The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act are two federal civil rights laws. They require that exams be administered in a way that does not unlawfully discriminate against individuals based on a disability. Accommodations are designed and provided to neutralize the effects an individual’s disability may have on their exam performance. The accommodations allow for a student’s abilities to be evaluated rather than their disability. UC Irvine is committed to non-discrimination and providing equal access. It is imperative to ensure that all students have the opportunity to be evaluated appropriately.
For information on the ADA and Section 504, visit these resources:
- Americans with Disabilities Act Information
- DART Toolkit II: Legal Issues — ADA Basics
- DART Toolkit II: Legal Issues — Overview of Section 504
Testing accommodations are determined by a student’s Disability Specialist. Disability Specialists meet with students and review documentation from qualified healthcare providers. Together they discusses previous accommodations and clarifies functional limitations within the educational environment.
The most common testing accommodation provided is extended time and/or testing at the Disability Services Center.
Depending on the student’s disability the extended time may allow:
- a student with a learning disability time to read and process the exam questions
- a student with a mobility impairment time to dictate their responses to a scribe
- a student with an anxiety disorder time to step away from the exam for a moment and refocus
- a student with a physiological disorder time to process the exam information because of medication side effects
- a student with a medical condition time to take medication, stretch, etc.
- a student with attention-deficit time to read and process exam questions and time to refocus when distracted
Testing Accommodations at the Disability Services Center…
Allow the student to:
- take the exam in an environment with reduced distractions
- have access to assistive technology (i.e. Kurzweil, CCTV, Dragon NS, Zoomtext, etc.)
- take appropriate breaks to address disability related symptoms
- utilize their extended exam time
Allow the professor:
- more flexibility, as no arrangements have to be made before or after class hours to facilitate extended time accommodations
- to be released of the responsibility of having to independently convert the exam to alternate formats
- to avoid the having to coordinate and proctor in a separate quiet space