504 Plan Explained

What is a 504 plan?

The “504” in a 504 Plan refers to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 is written to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities.  Because of this law, students with disabilities enrolled in public school must be given equal opportunities to learn.

Students with disabilities must be provided with any accommodations necessary to provide access to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). In other words, it is their right. A 504 plan formally and legally documents these accommodations.

What is an accommodation?

An accommodation is an action that a teacher, administration, or school facility puts in place to meet the needs of a student with a disability. 504 Plan accommodations can stand alone without the need for specially designed instruction within special education.

For example, your student might find it difficult to get to class on time due to a doctor-diagnosed disability (motor impairment, anxiety disorder, vision impairment, etc.). A 504 Plan could document an accommodation such as giving your child extra time to get to class, or allowing the use of an elevator.  Accommodations under section 504 may be the support your child needs to be successful in school.

How does someone get 504 accommodations?

Do you have a student who:

• – Has as a diagnosed disability?
• – Does not require or is not eligible for special education?
• – Needs accommodations to be successful in the school environment?

To inquire about a 504 plan, you need to contact your school counselor or administrator, in writing. Firstly, your note will request an initial 504 evaluation meeting. Secondly, in your communication, you will need to provide your child’s signed and dated diagnosis. Finally, you should also provide detail for any ideas you might have or any teacher strategies already in place which assist with your child’s success in school.

Have questions, or need assistance getting a plan set up? Get in touch, and we can discuss your specific situation. 

What about accommodations without a 504 Plan?

In some situations, teachers are already naturally helpful to students with disabilities who are in need of accommodation. This is a wonderful situation to be in. However, you should still proceed to get explicit documentation of these accommodations in a formalized 504 Plan. 

Too many times undocumented accommodations are working well for a student with a particular teacher or team. However, when they switch teachers or schools, the accommodations that worked for them are not passed along. When this happens, you have to go through the 504-process, from scratch, with staff who are unfamiliar with teaching and accommodating your student. 

If your child is being accommodated, put it into a 504 Plan as a team. This will create a document that will precede your child to their next grade level, teacher, or school.

For more details on 504 Plans, the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has a helpful FAQ section.