Accommodations/uh-KAH-muh-DAY-shuns/
Changes to environment, tools, timing, or expectations that remove barriers so people can participate equally. Not special treatment or lowered standards—just different paths to the same destination.
Andy says:
Think of glasses. They don't give someone super-vision or an unfair advantage—they remove the barrier that prevents clear sight. Accommodations work the same way. Your noise-canceling headphones aren't cheating at focus; they're removing a barrier. Your extended deadline isn't lowering the bar; it's accounting for time blindness. The work stays the same quality—you just get there differently. When people say accommodations are "unfair," ask if they think wheelchair ramps give unfair advantages too.
Detailed Explanation
Accommodations are barrier removals that level the playing field. They change HOW tasks are done, not WHAT is expected. For neurodivergent people, this often means adjusting sensory environment, time structures, communication formats, or task design.
Common accommodation categories:
- Sensory: Lighting control, noise management, scent-free spaces
- Time/Pace: Extended deadlines, flexible scheduling, transition buffers
- Information: Written instructions, visual schedules, chunked tasks
- Communication: Text options, meeting agendas, AAC acceptance
- Task Design: Clear first steps, body doubling, alternative formats
The key principle: Accommodations address environmental barriers, not personal deficits. They're about accessibility, not advantage.
Everyday Life Examples
School: Maya gets extra test time—not because she knows less, but because retrieving information takes longer with ADHD. She demonstrates the same knowledge, just needs more time to access it.
Work: Tom works from home twice weekly. Not a perk—it's accommodation for sensory overload from open office noise. His productivity doubles on remote days.
Daily life: Sarah shops with sunglasses and headphones. Not being antisocial—managing fluorescent lights and background music that cause physical pain. With accommodations, she can shop independently.
Practical Strategies
Getting accommodations:
- Start with one specific need
- Document what helps you succeed
- Frame as removing barriers, not asking favors
- Know your legal rights (ADA, IDEA, etc.)
- Connect with advocacy groups for support
Common helpful accommodations:
- Quiet workspace or noise-canceling headphones
- Written follow-ups to verbal instructions
- Flexible hours or work-from-home options
- Movement breaks and fidget tools
- Advance notice of changes
Making accommodations stick:
- Get agreements in writing
- Regular check-ins about effectiveness
- Adjust as needs change
- Build relationships with accommodation providers
Quick Tips
- Today: Identify one barrier you face regularly
- This week: Research one accommodation that could help
- This month: Request one accommodation formally
- Long-term: Build accommodations into your life systems
Community Context
The neurodivergent community emphasizes:
- Accommodations are rights, not favors
- Universal design benefits everyone
- Self-advocacy is learned, not innate
- Accommodations reduce masking and prevent burnout
Community wisdom: "The only unfair thing about accommodations is having to fight for them."
Do / Don't
Do's
- Normalize accommodations as standard tools
- Document all agreements in writing
- Review and adjust regularly
- Educate others about their purpose
- Build flexibility into systems proactively
Don'ts
- Don't require diagnosis for basic accommodations
- Don't treat accommodations as special favors
- Don't remove them as punishment or "tests"
- Don't assume one size fits all
- Don't make requesting harder than necessary
For Families and Caregivers
Your role in accommodations:
- Observe what helps your family member succeed
- Advocate in systems that resist accommodations
- Normalize accommodations as tools, not crutches
- Teach self-advocacy skills early
- Document what works for future reference
Remember: Fighting for accommodations is exhausting. Your support makes the difference between access and exclusion.
For Schools and Workplaces
Educators: Build accommodations into your teaching:
- Offer multiple ways to demonstrate learning
- Provide materials in various formats
- Create sensory-friendly classroom spaces
- Allow movement and fidget tools
- Give advance notice of changes
Employers: Make workplaces accessible:
- Flexible scheduling and remote options
- Quiet spaces for focused work
- Written documentation of expectations
- Regular feedback and check-ins
- Sensory-friendly office options
Intersectionality & Variation
- Class: Paid accommodations create inequality; advocate for free/low-cost options
- Race: BIPOC individuals face additional barriers to accommodation access
- Gender: Women often have accommodations dismissed as "anxiety"
- Age: Children need different accommodations than adults
- Culture: Some cultures stigmatize accommodations more than others
Related Terms
- Universal Design - Creating systems accessible to all from the start
- Modifications - Changing what's expected, not just how it's done
- Accessibility - Broader concept of making things usable by everyone
- Reasonable Accommodation - Legal term for required workplace changes
- 504 Plan/IEP - Formal accommodation plans in US schools
Related Terms
Neuroaffirming
Creating spaces, practices, and attitudes that accept and support neurodivergent people as they are, rather than trying to change, fix, or hide their differences.
Executive Dysfunction
Difficulties with the brain's management system for planning, organizing, initiating, and completing tasks. Like having all the pieces but struggling to assemble them in the right order at the right time.
Sensory Processing Disorder
A condition where the nervous system has trouble receiving and responding to sensory information. People may be over-sensitive, under-sensitive, or both to different sensory inputs.
Masking
Hiding or suppressing neurodivergent traits to appear more neurotypical. A survival strategy that involves mimicking social behaviors, suppressing stims, and performing neurotypicality at significant personal cost.
Universal Design
Design principles that create products, environments, and systems usable by the widest possible range of people without requiring specialized adaptations. Not "special accommodations"—building accessibility into the foundation so everyone benefits from design that works better for all.
Community Contributions
Your contributions help make definitions more accurate and accessible.