The Human Side of Accommodations: What Every IEP Should Include

One of the greatest tensions in inclusive education is that the effectiveness of many accommodations depends on the person providing them, yet Individual Education Plans are not intended to assign people. Parents often find themselves caught between these two realities. They know relationships matter. They know their child learns differently depending on who is supporting them. They know that one staff member may be a better fit than another, whether that is the classroom teacher, an Educational Assistant, or another member of the school team. Yet when they ask for a specific teacher or Educational Assistant, they are usually told that staffing decisions cannot be written into an IEP.

That response is generally correct, but it often leaves families feeling as though they have no meaningful way to advocate for the human aspects of accommodation.

The solution is not to write a person into the IEP. The solution is to weave the human aspects of accommodation into the accommodation itself. Every accommodation delivered by another human being has two components: the accommodation itself and the conditions necessary for it to be implemented effectively.

For example, an IEP might state that a student will have access to a scribe for written assignments. While this identifies the accommodation, it does not describe the conditions that make it effective. A stronger accommodation might recognize that scribing will be provided by staff who are familiar with the student's communication style, learning profile, and documented accommodations, who understand the purpose and boundaries of scribing, and who will provide the accommodation in a manner that promotes trust, consistency, and psychological safety. The accommodation could also specify that, wherever reasonably possible, consistency in implementation should be maintained to support relationship building and predictability. The accommodation itself has not changed, but the expectations surrounding its implementation have become much clearer.

This highlights something that is often overlooked. Relationships are not an accommodation in themselves, but they are often part of how an accommodation works. Learning is deeply relational. Trust, predictability, and psychological safety influence a student's ability to communicate, regulate, take risks, solve problems, and engage in learning. When accommodations are delivered through another person, the quality of that relationship inevitably becomes part of how the accommodation is experienced. This is why consistency, collaboration, and thoughtful implementation matter. They are not simply good practice; they are conditions that help accommodations achieve their intended purpose.

The same thinking can be applied to almost any accommodation delivered by another person. Rather than simply identifying what support will be provided, an effective IEP describes the conditions necessary for that support to remove barriers to learning. This may include recognizing the importance of consistency wherever reasonably possible, outlining how staff responsible for implementation will collaborate, identifying the knowledge required to implement the accommodation effectively, and establishing how the team will review whether the accommodation is achieving its intended purpose. These are not staffing decisions. They are implementation expectations, and they belong in an IEP because they directly influence whether an accommodation creates meaningful access to education.

Perhaps the most important shift is recognizing that a well-written accommodation should survive a staffing change. If an accommodation only works because one particular staff member understands your child, then the accommodation itself may not be sufficiently described. A strong IEP establishes the conditions necessary for effective implementation so that meaningful access to learning does not depend upon one individual.

This also provides parents with a roadmap when accommodations are not working. Rather than focusing immediately on changing the person, begin by reviewing the accommodation itself. Is it being implemented as described in the IEP? Are the implementation expectations being met? Does the person providing the accommodation understand the student's learning profile, communication style, and documented accommodations? Is there appropriate collaboration between members of the school team? Is the accommodation being delivered in a way that promotes trust, consistency, and psychological safety? Most importantly, is the accommodation removing the barrier it was intended to address? If the answer to any of these questions is no, request an IEP review. The purpose of that meeting is not to assign a different person. It is to strengthen the accommodation so that it can be implemented effectively by whoever is responsible for delivering it.

An IEP is not a document that is written once and filed away. It is a living document that should be reviewed whenever accommodations are not effectively removing barriers to learning. Parents should feel empowered to request an IEP review, revisit the accommodation, and discuss whether the implementation reflects what was originally intended. Sometimes the accommodation itself needs to be refined. Sometimes expectations around implementation need to be clarified. Sometimes the conversation reveals that additional collaboration, planning, or professional learning is needed to ensure the accommodation is meaningful.

Parents generally cannot write a specific teacher, Educational Assistant, or other staff member into an IEP.

They can, however, write the conditions necessary for accommodations to succeed.

Because relationships are often part of how accommodations work. And when accommodations are delivered by people, the person becomes part of the accommodation.