m1 Act5 Understanding Students Protected by 504 Plan

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 5

Activity 5: Understanding Students Protected by Section 504

Jean Kang

Instructions:
Read pages 245-249 in chapter 8 about students protected under Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act.
A. List 5 examples of students protected under Section 504.

A student with Asthma not serious enough to be a disability under IDEA

A student with severe allergies

A student with ADHD

A student with diabetes

A student with extraordinary difficulty in reading

B. Search the internet for an example of a 504 Plan. Include the link of the site
where you found the 504 plans. Describe 3 ways the 504 plan is different from
and IEP plan (double-space, complete sentences). Hint: The main components
of an IEP Plan can be found in chapter 2 and your Dennis the Menace IEP in
Module 2.

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/504-plans.html

https://assets.ctfassets.net/p0qf7j048i0q/5MaAgBDBsmCNNazydNAayE/58002d

b3a8c4ac79842873937d993b08/504_Sample_Plan_Printable_ENG_D4.pdf

The above links provided an example of 504 plan for a student with ADHA. It

includes, school information, team members, teacher education and support,

accommodations and services, and signature of the person who approves the

plan and date. The major component is the accommodations and services. For

example in this case, 4 accommodations were described as homework reminder

written on planner, keeping a set of textbooks at home to address organizational


skills, a quiet corner for test taking to address distractibility and an agreed on

gesture to address impulsivity.

A 504 plan is different from IEP plan in the following aspects.

1. An IEP normally consists of 8 components, they are.

a. Present level of performance

b. Annual goals and short-term objectives

c. Extent of participation in general education

d. Services and modifications needed

e. Behavior intervention plan

f. Date of initiation and frequency and duration of service and anticipated

modifications

g. Strategies for evaluation

h. Transition plan

Compared with IEP plan, a 504 plan is simpler, with the major content focusing

on accommodations and modifications needed for the student.

2. An IEP team must include the following members: The child’s parent or

caregiver, at least one general education teacher, at least one special

education teacher, one psychologist or other specialist who can interpret the

evaluation results, a district representative with special authority over the

special education services.

A 504 Plan team is less people, normally having one coordinator, one general

education teacher and one parent or guardian. A special education teacher,

psychologist and district representative are not necessary.


3. An IEP can provide specialized instructions in a special education classroom,

a 504 plan cannot provide students instructions in special education

classrooms. A 504 plan can only provide students instructions in general

education classroom.

C. Find ONE article, blog, video clip, other about the 504 Plan. In a minimum of 150
words (double-spaced, complete sentences), describe what you found is being said
about 504 Plans and Services. For example, what is happening in practice? What are
the types of services, challenges, successes? Other? At the end, include a full APA
citation for the article or piece you are citing.
I watched a YouTube video, Getting 504 accommodations: Insights from Parents.

In the video, three parents shared their experience about what made them to want to

get a 504 plan, what procedures they took to accomplish the 504 plan, and what team

members were included in the meeting. It serves a good introduction lesson for those

parents who want to establish a 504 Plan for their children, also a case study for

students who learn about Special Education, like me.

It looks like all parents have a positive affirmation about the 504 Plan. They all

thought that the plan would be helpful for their kids. The first parent thought that her kid

needed an accommodation for test taking because he was facing an Ohio State test. It

looks like the procedure was easy to establish. The school was very cooperative. She

went in school three times a year to see how the plan went. And they evaluated and

modified the plan every year. The parent did not describe exactly what functional

disability her kid had. But it seemed like that he was unable comprehend questions in

tests. This is a limitation of learning, one of the major activities described in the Section

504 plan (Friend M. & Bursuck, M.D., 2019). I was impressed by the smooth process
that this parent experienced. And the school seems to be very supporting in her pursuit

of the 504 Plan.

In contrast, the second parent seemed to have to overcome some frictions in the

process of pursuing a 504 plan for her child. She mentioned that she went to the child’s

physician and got the educational document about arthritis to prepare for the school

meeting. She said that not everyone understood the issue. So, she had to accumulate

evidences and materials to educate the school staff. And it looks like that she walked

extra miles to secure support from her County’s Compliance Officer, and online support

from an online advocacy group. She also recommended these to other parents. The

good news is that she finally secured the 504 Plan for her child. I hope that the 504 Plan

did help her and her child eventually as expected.

And in the case of the last parent, she also pursued the 504 Plan for her child

because of her arthritis that made her often miss school for physical therapies and other

medical treatment. She needed the plan to have her absence excused. This is an

accommodation for a regular classroom. And in this case, she commented that her child

was also included in the school meeting for setting up the plan, which we know is not

required (. She did feel that it took a lot to reach the plan. But she was happy that it was

finally made successful.

Overall, parents must be prepared to go through the relatively long-wind

procedure in pursuit of 504 plan. Many cases may demand parents to advocate and

pursue it than be given because many issues that limit the child learning or other

activities are hidden and not easy to be identified. And in some cases, parents need to

walk extra miles to get the support from more resources for a successful result. Once
the 504 Plan is established, it looks like children are greatly helped, difficulties are

overcome, and parents are happy. I believe that there are cases that are not as smooth

as these cases, they may need more effort from parents even after the

accommodations were established. It may need continuous monitoring and

modification, which also needs more input and cooperation from both parents and

schools.

References

A Comparison of ADA, IDEA, and Section 504. (2020, February 06). Retrieved July 06,

2020, from https://dredf.org/legal-advocacy/laws/a-comparison-of-ada-idea-and-

section-504/

Getting 504 accommodations: Insights from Parents (June 11,2014) Retrieved on July 6, 2020

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9WqayAXVvk

Friend, M. & Bursuck, W. D. (2019) Including Students with Special Needs: A Practical

Guide for Classroom Teachers (8th Ed.). New York, NY: Pearson

You might also like