ASE complies with relevant provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for individuals with documented disabilities. Accommodation requests must be requested as part of the specialist certification application.
The request for testing accommodations must include verification of the disabling condition from a professional specializing in the relevant area and a description of the requested accommodation. The required letter documenting the disability and appropriate accommodation must be uploaded into the application.
Accommodation availability cannot be guaranteed if not requested as part of the application.
Visit Prometric’s webpage for additional details about pre approved personal items permitted during testing that do not require a special accommodations request. Pre approved personal items are subject to inspection by test center staff.
Qualified Individual with a Disability
A candidate with a disability is one who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits that person in one or more major life activities (e.g., walking, talking, hearing, performing manual tasks), has a record of such physical or mental impairment, or is regarded as having such a physical or mental impairment.
A “qualified individual with a disability” is one who has a disability and satisfies the requisite skill, experience, education, and other requirements of the service, program, or activity of which he or she is being measured; and, with or without accommodations, can perform the essential functions of the service, program, or activity. An essential function is one that individuals are required to perform, and removing that function would fundamentally change the service, program, or activity.
A person must be a “qualified individual with a disability” to be protected under the ADA.
Reasonable Accommodation
Reasonable accommodation provides candidates with disabilities a fair and equal opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skill in the essential functions being measured by the examination.
Reasonable accommodations are decided based on the individual’s specific request, disability, documentation submitted, and appropriateness of the request. Reasonable accommodations do not include steps that fundamentally alter the purpose or nature of the examination.
Reasonable accommodations generally are provided for candidates who have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits that person in one or more major life activities (e.g., walking, talking, hearing, and performing manual tasks), have a record of such physical or mental impairment, or are regarded as having a physical or mental impairment.
The information and any documentation regarding the candidate’s disability and need for accommodation during the examination will be considered strictly confidential and will be used solely to determine the candidate’s eligibility for accommodation. Supporting documentation must be supplied as part of the application process. Professionals submitting documentation in support of a candidate’s request for accommodation may be contacted by ASE or Prometric for clarification of any information provided concerning the requested accommodations.
To apply for reasonable accommodation and ensure appropriate accommodations can be provided, candidates must submit their request and all additional documentation as part of the application process.
Additional Information
In the application, candidates will also be required to submit a letter from a medical practitioner that explains your disability, how severe it is, and why you need specific accommodations. The letter must include the following:
- The specific diagnosis of the disability using recognized terms, such as those from the American Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.
- A clear explanation of the criteria used to diagnose the condition.
- Detailed information about how the disability affects daily functioning.
- Dates and details of tests used to diagnose the disability.
- An explanation of how the test results show the functional limitations.
- Recommendations of specific accommodations and any assistive devices needed for the exam.
- A list of accommodations used for daily functioning.
- The medical professional’s contact information and credentials.