BEE LEARN • FREE PARENT TOOL

Learning is hard? Remove the barrier.

Turn homework, homeschool lessons, worksheets, and assignments into something your child can access without removing the skill you are trying to teach.

No special education vocabulary required. Start with the assignment in front of you.

GOAL
Keep the learning goal. Change the access. If handwriting is preventing your child from showing what they know, they may be able to say the answer instead. If difficult reading is blocking a science lesson, you may be able to read the science passage aloud.
Start here

You only need to answer three questions.

1 What are they learning?

Find the actual skill or idea the lesson is supposed to teach.

2 What is getting in the way?

Reading? Writing? Attention? Memory? Language? Motor demands?

3 Can that part change?

Change how they read, respond, work, or receive directions while keeping the learning goal.

Help Me Adapt This Assignment

Paste or describe the assignment, then choose what is making it hard. If you are not sure what the learning goal is yet, that is okay.

Parent shortcut: You do not need to diagnose the problem. Choose what you can see happening during the lesson.
1

What does the assignment say?

Paste it, type it, or describe it in your own words.

Not sure? Ask yourself: If reading, handwriting, or attention were easy, what would my child still need to know or do to complete this lesson?
2

What is getting in the way right now?

Choose what you can see happening. More than one is okay.

Accessible Hive Lesson Plan

Try this.

🎯 Keep this goal

🛠 Change these parts

    💬 What that can actually look like

    🧠 Your child still does this part

    See it in action

    What does an accommodation actually look like?

    Here is a real type of assignment and exactly how a parent could adapt it.

    Example 1 • Reading + Writing

    Find the important words

    Original assignment

    Read this five sentence paragraph. Underline the key words in each sentence. Then write the key words on a separate piece of paper.

    Bees live together in colonies.

    Each bee has an important job.

    Worker bees gather pollen and nectar from flowers.

    The queen bee lays eggs.

    Bees work together to keep the colony alive.

    That one assignment may actually require your child to:

    Read → Understand → Find key words → Underline → Remember → Spell → Handwrite
    But what if today's goal is: Identify the important information in each sentence.

    Original way

    Child reads independently, underlines independently, remembers the words, and copies them onto paper.

    Accessible way

    Parent reads one sentence aloud.

    PARENT: “Bees live together in colonies. Which words are most important?”

    CHILD: “Bees and colonies.”

    Parent underlines bees and colonies.

    Then the child says:

    CHILD: “Bees. Colonies.”

    Speech to text types the words instead of requiring the child to handwrite them.

    What changed? Reading was read aloud.
    The parent did the physical underlining.
    Speech to text replaced handwriting.
    What stayed? The child still had to listen, understand the sentence, and decide which words were important.

    The child still did the thinking.
    Example 2 • Math

    Let the child answer without writing

    Original worksheet

    Solve each problem and write the answer.

    8 + 7 = _____
    12 − 5 = _____
    6 + 9 = _____
    14 − 8 = _____

    Today's goal: Solve addition and subtraction problems correctly.

    Original way

    The child solves the problem and must also physically write every answer.

    Accessible way

    Parent points to:

    8 + 7 = ?

    CHILD: “15.”

    Parent records 15.

    12 − 5 = ?

    CHILD: “7.”

    What changed? The child did not have to handwrite the answers.
    What stayed? The child still had to solve every math problem.

    Saying “15” demonstrates the math answer just as writing “15” does when handwriting is not the goal.
    Example 3 • Science

    Separate knowing from handwriting

    Original assignment

    Read the page about plants and write three sentences explaining why plants need sunlight.

    Today's goal: Explain why plants need sunlight.

    Original way

    Read independently.
    Remember the information.
    Organize three sentences.
    Spell.
    Handwrite them.

    Accessible way

    Parent or text to speech reads the science page.

    Parent asks:

    PARENT: “Why do plants need sunlight?”

    CHILD: “Plants need sunlight because they use the light to make food.”

    The child dictates that answer using speech to text.
    The science did not get easier. The barriers between the child and the science changed.
    Free tools

    Your device may already have the accommodation.

    Before buying special software, check the accessibility tools already built into the devices and apps your family uses. These can remove reading or writing barriers without giving the child the answer.

    Windows + Microsoft Edge

    Listen to text or talk instead of type

    Voice Typing: Click in a text box and press:

    Windows + H

    Your child can speak an answer and Windows enters the words as text.

    Microsoft Edge Read Aloud: On supported webpages, Edge can read text aloud and highlight words while it reads. The shortcut to start or stop Read Aloud is:

    Ctrl + Shift + U

    Narrator: Windows also includes a built in screen reader. Voice Access on supported Windows 11 devices can control the computer and enter text by voice.

    Homework example: Edge reads the science paragraph. Your child explains the answer aloud. Windows + H types what your child says.

    Microsoft Voice Typing instructions →
    Microsoft Edge accessibility instructions →
    iPhone + iPad

    Have the device read, highlight, and dictate

    Go to Settings → Accessibility → Read & Speak. Apple provides Speak Screen and Speak Selection so onscreen text can be read aloud. Highlighting can be customized for spoken text.

    To hear the whole screen: after Speak Screen is enabled, swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen.

    Dictation: Tap the microphone where your child would normally type. Your child says the answer and the device enters the text.

    Homework example: The iPad reads one sentence. Your child tells you the key words. Then your child dictates the key words rather than handwriting them.

    Apple Read & Speak instructions →
    Mac

    Read selected text and dictate answers

    In System Settings → Accessibility → Read & Speak, turn on Speak Selection. The default shortcut is:

    Option + Esc

    Mac can highlight text as it is spoken. Built in Dictation can also enter a child's spoken answer as text.

    Homework example: Select the paragraph and have the Mac read it aloud. Pause. Ask the child the question. Let the child dictate the response.

    Apple Mac Read & Speak instructions →
    Epic!

    Listen while following highlighted words

    Epic Read To Me books use recorded narration, turn pages automatically, and highlight words as they are read. Playback speed can also be adjusted.

    Homework example: If comprehension is the goal, let your child listen while following the highlighted text. Pause and ask the comprehension question. The child still has to understand and answer.

    Epic accessibility information →
    Chromebook

    Select text to hear it or dictate an answer

    Chromebooks include Select to Speak and a built in screen reader under Accessibility. They also include Dictation for typing with your voice.

    After Dictation is turned on, your child can click where they want to type and use the Dictation control. Google also documents the shortcut Search + D or Launcher + D.

    Homework example: Use Select to Speak for the directions. Your child solves or explains the task, then dictates the answer.

    Chromebook accessibility instructions →
    More ideas

    Common supports by learning difference

    These are ideas to try, not rules. Two children with the same diagnosis may need completely different support.

    Dyslexia or reading difficulty

    When decoding is not the learning goal, make the information easier to access.

    Read directions aloud You read the worksheet directions. Your child does the assignment.
    Use text to speech Let the device read science, history, directions, or other content when decoding is not being tested.
    Show less text Cover the rest of the page and work with one section at a time.
    Highlight important information Reduce the amount of text the child has to search.
    Use audio books Let the child listen when the goal is understanding the book, not independently decoding it.
    Allow oral answers Ask the comprehension question and let the child tell you the answer.
    Dysgraphia or handwriting difficulty
    Let them answer verbally Ask the question. Your child says the answer. You record it.
    Use speech to text Windows Voice Typing or Apple Dictation can turn speech into text.
    Let them type Use a keyboard when handwriting is not today's goal.
    Reduce copying Give them the vocabulary words instead of requiring them to copy the list before using it.
    Circle or point A child may be able to select the correct answer without handwriting it.
    Separate skills If you are grading ideas, do not make handwriting, spelling, punctuation, and neatness four additional tests.
    ADHD or attention difficulty
    Shorten the work block “Do these three problems. Then break.”
    Pause videos Watch a few minutes, stop, talk about it, then continue.
    Use a visual timer Make the beginning and ending of work visible.
    Allow movement Stand, pace, use the floor, or move between work blocks.
    One direction at a time “Open to page 12.” Then give the next step.
    Reduce distractions Remove unrelated papers, tabs, sounds, and materials.
    Dyscalculia or math difficulty
    Use objects Counters, blocks, coins, fraction pieces, or other manipulatives can make the math visible.
    Keep a number line visible Let the visual hold information the child struggles to hold mentally.
    Use graph paper Boxes can help keep numbers aligned.
    Show a worked example Keep one completed problem visible.
    Highlight the numbers Help the child locate important information in word problems.
    Allow verbal answers If writing is an additional barrier, let the child solve the problem and say the answer.
    Autism
    Make the plan visible “Math → break → science.”
    Show what finished means “Questions 1 through 4. Then math is finished.”
    Use concrete language Say exactly what to do instead of using vague directions.
    Allow different communication Speaking, typing, pointing, AAC, drawing, or choosing can demonstrate knowledge.
    Reduce sensory barriers Adjust noise, lighting, clutter, seating, or other unnecessary input.
    Use interests Connect practice to something meaningful when it helps engagement.
    Executive functioning or working memory difficulty
    Write down the steps 1. Read. 2. Circle. 3. Check.
    One step at a time Do not expect the child to hold five directions in memory.
    Keep examples visible Do not make remembering the example an extra task.
    Use First → Then “First two problems. Then break.”
    Prepare materials Put everything needed for the task within reach.
    Make starting tiny The first task might simply be opening the book.
    Motor coordination or fine motor difficulty
    Change position Standing, floor work, or a sloped surface may reduce physical effort.
    Use larger spaces Increase room for writing or manipulating materials.
    Reduce unnecessary copying Give printed notes when copying is not the learning goal.
    Use speech to text Let the child speak longer written responses.
    Allow oral responses Let knowledge be demonstrated without unnecessary motor demands.
    Give more time Physical tasks may require additional time even when the child understands the material.
    Important

    Don't accommodate away the skill you are teaching.

    Ask one question: What is today's actual goal?

    ✓ Read the science text aloud

    If the goal is learning about ecosystems, reading the text aloud can remove a decoding barrier while preserving the science learning.

    ✕ Don't remove decoding from a decoding lesson

    If the goal is specifically practicing decoding, your child still needs appropriate supported decoding practice.

    ✓ Let them answer math verbally

    If the goal is solving 8 + 7, saying “15” can show the mathematical knowledge.

    ✕ Don't remove writing from handwriting practice

    If today's goal is forming lowercase letters, supported handwriting is still part of the lesson.

    The lesson is falling apart. Now what?

    More pressure does not automatically make an inaccessible assignment accessible. Change something.

    1 • PAUSE Stop adding directions, corrections, and demands.
    2 • REGULATE Move, drink water, change position, or take a short break.
    3 • CHANGE ONE THING Read it aloud. Shrink the page. Let them answer verbally. Show an example.
    4 • TRY AGAIN Try one small piece now or return to it later.

    Why these supports are here

    Accessible Hive translates established educational accessibility guidance into practical strategies families can use during homeschool, homework, tutoring, and everyday learning.

    Strategies on this page are informed by Universal Design for Learning and commonly recommended educational accommodations, including alternative ways to access information and demonstrate knowledge, text to speech, speech to text, oral responses, visual supports, reduced copying, adjusted timing, breaks, movement, reduced distractions, and assistive technology.

    These are general educational strategies, not individualized educational, medical, or therapeutic recommendations. A child's IEP, 504 Plan, curriculum requirements, evaluations, and professional recommendations should guide individualized decisions.

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