Is speech to text an IEP or 504 accommodation?

Yes. Speech to text can be written into a US student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 plan when the school team decides the student needs it. Federal law does not name speech to text or any product, so each decision is made for one student. An entry in the IEP or 504 plan is the school's commitment to provide the tool in class. It does not approve the tool for state tests, which set their own rules.

The IEP team must consider assistive technology, and provide it when the IEP requires it

Under the special education law, assistive technology is a standing question for the team. The regulation says the IEP team must consider whether the child needs assistive technology devices and services ¹. If the IEP requires it, the school must make it available ². The rule covers a device or service, not a named product, so the IEP should say what the tool is and where it is used.

The law covers a large group. In school year 2022-23, 7.5 million US students aged 3 to 21 received special education or related services under IDEA ³. Each decision about a tool is still made for one child.

A 504 plan is the usual record for students who need accommodations but not special education

Section 504 works through a different duty. A school district must provide a free appropriate public education to each qualified student with a disability in its area, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability ⁴. A 504 plan is the usual written record of the accommodations the school will give, and it is often used for students who do not need special education services.

Ask that speech to text be named in the plan itself. The classroom teacher and the test coordinator both need to see it, and a tool that appears only in a meeting summary is easy to lose.

Whether the student qualifies depends on the disability and its effect

Both routes depend on a disability that affects the student. Under the ADA, a person has a disability if they have an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities ⁵. That test is applied case by case: whether an impairment substantially limits a major life activity requires an individualized assessment ⁶.

In practice, the team weighs evidence. A diagnosed reading, writing or motor disability, with schoolwork that shows its effect, gives the team something concrete to consider. A request with no assessment or evidence of need gives it much less to work with.

When the team says no, ask for the reasons on paper

Teams can decline. If the school refuses, ask for the decision and the reasons in writing, and ask about the district's dispute process. Written reasons are the first thing to get, because they show what evidence the team considered and what it would need to see. Our entry on reasonable accommodation explains the wording you will see in these letters.

An IEP or 504 entry does not approve the tool on a state test

Having speech to text in the IEP or 504 plan is not enough for a state test. The state or the testing company decides which tools are allowed and how they must run. Colorado, for example, requires the school to disclose the name of the program the students will use ⁷. Other states have their own forms and deadlines, so check the approval rules for your state early. Our question on speech to text on standardized tests covers the ACT, the SAT and state tests.

What to do before the next IEP or 504 meeting

1. Request the review in writing. Name the tool and the reason you think the student needs it. Send the request before or at the meeting.
2. Ask for the tool to be written in. Ask that the IEP or 504 plan names the tool, the settings and the classes where it is used.
3. Ask about the test section. Ask who approves the tool for state tests and college entrance tests, and which deadline applies.
4. Keep the decision on paper. If the team says no, ask for the reasons in writing and for the dispute process.

For the wider picture, read our guide to speech to text for students with disabilities, which covers US schools, colleges and UK exams. The same tool also comes up in our overview of accessibility and health. If the student is going to college, our question on how college students get speech to text explains the separate route there.

This is general information, not legal advice. For a decision about one student, the school or the district is the right contact.