Visual Impairments
Documentation guidelines for students with visual impairments
Students with visual impairments may be eligible for accommodations on College Board tests. Students requesting accommodations must have documentation that meets the College Board's Guidelines for Documentation, including evidence of functional limitation. The documentation must show evidence of:
- The visual impairment
- The degree to which the student's vision is affected (functional limitation)
- The need for the specific accommodation requested
See:
Ophthalmologists and/or optometrists are qualified to provide diagnosis and treatment of visual issues in support of the accommodations requested by the student. The assessment must include the date and the evaluators':
- Name and title
- Professional credentials
- License number
- Address
- Phone number
Documentation should also include the following:
- A clear statement of a visual disability.
- Current documentation, from an evaluation performed within the last two years (the age of acceptable documentation depends on the disabling condition, the current status of the student and the student's specific request for accommodations).
- Eye examination records from a current evaluation that include all measurements, data, visual fields, and visual acuity for each eye, with or without correction, if worn. If the diagnosis is based on a visual motor dysfunction, phorias, fusional ranges, depth perception and visual accommodation measurements must be included. Justification for the request of any or all accommodations must be provided.
- A narrative summary, including historical information of the onset of the visual impairment, the present symptoms, eye examination results that meet the criteria for the diagnosis of a visual disability and quantitative and qualitative information about the student's abilities that might assist in understanding the student's need for accommodations.
- Information about the use of corrective lenses, visual therapy, or any other interventions, and the student's response to the intervention.
- Recommendations for accommodation(s) supported by diagnosis.
- A rationale for each accommodation recommended by the evaluator.
For documentation guidelines relating to specific accommodations, see:
