Why You Might Need Testing Accommodations

While physical disabilities like blindness and deafness come to mind easily as cases for testing accommodations, learning disabilities are also very common reasons for accommodations. One in 59 American children lives with at least one learning disability. The following are some of the most common learning disability:

1. Dyscalculia
   
   This learning disability involves difficulty counting and doing mathematics.
   

2. Dyslexia
   
   One of the most popularly known learning disabilities, this disability involves reversing letters when reading and writing, making reading and writing quite difficult if not addressed.
   

3. Dysgraphia
   
   This learning disability involves difficulties with visual perception: people with dysgraphia often have trouble writing and drawing but can perform substantially better on the computer.

There are far more than just these, but you get the idea.

The Kinds of Accommodations You Might Get
Now that we’ve seen some examples of the kinds of issues that can make you eligible for testing accommodations, let’s look at some examples of accommodations you might be offered:

3. 1. Extended Test Time
      
      You can request 25%, 50%, or 100% additional time for a standardized test.
      

   2. Extra Breaks
      
      If your disability wears you out mentally more quickly or requires you to take frequent breaks to get up, you can request additional breaks.
      

   3. Accommodations for Computer-Delivered Tests
      
      Especially good for people with visual impairments such as poor vision or color blindness, these accommodations can include greater magnification and color selection.
      

   4. Assistance
      
      Usually only available at test centers, these accommodations can include the reading of instructions aloud for visually impaired test takers and sign language interpreters for deaf or hearing-impaired test takers.
      

   5. Alternate Test Formats

For blind or visually impaired test takers especially, alternate test formats can be the difference between ability to take the test and exclusion. These can include Braille, large text, audible recordings, and more.

DoNotPay can send a letter to the testing company on your behalf, presenting any necessary information and evidence and requesting appropriate accommodation(s) as guaranteed by both testing companies’ internal rules and relevant disability laws. That way, you can take your test with confidence—and a level playing field provided by your accommodations!