By��Valerie Peterson, AIA, LEED AP, and Alison Andrews, AIA��

��have sparked debate about how students with disabilities are supported in schools. As the Department of Health and Human Services takes oversight of special education and the Department of Justice assumes school civil rights enforcement, some advocates worry special education could shift from supporting how students learn to managing students’ disabilities separately.��

This raises an important question for school district leaders: How do buildings make students with disabilities feel like they belong?��

Regardless of how policy evolves, districts control how students experience support. Design determines whether special education programming is connected to peer groups or pulled out to spaces that isolate students from their school community. Over decades of experience designing special education space, Wold Architects & Engineers has learned to prioritize belonging, then layer in spaces, equipment, and safeguards students need to participate in an equitable school experience.��

Integrate Special Education��Into��School Life��

Special education classrooms, especially in aging schools, are often isolated from the rest of the building or too small to support students and staff, reinforcing separation, even when the district’s goal is inclusion.��

Planning should begin with the full��student day: where students start and end, how they move through the building and what they need to receive instruction and intervention. When specialized support connects to the rhythm of the school, transitions become easier physically and emotionally. Students with disabilities have better access to general education activities, fewer��disruptions��and more natural peer interaction. Their��peers��benefit, too. Familiarity builds acceptance, helping reduce��the isolation��and misunderstanding that can contribute to bullying.����

Make Support Accessible Without Singling Students Out��

Inclusion does not mean every student needs the same space or schedule. Some students need calming rooms, toileting support, therapy spaces, small-group��areas��or controlled sensory environments.����

The key is making support accessible without making students feel removed from the school community.��Specialized classrooms should be located��near�� shared��learning areas when appropriate. Small-group and sensory spaces should be easy to reach without requiring students to travel long, highly visible routes that feel isolating. Wayfinding should make resources clear and approachable, not��hidden��or confusing.��

Available resources also serve students beyond those receiving special education support. Small-group rooms, calming spaces and flexible furniture are shown to support focus,��regulation��and learning for all.��

Help Staff Help Students��

Special education spaces affect how students regulate, communicate, receive��care��and��participate. Calming rooms, small-group rooms, flexible furniture, adjustable lighting, acoustic control, durable finishes, accessible toileting rooms, changing tables, lifts and care areas are easy to treat as technical requirements. But students and staff experience these details every day.��

A restroom too small for��assistance��can compromise dignity. A sensory room too far from the classroom can incite dysregulation and delay relief. Poor acoustics can complicate focused instruction. An undersized room can force staff to��improvise around��equipment.��

These features support students’ comfort, safety and independence while giving teachers, paraprofessionals and related service providers spaces that match their daily routines. That is why special education staff should be part of planning conversations early: they understand where the day breaks down and which small design decisions make support more effective.��

How Existing Buildings Work Harder for Today’s Needs��

Many districts are supporting today’s special education needs inside buildings designed decades ago, based on outdated expectations for inclusion and accessibility. Renovation is an opportunity to ask if a building can support how services are delivered now.��

Capacity counts do not answer that question. Wold Architects & Engineers has seen many Districts experiencing a decline in overall enrollment while the number of students in special education programming more than doubles. With special education classrooms typically requiring a smaller student-to-staff ratio, specialized equipment and access to support spaces, the classrooms no longer utilized for general education may not accommodate the shift in building programming.��

For example, a former general education classroom may need different adjacencies, privacy, breakout space, storage, acoustic��control��or access to nearby care and therapy areas to function well. Without those considerations, renovation may add space while leaving the core service challenges unresolved.����

Facilities teams should evaluate the number of students a building serves and what support spaces they need. That lens can help districts prioritize the most meaningful interventions, especially when budgets do not allow for replacement or major additions.����

Design��Around��Belonging��

Districts do not need to wait for policy clarity to make better decisions inside their buildings.��They can bring special education teams into planning discussions early, map the student day before assigning rooms and plan adjacencies to support access and inclusion.��

Specialized support does not have to separate students from their peers. When schools are designed around belonging, students with disabilities can access the spaces, relationships and��supports��they need to��participate��more fully in their community and thrive.��

, AIA, LEED AP, and��, AIA, are education practice leaders at����who work with school districts to align planning,��programming��and design with the needs of students,��staff��and communities.��

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By Evelyn Long����

As schools evolve to support flexible learning environments, they must also be designed to help occupants move safely during emergencies without sacrificing openness or functionality. Rather than relying solely on security technologies, today’s best school designs integrate life safety into every stage of planning. Site layout, circulation patterns,��accessibility��and emergency vehicle access all contribute to a safer campus while improving the day-to-day experience for students,��educators��and visitors.��

Design and Planning Support Better Emergency Response��

A successful emergency response starts with campus planning. Building orientation, access roads, pedestrian��circulation��and entry��points��all influence how quickly emergency personnel can navigate a site. According to the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies, “one key tool to����on education is advance planning.” This strategy helps education systems,��staff��and students become more resilient.��

Identifying��and assessing risks such as conflicts, natural disasters and pandemics enables education authorities to create plans for prevention, preparedness,��response��and recovery. The��ultimate goal��is to ensure learning continues without interruption and to develop policies that help prevent crises.��

Schools that incorporate these considerations and plan accordingly during design are often better equipped to manage both routine operations and unexpected emergencies. The same philosophy applies to broader infrastructure planning. Aspects like proper roof structure,����help ensure the structure’s integrity and prevent issues.��

Circulation, Visibility and Wayfinding Reduce Evacuation Delays��

Even well-developed plans may become less effective if occupants struggle to navigate a building during an emergency.��Wide corridors,��clearly marked exits, strategically located stairwells and intuitive circulation paths help reduce bottlenecks while allowing first responders to reach affected areas more efficiently.����

Visibility is also important. Open sightlines throughout��corridors,��shared spaces and entrances allow staff and first responders to assess conditions quickly while helping occupants��identify��evacuation routes with minimal confusion.����

SchoolSafety.gov explains that����(EOP) is a crucial aspect of school emergency preparedness. This document outlines the procedures for students and staff to follow before, during and after an emergency. SchoolSafety.gov also��states��that “schools should plan to review, evaluate and update their EOP on a regular basis.” The most effective plans are developed through a team effort, incorporating input from school staff and community partners.��

Entrances and interior door systems should��comply with��Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements while��remaining��easy to��operate��during emergencies.��Properly designed��low-energy����without compromising emergency egress when installed��in accordance with��current standards. This makes them valuable additions to modern educational facilities.��

The Congressional Research Service asserts that “the ADA, like Section 504, applies to all public and many private schools, from preschool through postsecondary education.” The ADA’s rules are not specifically tailored for��education, but��instead lay out broad requirements for all organizations. These mandates include making general modifications for people with disabilities,����and��permitting��service��animals.��

Balancing Secure Access��With��Welcoming Learning Environments��

Modern school design increasingly��demonstrates��that emergency preparedness and positive learning environments are not mutually exclusive. The renovation and addition at Niles North High School in Skokie, Illinois, addressed long-standing safety concerns by reorganizing the building around a secure entrance sequence while improving the overall visitor experience. The project��, dedicated parent and visitor services, and a defined security zone that separates public-facing spaces from student areas.��

This layered approach allows visitors to be screened before entering instructional spaces while improving circulation and reducing congestion at the main entrance. The renovation also created collaborative learning spaces and student commons that foster openness and community.����

The Niles North project reflects broader principles highlighted by Legat Architects in its discussion of school safety by design. Using Medinah Primary School in Illinois as an example, Legat notes that campus safety begins outside the building through features��, dedicated parent drop-off areas, and protected pedestrian walkways that reduce contact between vehicles and students.����

The article also emphasizes that effective emergency access depends on controlled vestibules, clear visitor screening��procedures��and intuitive circulation rather than fortress-like architecture.����

Designing for Safety Without Sacrificing Learning��

School safety is most effective when it is built into the foundation of a project rather than added after construction. Strategic site planning, intuitive circulation, accessible��entrances��and coordinated emergency access help schools respond more effectively to emergencies while improving the daily experience for everyone. Integrating safety into every stage of planning and construction enables school leaders and design professionals to create campuses that are prepared for emergencies while��remaining��open,��welcoming��and supportive places to learn.��

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