School versus "The Real World" in Accommodations

Recently I did some training for local special education folks. One of my training talks was on academic accommodations and modifications for primary education students on the autistic spectrum. During the question and answer section I was asked, "What can be said to teachers who won't give accommodations because they insist the child must learn to live without accommodations in the real world?"

This question, and the statement by teachers, about "the real world" is ironic to me as it shows little understanding of exactly what goes on in "the real world" for people with disabilities. The fact is, disability accommodations are a major part of "the real world" for all of us who have aged out of primary education.

Identifying, communicating about, and advocating for accommodations is part of the "real world" skill set that people with disabilities use often in our daily lives. We need to get our needs met in higher education, or in employment, or in the activities of daily living, or in the community, or wherever our futures take us. The need for accommodations doesn't magically end at high school graduation!

The provisioning of accommodations by employers, administrators, professors, and business owners is part of the "real world," both ethically and legally. In the US, there are laws that demand that those who live in "the real world" accommodate people with disabilities. Any public education teacher (who also is a part of "the real world") who refuses to give reasonable accommodation to students with disabilities is in some questionable waters.

After answering the question with a sort of stunned, "but--but disability accommodations are totally part of the real world" (and elaborating as written above), I tried to think of more answers (because my problem solving brain is always seeking maximum amount of solutions). But frankly I could think of no additional responses that could be any more clear than that one.