Everyone Benefits from Integrated Accommodations
By Amelia Menk Brown
When we talk to students with learning differences, a resounding piece of feedback we hear is that they don’t want to feel different. Of course, this is natural for adolescents and young adults who are immersed in the process of forming their identities. Even while the desire to individualize is strong, even stronger is the desire to be included. This poses a challenge for learners who need assistive technology that is different from what the majority of the class is using. One dyslexic seventh-grader told us that she won’t use audio accommodations in class because she has to wear headphones, and this makes her visually different. And yet, when she conforms, she puts herself at a disadvantage for learning. How might we address this problem for learners who require accommodations? Could the solution also provide hidden advantages for the classroom community as a whole?
Integrated Accommodations
When a student is diagnosed with a learning disability, it is common for schools to offer accommodations, or tools and processes that assist and improve classroom learning to better serve that individual’s needs. Often, accommodations are offered as a different pathway from what the majority of students do in the classroom. While most students in the classroom receive one experience, the accommodated student receives another, thus increasing the likelihood of feeling other than their classroom community.
An integrated accommodation is built into a tool that the entire class is using. Rather than relying on a different pathway for learning, the student requiring an accommodation can have their needs met by the same tool that the rest of the class is using. This benefits individuals with learning differences and it benefits the classroom community as a whole by creating a cohesive learning community.
| Benefits of Integrated Accommodations | |
| For the Classroom Community | For Students with Accommodations |
| Classroom process and management is simpler. | Accommodations for learning are accessible and therefore more likely to be adopted. |
| Mainstream learners have the advantage of working side-by-side with students with learning disabilities, giving them access to new ways of thinking, problem solving, and analysis. | There are no visual signs of being different from the rest of the classroom community. |
Flexible Workflows and Assignments
Classroom assignments typically come with a request for the student to produce something: answers, an essay, a presentation. When that product is required to be delivered in a singular, specific format, it likely represents an ideal demonstration of knowledge for only one subset of students. A recent Education Week article written by a high school student with dyslexia illuminates this in sharp relief: “Everyone is different in the way they process information and learn. If we only teach content in one way, we are discriminating against students whose brains work differently. We must take note of this bias and implement more accessible instruction in classrooms to guarantee these students the right to their deserved futures.”1
What if proof of learning could be submitted in various forms? A far broader group of students would have the advantage of being able to optimally demonstrate their knowledge. A great example of this is provided by Chris Robbins, a high school English teacher at The Wellington School in Columbus, Ohio. She introduces the class’s end-of-term project with the following statement: “Whenever a student takes a course, that student does not necessarily remember every single thing from the course when they reflect on the experience later in life. However, a teacher hopes that the student takes away at least one important aspect/understanding/idea. The goal of your final project is to demonstrate what you took away from this course.” She goes on to tell students that their project can “take any form–a paper, an art project with an artist statement, a poster, a recorded video.” In providing this flexibility, Chris allows for each student to submit evidence of their learning in a format that honors the way they best process and communicate information.
| Benefits of Flexible Workflows and Assignments | |
| For the Classroom Community | For Students with Accommodations |
| The ability to select the workflow and format of an assignment extends the benefits of individualization to every student. Even though mainstream students may not have an official learning accommodation, they certainly have strengths and preferences. When these are honored, their performance and love for learning is likely to increase. | The ability to select the workflow and format of an assignment allows students with learning differences to demonstrate their learning in a way that conforms to their strengths, thus creating an equitable learning environment. |
Centering Multimedia Information
One of the most common learning accommodations is providing information in another format. For example, while most of the class reads a hard copy text, a dyslexic student may be given an audiobook. Research conducted by Knowzy from 2023 to 2025 tells us that 100% of secondary and post-secondary students are learning every day through multimedia sources. While text is still the most common medium by which students consume academic information, the large majority begin with digital text rather than a book or a hardcopy of an article. eSchoolnews reports that “ninety-seven percent of educational professionals say that video is essential to students’ academic experiences and success.”2 Additionally, nearly a quarter of Americans are audiobook readers3, and seventy-five percent have listened to a digital audio source in the last month4. There is no doubt that multi-media has become mainstream.
When we center multimedia information in classrooms, we are not only serving those learners who need that format as an accommodation, we are meeting all learners where they are. The nature of literacy itself has evolved to become truly multi-media, and it is essential that we approach literacy education with this recognition.
| Benefits of Centering Multimedia Information | |
| For the Classroom Community | For Students with Accommodations |
| Literacy has changed to be inherently multi-media in nature. When we center multimedia learning in the classroom, we meet students where they are with the media that they are using every day. Further, we are preparing them for a future as media literate citizens, which is required for success in today’s job market. | Students with learning disabilities often need to access information via specific media formats. When multimedia instruction is centered in the classroom, a separate accommodation is not necessary because it is already present. |
Sources
- Lesny, M. J. (2025, February 13). This is my reality as a student with dyslexia (opinion). Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-this-is-my-reality-as-a-student-with-dyslexia/2024/08
- Ascione, L. (2022, February 8). Many educators say video is more effective than text-based content. eSchool News. https://www.eschoolnews.com/classroom-innovations/2022/02/08/many-educators-say-video-is-more-effective-than-text-based-content/
- Watson, A. (n.d.). Topic: Audiobooks in the U.S. Statista. https://www.statista.com/topics/3296/audiobooks/#editorsPicks
- Pew Research Center. (2023, June 15). Audio and podcasting fact sheet. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/audio-and-podcasting/
