Note-taking assistance 

• Additional time on class assignments and tests 

• Reduced/shortened assignments (e.g., chunking assignments into manageable units, fewer items given on a classroom test or homework assignment without eliminating concepts, or student planner to assist with assignments) 

• Alternative test location that provides a quiet environment and reduces distractions 

• Priority seating assignment 

• Oral reading of directions or written material 

• Word banks 

• Audiobooks 

• Text to speech 

• Speech to text 

• Electronic spellers 

• Electronic dictionaries 

• Formula charts 

• Adaptive learning tools and features in software programs 

Accommodations are changes to materials, actions, or techniques, including the use of technology, that enable students with disabilities to participate meaningfully in grade-level or course instruction. The use of accommodations occurs primarily during classroom instruction as educators use various instructional strategies to meet the needs of each student. A student may need an accommodation only temporarily while learning a new skill, or a student might require the accommodation throughout the school year and over several years including beyond graduation.  Decisions about which accommodations to use are very individualized and should be made for each student by that student’s ARD or Section 504 committee, as appropriate. Students can, and should, play a significant role in choosing and using accommodations. Students need to know what accommodations are possible, and then, based on knowledge of their personal strengths and limitations, they select and try accommodations that might be useful for them. The more input students have in their own accommodation choices, the more likely it is that they will use and benefit from the accommodations.  When making decisions about accommodations, instruction is always the foremost priority. Not all accommodations used in the classroom are allowed during a state assessment. However, an educator’s ability to meet the individual needs of a student with dyslexia or provide support for the use of an accommodation should not be limited by whether an accommodation is allowable on a state assessment. 

In order to make accommodation decisions for students, educators should have knowledge of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and how a student performs in relation to them. Educators should also collect and analyze data pertaining to the use and effectiveness of accommodations (e.g., assignment/test scores with and without the accommodation, observational reports from parents and teachers) so that informed educational decisions can be made for each student. By analyzing data, an educator can determine if the accommodation becomes inappropriate or unnecessary over time due to the student’s changing needs. Likewise, data can confirm for the educator that the student still struggles in certain areas and should continue to use the accommodation.  For more information about accommodations, see Accommodations for students with Disabilities available at https://dyslexiaida.org/accommodations-for-students-with-dyslexia/. 

Access to Instructional Materials for Students with Disabilities 

Accessible instructional materials (AIM) are textbooks and related core instructional materials that have been converted into specialized formats (e.g., Braille, audio, digital text, or large print) for students who are blind or have low vision, have a physical disability, or have a reading disability such as dyslexia. Digital books or text-to-speech functions on computers and mobile devices provide access to general education curriculum for students with dyslexia. Bookshare and Learning Ally provide electronic access to digitally recorded materials for students with print disabilities. TEA provides links to these resources as well as other accessible instructional materials for students with disabilities at https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/state-adopted-instructional-materials/accessible-instructional-materials.