504 plans - Students

Whether you already have a 504 plan, or are getting a 504 plan, the most important thing is to ask for what you need.

• In the 504 meeting, you get to say what you think would be helpful to you. You know yourself the best, so ask.

• It's easy to feel nervous about what others might think of you, but remember that you deserve to have your needs met.

• In school, ask to use your accommodations. Your teacher isn't going to tell you to go to the testing center, for example. You have to say, "I would like to take my test in the testing center."

You deserve to use your accommodations. Here's how to cope if you don't want to.

1. You don't want to stand out or feel different. You're worried what others might think.

   • Shame is a strong emotion, but you deserve your challenges to be accommodated. You don't need to struggle to be successful.

2. You don't believe your accommodations will work.

   • You have to try them to know that. If accommodations don't help, they can be changed. But you can't change them if you haven't tried them.

3. You don't want to ask, or forget to ask.

   • Asking is super important. If you don't want to or keep forgetting, ask your teacher privately with help so you don't have to ask all the time or don't have to remember. Get help with asking.

4. You don't want to admit to needing help.

   • This is a hard one for me. We all need help from time to time. It's okay that you need this help.

5. The accommodation doesn't actually work.

   • Once you know that, you can ask for a different accommodation. Good job trying that and figuring it out.

References

Morin, A. (n.d.). 9 reasons kids refuse accommodations. Understood. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://www.understood.org/en/articles/9-reasons-kids-might-refuse-to-use-accommodations