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Accommodation is not a reward

If they say: We need to see him demonstrating more maturity before we can offer those privileges.

Say: Support is not earned through performance; it’s provided in order to make success possible. Equity means scaffolding—not gatekeeping—a child’s access to meaningful participation.

Legal grounding: Accommodations are proactive rights-based measures, not conditional incentives. Denial based on maturity violates the principles of inclusive education.

Schools sometimes frame accommodations as privileges that must be earned—offered only when a child behaves, performs, or complies with classroom norms. But accommodations exist to remove barriers, not as conditional treats. The legal framework makes this very clear: equity is a right under the Human Rights Code, not something handed out based on perceived effort or merit.

Key takeaways

Accommodations are proactive, not punitive
Accommodations are designed to anticipate and remove barriers before they become entrenched. They are not a response to good behaviour, but a recognition of diverse needs from the outset.
Equity is not performance-based
A child does not need to prove themselves worthy of access. Supports are not earned—they are required by law to ensure equal opportunity, especially when the disability creates structural challenges.
Denying accommodations on behavioural grounds is discrimination
Withholding access because a student is dysregulated, immature, or “not trying hard enough” misuses accommodations as leverage. The law protects against this kind of gatekeeping.