| The Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act requires all students with learning disabilities (LD) be given accommodations in general education classes to help balance their educational opportunities. In secondary public schools, the primary educators of students with LD are general education teachers; as such they are responsible for implementing accommodations. Teachers have many teaching responsibilities that can affect the implementation of the individualized educational plan (IEP) accommodations for students with LD. As a result, some teachers forego the required accommodations. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the perceptions of secondary general education teachers toward accommodations for students with LD. The main question focused on how secondary education teachers perceive their abilities to implement students with LD accommodations. A three-series interview was used with eight secondary general education teachers to gain a better understanding of current accommodation practices. NVivo8 software was used to analyze the data for selective coding. Findings indicated perceived needs for increased communication initiated by special education case managers, more self-advocacy by students with LDs, additional professional development on accommodations, additional support from school personnel in implementing accommodations, creation of a resource bank of accommodations, and more effective communication of accommodations to teachers through emails and an electronic database. In addressing these findings, positive social change will happen through schools building stronger learning systems for students with LD and consistent IEP accommodation implementation. |
