People all of the country suffer from a wide range of disabilities. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. There are many different types of disabilities and the accommodations for each disability vary. Having certain accommodations is beneficial for people who may have autism, ADD, dyslexia or ADHD who, in certain situations, don’t perform as well as people without these condition doing the same task. If you are disabled within the meaning by the ADA, you are entitled to reasonable and appropriate LSAT, GMAT or act accommodations that enable you to access exams.
Who Needs Testing Accommodations?
One in five children in the U.S. have learning and attention issues such as dyslexia and ADHD, but 48% of parents believe incorrectly that children will outgrow these difficulties. The average age of diagnosis for children with moderate ADHD is seven years. An estimated 6.4 million American children ages four to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD. A government survey suggests that one in 45 children, ages three through 17, have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder are typically recognized by age two and boys are three times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.
Adults with ADD are three times more likely to suffer stress, depression, or other emotional problems that may cause them to miss work and anxiety disorders occur in 50% of adults with ADHD.
It is estimated that over 40 million American Adults are dyslexic but only 2 million know it. Despite some misconceptions, having dyslexia doesn’t mean you’re dumb. Dyslexia makes it tough to read and spell. The problem is inside the brain, but it doesn’t mean the person is dumb. Dyslexia is not tied to IQ. Einstein was dyslexic and had an estimated IQ of 160.
Accommodations must strike a delicate balance with test security, test fairness, and test integrity. Gmat accommodations, ACT accommodations and standardized testing accommodation isn’t granted to just anyone. Accommodations are designed to provide equal access to people who are truly disabled relative to the general population. If you have a documented disability, then you may be entitled to testing accommodations on the GMAT, LMAT, SAT or ACT.
What Accommodations Are There for Testing?
Accommodations staff, along with the team of medical doctors and psychologists, review approximately 1,700 requests for accommodations each year. To obtain act, sat or GMAT accommodations, you must fill out an application and provide medical diagnosis information that proves the disability could affect test outcomes. The staff does a psychoeducational evaluation to determine if you qualify for accommodations.
The most common accommodations are:
- Additional testing time (+50% or +100%)
- Extended or additional rest breaks
- Someone to read items to you
- Someone to record your responses
- Assistive software or programs
Accommodations must not provide anyone with an unfair advantage relative to other test takers. Instead, they should provide test takers with disabilities equal access to the exams. If you have a disability, contact test official for sat, act or gmat accommodations.
