Do accommodations give students with a learning disability or ADHD an unfair advantage?
Absolutely not, they are designed to allow equality in terms of maximizing educational functioning and success. These disabilities cannot be manipulated or altered to meet the criteria for identification which may necessitate additional accommodations. Since many children diagnosed with these issues are able to satisfy the criteria necessary for successful educational performance, the accommodations merely give the student the opportunity to do so.
A. No. Accommodations are based on the nature of the disability and the academic environment. The purpose is to provide the student with an environment to obtain information and demonstrate mastery of the information being tested by minimizing or eliminating the impact of the disability. Accommodations are to level the playing field, not provide unfair advantage.
