504 Plan for Students with Disabilities
What is a 504 Plan?
A 504 Plan is a written document that outlines accommodations a school will provide for a student with disabilities. There are no set rules for what a 504 Plan should look like. It is usually a one-page document listing the accommodations for the student. It is created by the school.
504 Plans are not limited to students with specific disabilities. Students are not required to prove that their disability adversely affects their school performance. However, a student must have a “physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities” to qualify for a 504 Plan.
Examples of accommodations listed on a 504 Plan
- Allergies
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- ADD/ADHD
- Bipolar
- Cancer
- Cerebral Palsy
- AIDS
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Diabetes
- Emotionally Disturbed
- Encopresis/Enuresis
- Epilepsy
- Hearing Impairment
- Learning Disability
- Leukemia
- Orthopedically Impaired
- Student with health needs
- Substance Use Disorder
- Tourette's Syndrome
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Tuberculosis
- Visual Impairment
- Weight (obesity, anorexia,
- bulimia)
How to request a 504 Plan?
- Contact the school to request the name and email address of the 504 Plan coordinator.
- Send a written request (email or letter) to the 504 Plan coordinator asking for a 504 Plan consideration meeting.
- Attend the consideration meeting. Be prepared to provide copies of all medical diagnoses from your child’s doctor(s).
Types of accommodations
An accommodation is any change to a child’s school day that alters the academic environment or learning process but does not change the content of assigned class work. School-based 504 Plan evaluation teams decide the accommodations to best support a particular student based on their unique needs.
Examples of general accommodation types:
- Environmental Strategies. This could include giving a student a seat closer to the front of the room to help with vision or attention problems.
- Organizational Strategies. This could include personal desktop timers or special calendars to keep a student on track.
- Behavioral Strategies. This could include verbal or non-verbal positive reinforcement.
- Presentation Strategies. This could include providing outlines or study guides.
- Evaluation Methods. This could include extended time on tests or certain assignments.
Helpful tips and reminders
- The 504 Plan can be permanent or temporary depending on the child’s condition or disability.
- Federal funding requires public and charter schools to follow 504 Plans.
- Private schools do not have to honor 504 Plans.
- Your child’s school should hold annual review meetings to update your child’s 504 Plan.
- Always keep a copy of your child’s 504 Plan on-hand and readily available.