Memory Aids as a Disability-Related Accommodation? Let’s Remember to Recommend Them Appropriately

Abstract

Memory aids are now frequently provided to elementary and secondary school students to increase their success in achieving provincial curriculum standards. While such an accommodation may meet the immediate goal of improved academic performance it may not be warranted based on an actual long-term memory retrieval impairment and may therefore be inequitable, providing an unfair academic advantage relative to non-disabled students. Furthermore, providing memory aid accommodations inappropriately may rob students of the opportunity to learn effective study and retrieval strategies, leading instead to dependence on an accommodation that may not be continued once they enter post-secondary education. An appropriate accommodation at the post-secondary level of education removes a disability-related barrier (functional impairment) and assists only those facing such barriers; under human rights legislation, accommodations are not implemented to guarantee success, reduce anxiety, or provide unequal access to material. Memory aids improve the retrieval of information from long-term storage for everyone. As such, the current widespread provision of this accommodation prior to post-secondary studies must be evaluated critically, with such supports offered only when justified. A six-step process for determining when memory aids are an appropriate accommodation within the post-secondary setting is provided and discussed.

Twenty Years Into the 21st Century – Tech-related Accommodations for College Students with Mental Health and Other Disabilities

“…Although accommodations are modeled on American standards, the Canadian Human Rights Act (1985), the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982), and various provincial regulations (see Harrison et al, 2020) inform the provision of disability related services in Canada. As noted by Wenc (2021), Canada does not have a national definition or a standardized approach outlined by policies and procedures for documentation requirements that permit access to accommodations and services for students with disabilities.…”