<p>It’s a tricky (but very common) classroom dilemma: How do you talk about—and normalize—learning accommodations in class without singling anyone out in front of peers? </p> <p>Unfortunately, many teachers aren’t trained to have these sensitive conversations, so they’re figuring it out on the fly.</p> <p>But we’re here to help! In this episode of School of Practice, we chat with Daniel Vollrath, a veteran high school special education teacher, and elementary teacher Jeremiah Kim. They’ll share excellent, teacher-tested tips for talking with individual students (and your whole class) about learning supports in age-appropriate ways, establishing classroom norms that make space for different learning needs, and managing privacy without making disability a taboo topic.</p> <p>Related resources: </p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-to-talk-about-learning-differences-with-your-students/">It’s Important to Talk About Learning Accommodations With Your Students—Here’s How to Do It</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-track-student-accommodations-strengths/">A One-Page Chart to Support Every Student Every Day</a> </li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMjlwpHhe7E">Equity vs. Equality. What Does Fair Look Like in the Classroom 2024?</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/talking-to-students-about-their-learning-differences-a-guide-for-teachers/2024/10">Talking to Students About Their Learning Differences: A Guide for Teachers</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.amandamorin.com/neurodiversity-affirming-schools">Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools: Transforming Practices So All Students Feel Accepted &amp; Supported</a> (2025)</li> <li><a href="https://www.solutiontree.com/purpose-driven-classroom.html">The Purpose-Driven Classroom</a> (2024)</li> <li><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0731948718785565">Stigma Consciousness Among Adolescents With Learning Disabilities: Considering Individual Experiences of Being Stereotyped</a> (2018)</li> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959475215300438?via%3Dihub">Stigma and Stratification Limiting the Math Course Progression of Adolescents Labeled with a Learning Disability</a> (2016)</li> <li><a href="https://products.brookespublishing.com/Empowering-Students-with-Hidden-Disabilities-P959.aspx">Empowering Students with Hidden Disabilities</a> (2016)</li> <li><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15298868.2012.681118">Redefining Disability, Re-imagining the Self: Disability Identification Predicts Self-esteem and Strategic Responses to Stigma</a> (2012)</li> </ul>