Describe the barrier and the task
See this course’s project requirements
Assemble a private access-support request and follow-up plan using fictional information.
Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.
What to include
- Describe a task, access barrier, desired outcome, and possible changes.
- Map the responsible process for the chosen setting.
- Draft a clear request and a placeholder-only documentation plan.
- Compare two assistive options using task evidence and privacy questions.
- Include a status log, follow-up script, and verified-route questions for unresolved access.
Review and revise
Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.
- Request clarity: a specific task and barrier connect to a practical participation outcome.
- Route accuracy: employment, school, and postsecondary processes are distinguished and the responsible role is named.
- Privacy: sensitive records are replaced with placeholders and authorized channels are identified before sharing.
- Follow-through: options are compared for effectiveness and the log distinguishes request, implementation, and participation.
Want more background?
The idea in everyday life
Access problems can arise from formats, environments, schedules, equipment, or procedures. Describing the barrier helps a support office understand the situation without requiring you to explain your entire health history. You can use the fictional learner throughout the course. No disability simulation, diagnosis, or disclosure of personal information is needed to practice this skill.
Task, barrier, and useful change are three separate pieces.
One step at a time.
Use the sample or information you have permission to use. Keep your work as you go. You can pause between steps.
- 1
Choose one work or learning task, such as reading a training handout, joining a discussion, or using a booking form. State the task’s purpose before naming a tool or a condition.
- 2
Describe what in the environment prevents effective participation. Use observable details such as image-only text, an audio-only instruction, or a mouse-only control, rather than judging effort or assuming a person’s abilities.
- 3
Write two possible changes that could address the barrier. Include a process or format change as well as a technology option where suitable; a device is only useful when it helps with the actual task.
- 4
Create a short barrier card with the task, situation, impact, and desired outcome. Keep health details fictional or omitted at this stage. The card supports later discussion; it does not establish legal coverage or guarantee that a requested adjustment must be provided.
See how it works.
Fictional practice case: Lee needs to read a four-page orientation handout before discussing safety procedures. The supplied PDF contains only pictures of text, so Lee’s text-reading software cannot extract the words. The barrier card says access to the handout’s content is needed before the discussion. Possible changes are an accessible text version or another effective format arranged with the appropriate office. Lee does not write that buying the most expensive reader will automatically fix an image-only file. The outcome is being able to read and discuss the material, and the task can be practiced with an invented handout on paper.
Did you cover these?
- Name a specific task and environment.
- Describe the barrier without judging the learner.
- Offer two possible changes linked to the outcome.
What to finish
A short note describing the task, what blocks access, and the result you need, with two possible changes that could help.
Watch for this
Starting with a product or diagnosis while leaving the actual participation barrier unclear.
How can I tell I understand it?
The card explains what successful participation would look like.
Quick knowledge check
Answer all 3 questions. Get at least 2 right and the lesson completes automatically.
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Answer all 3 questions above and get at least 2 right. You can review the explanations and try again.
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Sources and further reading
Explore the references behind this lesson.
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-10
Read request, documentation, effective alternatives, and response sections. The guidance is dated 2002 and expressly notes later ADA amendments; used for request-process education, not disability diagnosis, coverage, or current individual eligibility decisions.
Access: The named EEOC guidance is publicly readable without an account. Reading it does not open a complaint, obtain representation, or determine a personal legal outcome.
Reuse: This specific EEOC — Reasonable accommodation request guidance resource supports the cited lessons. Life Starter’s scenarios, calculations, scripts, and questions are original; no source worksheet, logo, or endorsement is reused. Free reading is not a general reuse license.
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-10
Opened and read the university’s description of its 2018 resource about varied assistive hardware, software, and peripherals. The embedded video is optional; product capabilities or current prices were not verified and are not prescribed.
Access: The university’s public resource description is free. Its embedded 2018 video is optional; all required practice data are supplied, and no device purchase or program enrollment is needed.
Reuse: This specific University of Washington DO-IT — Our Technology for Equal Access resource supports the cited lessons. Life Starter’s scenarios, calculations, scripts, and questions are original; no source worksheet, logo, or endorsement is reused. Free reading is not a general reuse license.
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