Title I Technical Assistance Manual

Some Examples of Alternative Test Formats and Accommodations:

• Substituting a written test for an oral test (or written instructions for oral instructions) for people with impaired speaking or hearing skills;

• Administering a test in large print, in Braille, by a reader, or on a computer for people with visual or other reading disabilities;

• Allowing people with visual or learning disabilities or who have limited use of their hands to record test answers by tape recorder, dictation or computer;

• Providing extra time to complete a test for people with certain learning disabilities or impaired writing skills;

• Simplifying test language for people who have limited language skills because of a disability;

• Scheduling rest breaks for people with mental and other disabilities that require such relief;

• Assuring that a test site is accessible to a person with a mobility disability;

• Allowing a person with a mental disability who cannot perform well if there are distractions to take a test in a separate room, if a group test setting is not relevant to the job itself;

• Where it is not possible to test an individual with a disability in an alternative format, an employer may be required, as a reasonable accommodation, to evaluate the skill or ability being tested through some other means, such as an interview, education, work experience, licenses or certification, or a job demonstration for a trial period.

There are a number of technical assistance resources for effective alternative methods of testing people with different disabilities. (See "Alternative Testing Formats" in Resource Directory Index).