There’s a constant struggle that admins and educators wrestle with: Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans and how to deliver genuine accessibility with fewer resources and smaller budgets.
For students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) — approximately 3% of school-age children in North America — IEPs and 504 plans are lifelines to educational equity.
‼️ Big emphasis on equity.
Yet the gap between mandated accommodation and actual classroom experiences remains stubbornly wide. And many schools continue to spend thousands on outdated solutions while students are missing critical content every day.
Are there better, more forward-thinking approaches to accessibility planning that can improve administrative processes and transform student experiences for the better?
The Administrative Burden: By the Numbers
If you’re new to what seasoned educational administrators are used to, be prepared for a shock: the costs associated with implementing traditional communication accommodations for deaf and hard-of-hearing students are staggering:
- Professional CART services average $120-150 per hour
- Full-time ASL interpreters cost districts $65,000-85,000 annually
- Specialized equipment often requires $3,000-5,000 in initial investment
- Administrative overhead for coordinating these services adds approximately 15 hours per week
These constraints often force difficult choices: do we provide interpretation for science class but not gym? Cover core subjects but leave extracurricular activities inaccessible?
Admins tell us it’s a budgetary circus as they juggle schedules, magically find students who need accommodations, understand new regulations that are ever-changing, and encourage students to be independent and advocate for themselves. There’s very little time to improve the accommodations themselves.
Reimagining IEPs and 504 Plans with Ava Integration
Progressive schools are now building Ava directly into accommodation plans, creating more comprehensive, flexible, and cost-effective solutions. Here's how educational leaders are crafting next-generation plans:
1. Specify Ava as Primary Communication Support
Rather than listing multiple different accommodation methods for different settings, updated plans designate Ava as the primary communication support system for hard-of-hearing students and deaf students that don’t prefer interpreters – ensuring consistency across educational environments. If students do prefer interpreters, Ava has video remote interpreting services on demand.
Example IEP Language: "Student will utilize Ava captioning technology across all educational settings, providing real-time transcription of all verbal instruction and discussion. Ava will be available on school-provided iPads or laptops and student's personal device."
For deaf students that prefer interpreters, that choice can be provided with this sample IEP language: “Student will utilize Ava video remote interpreting technology across all educational settings, providing real-time transcription of all verbal instruction and discussion. Ava will be available on school-provided iPads or laptops and student's personal device.".
2. Detail Technical Implementation Requirements
Modern accommodation plans include specific technical parameters to ensure seamless integration.
Example 504 Plan Language: "Classroom teachers will connect classroom audio system to an Ava host device using provided connector cable. The IT department will ensure classroom Wi-Fi bandwidth prioritizes Ava connections. Student's personal device will have Ava app pre-installed and tested weekly by an accessibility coordinator."
3. Include Data Collection Protocols
Leading-edge plans leverage Ava's analytics capabilities for ongoing assessment.
Example IEP Monitoring Section: "Accommodation effectiveness will be measured through: (1) Ava's built-in engagement metrics, tracking caption viewing time; (2) Quarterly transcript review to assess curriculum access; and (3) Student feedback through standardized satisfaction survey."
4. Address Out-of-Classroom Settings
Comprehensive plans now recognize that education extends beyond traditional classrooms. This is critical. Most students have mobile devices and carry it with them all the time. Students shouldn’t be shut out of conversations just because they’re in a setting without wifi or don’t happen to have their laptop around (plus who brings a laptop to lunch? or on a field trip? or to a friend’s house to study?).
Example Plan Language: "Student will use Ava mobile app during field trips, extracurricular activities, and school assemblies. For outdoor activities, designated peer will carry secondary device with Ava installed to ensure proximity to speakers."
The Quantifiable Impact: ROI Beyond Compliance
Schools implementing Ava-integrated accommodation plans report dramatic improvements in both administrative efficiency and educational outcomes:
- Cost Reduction: Districts report 60-70% savings compared to traditional CART or interpreter services (see Santa Monica Malibu Unified School Districts adoption of Ava in this case study).
- Administrative Time Savings/Recovery: Accommodation coordinators reclaim an average of 12 hours weekly previously spent on scheduling and managing traditional services.
- Implementation Speed: New accommodations can be implemented within 24 hours, compared to the typical 2-3 week onboarding period for human service providers.
- Expanded Coverage: Schools report 100% accommodation coverage across all educational settings, versus the previous average of 68% coverage using traditional methods.
- Flexibility: Having scheduled or on-demand services means having gap-free coverage for both predictable and unpredictable accommodation needs for live captions, interpreters, and other captioning needs like media production.
The AI + Human Balance: Finding the Sweet Spot
The most sophisticated accommodation plans recognize that neither pure AI nor human-only solutions deliver optimal results. Instead, they specify a tiered approach:
- AI-First Base Layer: Ava's AI captioning provides continuous coverage across all settings.
- Human Enhancement for Complex Content: For advanced courses with specialized terminology (e.g., AP Chemistry, Advanced Mathematics) or any situation that requires ADA compliance, plans specify Ava Scribe with human correction.
- Hybrid Model for Critical Assessments: During standardized testing and major assessments, plans indicate use of Ava with additional human verification.
Beyond School Walls: The Mobile Connection
Perhaps most revolutionary is how new-generation accommodation plans address the educational experience beyond physical school buildings.
The latest plans incorporate language specifically addressing the mobile component: "Student will have access to Ava mobile application on personal device for educational activities outside school hours, including homework help sessions, study groups, and school-sponsored social events."
This mobile extension delivers substantial benefits:
- Facilitates peer study groups, addressing the social isolation many deaf students experience
- Enables communication during extracurricular activities and sports
- Provides accessibility during community-based learning experiences
- Supports communication during internships and work-study programs
- Maintains accommodation consistency during remote learning days
Implementation Roadmap: Getting Started
For schools looking to modernize their accommodation approaches, we recommend this implementation sequence:
- Audit Current Plans: Review existing IEPs and 504 plans to identify communication accommodation patterns and gaps.
- Pilot Program: Implement Ava with a small cohort of students across diverse grade levels and needs.
- Template Development: Create standardized language for integrating Ava into accommodation plans.
- Training Program: Develop comprehensive training for educational staff, focusing on both technical setup and pedagogical best practices
- Parent/Student Orientation: Provide demonstrations and training for students and families. In fact, you can lean on your vendors to do some of this type of time-consuming task.
- Continuous Improvement Loop: Establish quarterly review process using Ava's built-in analytics to refine implementation and learn about recent product updates or improvements that can help students or save admins time.
- Consolidate Vendors: Wherever possible, used trusted vendors that offer multiple services that can consolidate billing and scheduling.
The Future of Accommodation Planning
As educational institutions continue evolving, the most forward-thinking leaders recognize that accessible communication isn't just about compliance — it's about creating genuinely inclusive learning environments where every student can participate fully.
By embedding Ava directly into the formal accommodation process, schools aren't just saving money and time — they're fundamentally rethinking what's possible in DHH education. The result is a system where administrative efficiency and educational excellence finally align, delivering on the true promise of individualized education.
