Human brains are diverse — shaped by a combination of personal experiences, genetics and unique circumstances. A classroom with diverse minds means that people learn in different ways, and certain accommodations allow students with disabilities to learn more effectively and reach their fullest potential.
The laws
Three key laws mandate accommodations for students with disabilities: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination in public schools and requires schools to provide accommodations to students with disabilities who may not qualify for special education services.
The IDEA required schools to locate, identify and evaluate students who may qualify for special education services. This act ensures eligible students have access to a free public education via an Individualized Education Plan.
Passed 15 years after the IDEA, the ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability status. This applies to any entity that provides goods or services to the public — including public schools. The ADA also requires accommodations be accessible to people with disabilities.
In the 2020-21 school year, 8.4 million students with disabilities were enrolled in public schools in the United States, 6.8 million were served under IDEA and 1.6 million under Section 504, according to the Civil Rights Data Collection survey. A student with a disability can have an IEP and a 504 plan concurrently, or may not qualify for accommodations at all.
Students with IEPs generally require more support at school than those with 504s. Most IEPs will include specially designed instruction, meaning that some portion of their day is spent in a self-contained classroom with guidance. Students with IEPs require an annual counselor check-in to ensure their plan is still working, whereas students who have 504s tend to have milder accommodations and only have to check in once every three years.
Students with disabilities by Evelyn Kraber
The process
For some, receiving accommodations is straightforward, but for others, it can be a taxing and lengthy process.
If a student or their guardian believes the student’s disability substantially limits major life activities such as seeing, moving or learning, the student may qualify for accommodations under Section 504. The first step is to formally request an evaluation; parents have to sign a consent form and the student may discuss concerns with their counselor.
Next, the school counselor collects data. While medical documentation is not required to receive accommodations, it can be helpful. The student’s teachers also complete forms which ask questions like “Does the student have significant difficulty with organizational skills?” or “Does the student have significant difficulty with group work?”
To ensure comprehensive information, guardians meet with the student’s counselor and an admin, usually Jenny Eustice, West’s 504 Coordinator, to go over the student’s needs and feedback from the forms. Students are welcome to participate in this meeting as well.
After collection, the student’s counselor and an administrator analyze the data to determine whether or not a student’s disability is “substantially limiting.” Section 504 does not define what that term entails, leaving the decision to be determined by each Local Education Agency, in this case the ICCSD.
“For the most part, they’re pretty cut and dry. Either it’s very clear that you need this accommodation, or there’s no data to support that you do. If they’re in between, then we seek more information,” West High counselor Kelly Bergmann said.
However, in some situations, students’ needs are accommodated without a 504 plan. For example, students can access a quiet space to take tests with their teachers’ permission.
If it is determined that the student qualifies for accommodations, the team decides what accommodations would be most beneficial to the student, including extra time on tests, preferential seating or adjusted passing time.
After the 504 plan is in place, it is sent directly to the student’s teachers and becomes accessible in Infinite Campus. By law, teachers must follow the plan and can ask the administration for details.
Student experiences
Because 504 plans can vary greatly, and the process of acquiring one is different for everyone.
Abby Van Every ’26, who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, recalls their first memory of feeling isolated from their peers and struggling in school.
“When I was in second grade, I was taking a standardized test, and all of the other students were able to finish it within two hours, [but] I spent the entire day working on that test because my mind would keep wandering. It was miserable,” Van Every said.
After that experience, Van Every’s mom, Kathryn Steffen, decided to get them evaluated for ADHD. After receiving the diagnosis, she pushed for Van Every’s accommodations. Van Every’s counselor and teacher told Steffen that Van Every would have to be observed. Over the next year, Steffen met with the team numerous times before finally obtaining a 504 plan.
“The delays and denials were frustrating as we had medical professionals telling us we needed the accommodations,” Steffen wrote in an email. “We were lucky that we had the time and resources to keep pursuing a case with the school. Not everyone has that ability.”
Van Every didn’t face the same difficulties while organizing accommodations at West because they already had a plan in place. Now, they can take extra time on tests whilst in a smaller setting.
“[My 504 plan is] so important. It takes a lot of pressure off, so even if I don’t use it, I know that it’s a backup,” Van Every said.
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For Caroline Vander Weg ’26, getting a 504 plan was much easier than expected. Beginning her junior year, Vander Weg was diagnosed with autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder and decided to pursue a 504 plan a few months later.
Initially, Vander Weg wasn’t sure if her request for accommodations would be approved. Her grades were fine, and her teacher feedback forms didn’t show strong indication of needing accommodations.
“When my counselor got feedback from my teachers, my teacher[s] were all like, ‘Yeah, she’s fine,’ especially my French teacher, [who] said he was shocked that I might need accommodations,” Vander Weg said. “[I was] worried that I would go ignored just because my support needs aren’t as visible on the outside.”
West High Counselor Shannon Arkfeld decided to go ahead with a parent-student meeting regardless, saying she recognized that grades aren’t everything and that not everyone’s struggles are visible. As a result, Vander Weg’s request for a 504 plan ultimately got approved.
“It’s been really nice, especially with the phone ban recently, to still have my headphones because they’re noise canceling, and I can play music,” Vander Weg said. “That’s been nice to reduce overstimulation, and it’s also helped me feel more supported at school — I have resources if I need them.”
Though the goal of 504s is to provide equal footing to those with disabilities, not every student is satisfied with their plan. Katherine Gilbertson-White ’27 is one of these students. She was diagnosed with ADHD in third grade, and is currently in the process of getting diagnosed with autism. Despite being a strong student academically, Gilbertson-White faced issues with behavior in elementary school, which led to her receiving an ADHD diagnosis. While these behavioral patterns weren’t the motivation for receiving her diagnosis, Gilbertson-White’s rising academic issues convinced her she would benefit from a 504 plan.
“Around the middle of last year, I was doing generally worse than I usually would in class. I was talking to my therapist and psychiatrist, and we had them sign some forms, and they sent it to the school,” Gilbertson-White said.
Gilbertson-White organized accommodations such as extended time on homework and getting larger projects broken up into smaller assignments. While these accommodations were helpful, it wasn’t exactly what she thought it would be. Though Gilbertson-White advocated for other accommodations, she was denied due to her academic performance.
“They told me [they couldn’t just say] ‘Oh, you have ADHD. You can have any of the things that could possibly be related to it,’” Gilbertson-White said. “Since I’ve always gotten very good grades, I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve noticed a drop from like an A to a C+,’ and they said, ‘That isn’t enough to qualify; you’re not doing worse than your peers. You’re not doing poorly — you’re doing normal.’”
After acquiring the result from her most recent evaluation, Gilbertson-White hopes to request changes to her current accommodations. Gilberson-White hopes that an autism diagnosis will help her be able to qualify for more time on tests, a private testing location and noise-canceling headphones.
While acquiring an IEP or 504 plan can seem long and daunting, the process is necessary for students with disabilities because classrooms can’t be a “one size fits all.” One small accommodation is a big step for a student’s learning capabilities and future goals.
“I’ve watched [Van Every] go from struggling in math in elementary school because of time limits and distractions to a straight A student in AP courses in high school,” Steffen wrote. “Having those accommodations in place has made a huge difference, not only in [their] grades, but [also boosted] their confidence in their ability [to learn]. They not only know the content but can demonstrate it on tests, which now opens doors that were otherwise closed.”
This story was originally published on West Side Story on February 28, 2025.
