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ADA ACCOMMODATION

Somonac provides accommodation to examinees living with a disability. Legally available accommodations are intended to ensure that candidates with disabilities can demonstrate their Knowledge and skills on a levelled playing field with other examinees. However, the ADA accommodations in the exam activity do not guarantee improved performance, exam completion, or a passing score.

Do I qualify for ADA accommodations?

To receive such ADA accommodations, a candidate must have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits their ability to perform one or more major life Activities of Daily Living. Impairments may include: walking, vision, hearing, learning, reading, concentrating or thinking, neurological, endocrine, or digestive deficits that impact taking an examination, compared with most people in the general population.

NCEES requires candidates seeking accommodations on an NCEES examination to provide documentation from a qualified healthcare professional that provides a diagnosis of the Candidate’s impairment and discusses the functional impact of the impairment on the Candidate.

Required Documentation

To be granted ADA accommodations during testing, the examinee must meet the criteria to be eligible for accommodation and provide documentation to establish their disability. The Candidate must meet the essential or requisite eligibility requirements of the program, service or activity in which they wish to participate with or without an accommodation. This means that the student must meet the requisite eligibility requirements in spite of their disability. Also, the Candidate must have a documented disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Rehabilitation Act. The information provided helps Somanoc to make an informed determination of reasonable accommodations designed to facilitate equal access to the examination on a case-by-case basis. The documentation required includes the following:

• A letter from a qualified healthcare provider
• A substantial visible or noticeable disability that impairs normal function and has a disadvantageous impact on the Candidate taking a standardized examination under standard testing conditions.

Test-taking accommodations

• Giving exams in alternative formats (e.g., giving a written exam orally or changing the way answers are recorded)
• Extending the allowed exam time.
• Permitting the use of a dictionary or spell checker (unless the test is designed to measure spelling ability).
• Providing quiet room for test taking to decrease auditory or visual distractions.
• Repeating exam instructions.
• Allowing the use of Assistive listening devices
• Removal of architectural barriers.
• Installing better lighting in classrooms to assist students with low vision
• Exam substitutions with alternative formats such as large print and audiotape readers.