Activities 8 and 9

Advocating for Accommodations without Assistance

What Students Do

Students prepare and practice a statement requesting accommodations. After rehearsing with a special education teacher, they request accommodations in a general education class. Students are now asked to use what they have been learning about themselves in order to get what they need. These activities might best be introduced at the end of the 9th grade year or the beginning of the 10th.

Planning

If you haven't done so yet, it is time to alert the general staff to what you are encouraging your students to do. The students may appear demanding until they refine their self-advocacy skills. A prepared teacher may listen differently to the students' request and therefore give more valuable feedback. Time spent preparing students for their presentation to teachers (Activity 8) should make the request for accommodations (Activity 9) go smoothly. Activity 8 includes a worksheet titled Self-Advocacy Speech Worksheet It will help your students organize their ideas.

Introducing the Activities

Explain that in the past they have learned about their learning strengths and preferences; their disabilities and the resulting limitations; the nature and effect of accommodations; and that they have made a plan for accommodations that will help them in class. They are now going to prepare and advocate for their own accommodations. Share how in Activity 5 they had tried out one or more accommodations and that you had made those arrangements with their teachers. Now they will be making their own arrangements with your help. First they will review what they have learned, then they will write and practice a request, and finally they will make their request.