From Uninformed to Informed: Using Collabative and Proactive Solutions to Build Accommodations

The accommodation process in schools often follows a familiar pattern. A child struggles. Adults notice the struggle and attempt to solve the problem. Sometimes a diagnosis is pursued, and once that diagnosis is in place, accommodations are provided with the intention of removing barriers so the child can access their education. On the surface, this looks like a logical, supportive process. But in practice, it is flawed. It assumes adults can identify barriers without the child’s voice, it ties support to labels and paperwork, and it too often results in generic, unilateral accommodations that don’t address the real problems. If we want true inclusion, this process needs to change.

The truth is, students do not need a diagnosis in order to have their barriers identified and removed. Human rights law protects students who are perceived to have a disability, and schools have a duty to accommodate whether or not a formal assessment is in place. Waiting for paperwork before responding only delays support and leaves students struggling longer than necessary.

Accommodations are supposed to remove barriers, but when they are offered without being informed by the child, they often do not work. They may look good on paper, yet fail to address the actual struggles. Sometimes they even add new obstacles. If a support doesn’t work, it isn’t because the child has failed, it’s because the accommodation was never informed by their perspective. Support that isn’t informed by the individual it is meant to serve isn’t an accommodation at all. It’s a guess.

Ross Greene’s Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) model offers a way forward. Instead of adults deciding what a child “needs,” CPS begins by uncovering the unsolved problems getting in the way. Through Plan B conversations, we learn what the barrier really is and then design accommodations that are realistic and mutually satisfactory. When we understand the actual barrier, support stops being a unilateral decision and becomes a precise tools that genuinely remove obstacles. And the good news is that a diagnosis is not required for this process to be effective. CPS can also be used as a structured way to engage in the accommodation process itself, making sure that the student's voice is centered and that the supports are grounded in real barriers, not assumptions.

Traditional approaches are often reactive: a child struggles, and then accommodations are added. CPS flips that pattern. By working proactively with children, schools can address the root of the difficulty rather than surface behaviors, give students ownership of their learning, and prevent repeated cycles of frustration with ineffective supports. This isn’t just about fairness, it’s about dignity. When children are invited into the process, they are recognized as experts in their own experience.

Meeting kids where they are at and working proactively to solve the problems affecting their lives is what truly changes outcomes. Developmental variability exists in every classroom, and to honor it, we must adjust expectations and solve problems rather than offer blanket accommodations. How many students quietly reject the accommodations they are given? It happens all the time, because those supports were not developed collaboratively.

Universal Design for Learning is often held up as the answer, but UDL is not collaborative. It offers flexibility in how learning is presented, but it does not replace the need for individual, proactive problem-solving with the student. Standardized accommodation lists may be a starting point, but they cannot replace the nuanced understanding that comes from collaboration. An accommodation is only successful if it removes a barrier, and to know what those barriers are, we have to ask the student.

When accommodations are not working, they must be revisited. This is not a sign that the child has failed, but that the supports were never truly informed by their perspective. Using CPS provides a clear framework to return to the child, clarify their concerns, and reshape accommodations so they genuinely meet those concerns. The duty to facilitate accommodations is a shared responsibility of both the individual needing support and the organization providing it, to ensure a reasonable and suitable solution is found and implemented. This requires moving beyond trial and error and into a proactive, collaborative approach. It will be better for everyone. We cannot keep throwing uninformed solutions at problems or placing another adult beside a child and calling it support. CPS helps adults and children work together to design supports that actually fit, reduce stress, and create the conditions where learning feels possible.

If we want accommodations to be meaningful, they must be built through collaboration with the child at the center. This doesn’t mean adults give up their role, it means moving from prescribing supports to co-creating them. Accommodations done with children aren’t just about access. They are about belonging.

Real accommodations must be informed.
Unilateral accommodations are not inclusion.
Collaboration is not optional, it is essential.
The child’s voice is the key.