Hearing Impairments
Documentation guidelines for eligibility
Some students with hearing impairments may be eligible for accommodations on College Board tests. A student with a hearing impairment must have documentation that meets the College Board's Guidelines for Documentation , including evidence of functional limitation. The documentation must show evidence of:
- The hearing impairment
- The degree to which the student's hearing is affected (functional limitation)
- The need for the specific accommodation requested
See
When requesting accommodations, keep in mind that most College Board tests are written tests. Therefore, some students who receive accommodations in school for hearing impairments may not require accommodations on College Board tests. Other students may need accommodations only for the general instructions, which are given orally before the start of the test. They may request a written copy of oral instructions. See Hearing Impairments.
For those students who do require accommodations, the following guidelines are provided. Documentation should include:
- The evaluator's name(s), title(s), professional credentials, license number, address(es), date and phone number(s).
- A clear statement of deafness or hearing loss, including historical information on the onset and etiology of the hearing impairment, with a current audiogram (the age of acceptable documentation is dependent upon the condition, the student's current status and request for accommodations).
- A summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments used to make the diagnosis and a narrative summary of evaluation results.
- Medical information relating to the student's needs and the status of his/her hearing (static or changing) and its functional impact on the student's academic learning.
- A statement regarding the use of hearing aids or cochlear implants (if appropriate).
- Recommendations of accommodation(s) supported by diagnosis.
- A rationale for each accommodation recommended by the evaluator.
Physicians, including otorhinolaryngologists and otologists are qualified to provide diagnosis and treatment of hearing disorders in support of the accommodations requested. It may also be useful to supply a current audiogram performed by an audiologist.
For information related to the use of sign language interpreters, see Hearing Impairments.