Framework for Access and Belonging

It is important to understand that both the law and the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s policy support placement in the general education classroom with supplementary aids and services as the least restrictive environment (LRE) for students with disabilities. With the FAB process,  Supplementary aids and services (SaS) is brought to the forefront along with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to foster meaningful inclusion in the general education environment. 

The Framework for Access and Belonging (FAB) is a structured process to analyze the instructional, physical, and social environment of a general education setting from the perspective of an individual student. The intended outcome of using the FAB is to have an implementation plan, through the use of SaS with UDL, that expands participation and learning for a student with a disability.

The first step in the framework is to survey each FAB team member to identify the student’s strengths and barriers to learning and/ or belonging. Next, with support from a FAB Facilitator, the team will review the data and create an action plan. Using one or more of the suggested tools in this publication provides a solid foundation of student-specific information. The final step in the FAB process is to monitor student progress to determine how the strategy or strategies have impacted the student’s access and belonging.