I enjoyed working on this blog post because it helped me to learn more about the differences between the two plans. Ironically, I work in a middle school where I share an office with a Speech Language Pathologist (who attends IEP meetings several times a week), I visit classrooms and sit in meetings all day so I hear these terms all of the time. Some of my students even have them (mostly 504's). Yet, until now I never fully understood the complete difference between the two.
I think that it is interesting how a student may have an IEP and that would cover any accommodations that they would have from a 504 because a 504 is strictly outlining accommodations for the student. However, a 504 would never be extensive enough to cover all of the special learning needs for a student with an IEP. Unfortunately, as Swanson and Laviano (Swanson & Laviano, 2013) mentioned in their video, many times schools will administer a 504 to a student who actually needs an IEP simply because the 504 requires less work and effort to put in place. This does a disservice to the student. I am hopeful that with more education, people will learn to do what is in the child's best interest because ultimately that is best for society as a whole. I have the wonderful opportunity of being able to educate parents about the differences and how they can best advocate for their children. I am grateful to be armed with this new knowledge.
References
Great Schools. (2012, November 12). What is
special education? Retrieved from YouTube: https://youtu.be/9DktV772njY
Logsdon, A. (2014, November 25). Section 504 -
Learn About Section 504 in Public Schools. Retrieved from About.com: http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/disabilitylaws/p/Section504.htm
Swanson, J., & Laviano, J. (2013, September 1). IDEA
Basics: (504 Plan) How is an IEP Different from a 504 Plan? Retrieved
from YouTube: https://youtu.be/sJ2KlmG5OV0
The Nemours Foundation. (1995-2015). Individualized
Education Programs IEPs. Retrieved from Kids Health:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/iep.html#
University of Washington. (2013, January 24). What's
the Difference Between and IEP and a 504? Retrieved from DO-IT:
http://www.washington.edu/doit/what-difference-between-iep-and-504-plan