Glossary
Section 504 plan
A Section 504 plan is the written record of the accommodations a US public school provides to a student with a disability, under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It is a civil rights arrangement and differs from an Individualized Education Program (IEP), which comes from special education law.
Updated October 16, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called 504 plan.
A Section 504 plan, often called a 504 plan, is the written record of the accommodations a US public school gives a student with a disability. The plan comes from Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under that law, a school district must provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to each qualified student with a disability in its jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability 1. The plan is where the school usually writes down how it will meet that duty for one student.
A 504 plan is about access to the regular school day
The Office for Civil Rights, which enforces Section 504 in schools, describes FAPE under the law as regular or special education and related aids and services designed to meet a student's individual needs as well as the needs of students without disabilities are met. Schools usually record those aids and services in a written 504 plan. The aims are equal access and the same chance to learn, not a different curriculum.
How a 504 plan differs from an IEP
People often confuse the two documents. An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is defined in federal special education law as a written statement for a child with a disability, developed, reviewed and revised under the IDEA rules 2. A 504 plan is a civil rights arrangement. A student can have one, the other, or neither, and the eligibility rules for each are different.
| Feature | Section 504 plan | Individualized Education Program (IEP) |
|---|---|---|
| Source law | Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) |
| Typical content | Accommodations, such as extra time or a computer for written work | Special education services and goals, with the team's decisions written down |
| Typical focus | Access to the regular program | Specialized instruction |
Example: a dictation accommodation for written work
Suppose a student's handwriting is so slow that it limits what they can finish in a test or an essay. The school team might agree that the student can use a computer and dictate answers. The plan would then name that accommodation, so the teachers apply it in every class. Whether dictation software is provided is a decision for the school, so families should ask for it to be written into the plan.
Why it matters for dictation and typing
Dictation can take the pressure off handwriting when the problem is the speed of writing rather than the ideas. A study of 29 university students with learning disabilities found that essays written with a speech recognition system received significantly higher holistic scores than essays written without it 3. A study of high school students found that essays dictated to speech recognition were better than handwritten ones 4. These are small studies from the 1990s and early 2000s, so they support asking for the accommodation rather than proving it will work for every student.
Related terms
- Individualized Education Program (IEP): the special education plan under IDEA, which differs from a 504 plan.
- Assistive technology (AT): the devices and software a plan can include.
- Reasonable accommodation: the same idea of a change that removes a barrier, used in employment law.
- Dictation: speaking so that software writes your words.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
- 1.
- 2.Under the federal IDEA regulations, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement for a child with a disability, developed, reviewed and revised under the rules in sections 300.320 through 300.324.
Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, reproducing the Code of Federal Regulations (Department of Education, IDEA Part B), 2026 · Original
- 3.In a 1995 study of 29 university students with learning disabilities, essays written with a speech recognition system received significantly higher holistic scores than essays written without assistance.
Eleanor L. Higgins and Marshall H. Raskind, Learning Disability Quarterly (ERIC record EJ516141), 1995 · Original
- 4.For high school students with learning disabilities, essays dictated to speech recognition were better than handwritten ones, and essays dictated to a human scribe were better still; students without learning disabilities showed no difference.
Charles A. MacArthur and Albert R. Cavalier, Exceptional Children, 2004 · Original
Related terms
- Speech to Text for Accessibility, RSI and DisabilitiesThe topic this term belongs to
- Access to WorkAccess to Work is a UK government grant for people with a disability or health condition who need support to do their job. GOV.UK says it can help pay for specialist equipment and assistive software, among other support, and that the grant does not affect other benefits and does not have to be paid back.
- Assistive technology (AT)Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment or product system that increases, maintains or improves what a person with a disability can do. Speech recognition, voice control and screen readers are common examples.
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a clinical practice area that supplements or compensates for impairments in speaking or understanding language. It uses tools such as picture boards, letter boards and speech-generating devices, and it is augmentative when used alongside speech and alternative when used instead of speech.
- CART captioningCART captioning is a live text service in which a trained captioner types what is said, usually on a stenotype machine, and the words appear on a screen as they are spoken. CART stands for Communication Access Realtime Translation, and it is also called real-time captioning.
- De Quervain's tenosynovitisDe Quervain's tenosynovitis is a painful condition in which tendons that move the thumb become irritated where they pass through a narrow tunnel on the thumb side of the wrist. Repeated thumb and wrist movements, such as texting, can worsen it.
- Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) is UK government support for students with a disability, mental health problem or long-term illness, to cover study costs that come from the condition. It depends on individual needs rather than household income, and it does not have to be paid back.
- DysarthriaDysarthria is a speech disorder that happens when brain or nerve damage changes the way the muscles used for speaking work, so speech can sound slow, slurred or hard to understand. Speech recognition trained on typical voices can make more errors with this speech, so accuracy depends on the person and the software.
- DysgraphiaDysgraphia is a difficulty with writing that does not match a person's cognitive level and age, even after adequate instruction. It can affect letter formation, spacing, spelling, writing speed and composition, and speech to text lets a person get their words onto the page without writing each letter by hand.
- Individualized Education Program (IEP)An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement for a child with a disability, developed, reviewed and revised under the federal IDEA regulations. For US students, it is the school's plan for the special education and services the child needs, and the team must consider whether the child needs assistive technology.
- Median nerveThe median nerve is one of the main nerves of the arm. It runs from the forearm through the wrist into the hand, giving feeling and movement to parts of the hand.
- Reasonable accommodationA reasonable accommodation is a change to the job, the workplace or the equipment that lets a qualified person with a disability do the work. Under U.S. law, employers with 15 or more employees must provide one unless it would impose an undue hardship.
- Repetitive strain injury (RSI)Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an umbrella term for pain and damage to muscles, tendons and nerves that builds up from repeated movements, held postures or sustained effort, felt in the hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and neck.
Pages that use this term
- Speech to Text for Accessibility, RSI and DisabilitiesTopic
- Speech to Text for Dyslexia and DysgraphiaGuide
- Speech to Text for Students: Essays, Notes, HomeworkGuide
- Dictation for ADHD: Get Your Thoughts Onto the PageGuide
- Speech to Text for Students With DisabilitiesGuide
- Can ADHD affect a child's speech?Question
- Is speech to text an IEP or 504 accommodation?Question
- What is the difference between dysgraphia and dyslexia?Question
- Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)Glossary
- Individualized Education Program (IEP)Glossary