In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the ATCB makes reasonable special testing arrangements for candidates with disabilities. Under the ADA, a disability is defined as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities” (e.g., caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, breathing, learning and working). An applicant must have a documented disability as defined by the ADA in order to request special testing accommodations.
Persons with “transitory” or “temporary” conditions (e.g., sprains, fractures, and medical emergencies) who desire accommodations should contact the ATCB as soon as possible. While the ATCB is not required by the ADA to accommodate “transitory” or “temporary” conditions, accommodations for candidates with such conditions will be considered on an individual basis.
An applicant requesting accommodation(s) must make the request in writing to the ATCB National Office. The request must include a letter from the applicant’s healthcare provider documenting the disability and the requested testing accommodations. Such documentation must be professionally prepared and appear on the professional’s stationery or official letterhead. The healthcare professional must be a licensed or otherwise qualified professional whose credentials are appropriate to diagnose and evaluate the applicant’s disability. Regardless of when the original diagnosis of a disability was made, the healthcare professional must have knowledge within the last five (5) years of the candidate’s disability and must have diagnosed, evaluated, treated, or consulted with the candidate within the last five (5) years.
For a learning disability or mental disorder, the professional’s report must include the applicant’s current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) classification. The diagnosis of a disorder with a DSM classification does not necessarily mean that the applicant has a disability as defined in the ADA that must be accommodated by the ATCB.
For candidates with physical or health-related disabilities (e.g., blindness, deafness, diabetes), copies of medical records are not necessary; however, the candidate must provide sufficient documentation from a physician that confirms the diagnosis of a physical or health-related disability “that substantially limits a major life activity.” To demonstrate this, the individual must show that he or she experiences substantial impairment in such activities as caring for one’s self, hearing, seeing, learning, or walking, in more than one setting (e.g., work, school, socially). Pregnancy is not a disability; however, if a candidate is pregnant and has a resulting medical complication that results in a disability, special testing accommodations will be considered on a case by case basis.
Testing accommodation recommendations should be reasonable and appropriate for the candidate’s documented disability and cannot fundamentally alter the measurement of the knowledge and skills that the examination is intended to assess. Prior testing recommendations and any history of accommodations will be considered, but do not guarantee accommodations on the ATCBE.
Once an accommodation request has been received, it will be reviewed by the National Office, in consultation with the Board of Directors and/or legal counsel, as appropriate. If additional information is required in order to consider a special accommodation request, the applicant will be notified.
Candidates requesting nonstandard testing accommodations must send their written request and supporting materials to the ATCB National Office at least 60 days prior to the scheduled examination date. All requests are reviewed individually and are subject to ATCB approval. If an applicant’s accommodation request is approved, the applicant and the testing center will be notified of the special accommodation.