AUSTIN, Texas — A school board in Austin is becoming increasingly frustrated with a group of disabled students after they asked for not just one, but two accessibility accommodations. Students Zach Stewart and Allie Matlin waited six weeks for a meeting with the board’s superintendent, Theodore Abbot.
“We already gave you one accommodation so just be happy and stop asking for more!” Abbot said, referring to the ramp that the board recently funded. “Look, we paid for the entrance ramp. What else do you want?”
Stewart, a high school sophomore who has cerebral palsy, said that they have difficulty finishing tests on time. They requested that the school provide options for IEP and 504 plans. Likewise, Matlin, a junior who has glaucoma, said that an IEP plan would help her coordinate accommodations with her teachers.
“The hell is an IEP? Sounds like something to give kids participation trophies,” Abbot said.
“It took us an hour to explain to the superintendent that IEP plans are used in schools across the country,” Stewart said.
Abbot begrudgingly told the students that he and his colleagues would look into this matter but that there were bigger priorities at the moment.
“Right now we’re busy funding and preparing for a countywide paintball tournament for middle and high school students,” Abbot told reporters. “We really think this will be a great opportunity to bring together students from different schools and levels of experience with this fantastic sport.”