Accommodations are like ladders. Not always necessary for some, but for those who can’t quite “reach,” are indispensable in helping level the playing field.
As teachers, we are always thinking to ourselves:
How can I help my students be successful in the least restrictive environment? The answer? Accommodations!
Individualized accommodations are the number one way we can help students be successful in school and beyond. Below is a list of some of the most common accommodations used for students with learning disabilities:
- Use of audiobooks for help reading grade-level textbooks, fiction, literature and other materials that may otherwise be inaccessible
- Use of graphic organizers for writing and organizational help
- Use of assistive technology including screen readers, typing programs, and apps to support individualized learning goals
- Ability to have material, including tests/quizzes/assignments, read aloud
- Allow for assignments to be typed
- For writing: grade on content, not spelling or grammar
- Enlarged text or print when necessary
- Limit text on assignments; utilize picture clues
- Extended time on assignments
Thousands of teachers across the country are utilizing accommodations like these to change the game for their students with reading disabilities, like dyslexia. A great resource to help is Learning Ally. Founded in 1948, Learning Ally has served millions of students in K-12, college and graduate school, along with veterans and lifelong learners – all of whom cannot read standard print due to learning differences like dyslexia; blindness and visual impairment; and other physical disabilities. Learning Ally’s programs and services enable parents, teachers and schools to help students with print disabilities succeed in education and prepare for productive careers. The organization offers integrated learning management systems and professional development for teachers, as well as support for parents through personal consultations, webinars and other tools. In addition, Learning Ally’s collection of 80,000 human-narrated textbooks and literature titles can be downloaded on mainstream smartphones and tablets, and is the largest of its kind in the world.
Learning Ally consistently develops new resources for teachers, based on research, best practices and most importantly, feedback from educators. Learning Ally and its educators are proud to introduce brand new resources for this school year.
New Teacher Resources, by Learning Ally
In one of its newest projects, Learning Ally has taken some of its top downloaded
VOICEtext titles and created graphic organizers, lesson plans, assignments and more for educators and students in grade K-12.
Designed by teachers, for teachers, these materials were created with accommodations in mind. All materials are easily downloadable PDF files which can be read by screen readers. Student assignments and guided reading questions include fillable PDF boxes for the ability to type answers (great for students with dysgraphia), and all student assignments utilize a specialized font with limited text to allow for maximum student reading success.
Let Learning Ally be your partner in boosting student achievement through audiobook reading technology like this and individualized professional development. More ideas and resources, developed by educators, are available now. Visit our teacher resources page at
go.learningally.org/teacher-resource-materials and discover how we can be your ally in helping make reading accessible for all.
To submit feedback/comments/suggestions about Learning Ally’s teacher resource materials, please complete this short survey.
-Lindsey Lipsky
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Lindsey Lipsky is a former special education teacher and learning/behavior specialist. For over five years, Lindsey worked with students who had severe reading and learning disabilities in both self-contained and co-taught settings. She has been trained in programs such as the Wilson Reading System and Language! for students with dyslexia and other reading delays. Lindsey has a master’s degree in special education and has been with Learning Ally since 2012.