When I was researching information about transitioning to college with low vision, I learned that all three of the colleges I planned to apply to recommended that students take both the SAT and ACT exams when possible, with one school strongly suggesting that potential STEM majors take the ACT. This meant that I was going to have to not only study for the exam but also study how to get ACT accommodations for low vision, as traditional pencil and paper exams with standard-sized print are inaccessible to me. Since I was somewhat familiar with testing accommodations for low vision and I had already been approved for accommodations for the SAT, I thought that the ACT accommodations process would be identical, and was surprised to learn that it was not. Here are my tips on requesting ACT accommodations for low vision, based on my own experiences.
A common question I receive from parents or students is whether it is better to take the ACT or the SAT as a student with low vision. Almost every college accepts both tests and they do not strongly prefer one test over the other, though it’s worth checking the college admissions website. A lot of colleges recommend that students take both tests, and I chose to take both tests per the advice of my guidance counselor and college counselor since they said that it would help make my college application look more substantial.
I will say that it is easier to get low vision accommodations for the SAT compared to the ACT, since the SAT gives specific examples of accommodations that can be approved, while the ACT requires that the testing coordinator submit a list of accommodations for approval.
Before I talk more about getting ACT accommodations for low vision, here are some examples of places to get accessible ACT study guides for low vision students or students with print disabilities. I will not be recommending a specific book or guide, rather a way for people to find accessible copies of existing resources.
My family and I contacted my high school testing coordinator and worked with them to file my ACT accommodations eight weeks prior to the day I planned to take the ACT at my school district’s school-based testing center. Even though I had been approved for accommodations on the SAT and state standardized testing, and I also had an IEP, we still had to follow the accommodations process and accommodations were not automatically approved.
ACT accommodations for low vision will need to be as specific as possible, and it’s not uncommon for someone to have over a dozen accommodations listed because of this. For example, a student would need to request computer access for the essay portion of a test, plus access to a screen-reader and access to a screen magnifier- these are three separate accommodations. I go into more detail about the specific accommodations I requested in the next few sections. We submitted a list of testing accommodations based on the accommodations that I received on the SAT and SOL state standardized testing.
In order to get ACT accommodations for low vision, the testing coordinator had to submit a letter and supporting documentation that provided information about why these accommodations were being requested. My family and I provided the following documentation to the testing coordinator, which was sent to the ACT for review:
Eleven days prior to test day, we received a notification that I had been denied all of my accommodations for the ACT except for extended time. My mom and I immediately got in contact with the ACT by phone and learned that I did not have sufficient documentation of my eye condition, as we only included a record of my most recent eye examination and not a history of how my eye condition had been treated in the past. The same was true for my neurological condition – we needed to provide documentation of the condition had developed and had been treated since I had developed it.
In response to being denied ACT accommodations for low vision, the testing coordinator submitted the following information on our behalf:
Nine days after I was initially denied accommodations and two days before test day, the testing coordinator received notification that I had been approved for all of my requested accommodations. I was able to proceed with the test as planned, though we went to the school testing center the day before the test to fill out the test-related forms so we could save time on test day.
Because I received my ACT in an accessible format, I had to wait an additional 4-6 weeks after scores were released to receive my own scores, as there is typically a delay with scoring tests that are in modified formats. However, there is no way for a person to know that a student received accommodations on their ACT unless the student discloses it themselves.
The following accommodations are related to the testing environment in which I took my ACT. These accommodations were copied from the accommodations that I received for the SAT, state standardized tests, and/or from my IEP.
The following accommodations are related to the characteristics of the accessible ACT test booklet. These accommodations were copied from the accommodations that I received for the SAT, state standardized tests, and/or from my IEP.
The following accommodations are related to the use of assistive technology on the ACT test. These accommodations were copied from the accommodations that I received for the SAT, state standardized tests, and/or from my IEP.
By Veronica Lewis/Veronica With Four Eyes, www.veroniiiica.com
Updated October 2023; original post published April 2017.
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