Candidates With Disability
Applicants may request an accommodation in the administration of the examination under the Candidates with Disabilities Policy. Documentation required under the Policy must be submitted with the application.
Policy
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it is the policy of the American Board of Venous & Lymphatic Medicine (ABVLM) to provide reasonable accommodations in its examination procedures to qualified candidates with documented disabilities. The ABVLM will not grant accommodations that alter the requirements for certification or the measurement of the knowledge, skills and abilities the examination is designed to evaluate.
Definitions
Qualified Applicants
The ADA defines an individual with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits that person in one or more major life activities, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such impairment. "Major life activities" include functions such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working. A "qualified" individual with a disability is one who meets the statutory and regulatory requirements to sit for the examination and with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of a physical therapist/physical therapist assistant.
Reasonable Accommodation
Reasonable Accommodation means a modification in the examination administration that does not fundamentally alter the requirements for certification or the measurement of the knowledge, skills and abilities the examination is designed to evaluate and that does not impose an undue hardship.
Procedures
Candidates with disabilities may request consideration for an accommodation in the administration of the examination by submitting a signed, written request prior to a specific examination. The information to be included in the signed, written request is described below in the section, "Documentation and Request for Consideration."
To ensure sufficient time to process the request and arrange for accommodations, candidates should submit their written requests when they submit their certification application. Appropriate supporting documentation is required and should be sent to ABVLM with the letter and application documents.
Requests for accommodations and supporting materials will be maintained separately from the application and registration materials and used only for the consideration of the request.
Documentation and Request for Consideration
Candidates requesting accommodations must provide the following materials to ABVLM:
- Signed, current documentation of the disability by a qualified professional. The required documentation shall include a diagnosis of the specific disability by a professional qualified to assess and diagnose the asserted disability. The documentation must include:
- A current, valid, professionally recognized diagnosis of the candidate's disability (e.g. pursuant to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV: revised)) by an appropriately qualified expert with copies of and reported scores from professionally recognized diagnostic tests, where applicable. To be considered current, such documentation generally must be based on evaluations conducted no more than five years prior to the request for an accommodation.
- Documentation that clearly identifies the nature and extent of the functional limitations that exist as a result of the diagnosed disability.
- Sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the functional limitation substantially limits the individual in performing one or more major life activity.
- Specific information about the significance of the impact the disability has on the candidate in the testing environment.
- A history of any accommodations previously granted in any educational program or examination.
- Specific recommendations for accommodations.
- An explanation of why each accommodation is recommended and why it is necessary to alleviate the impact of the disability in taking the certification examination.
- A signed, written request for accommodations, describing in detail the specific accommodations requested. The request should include contact information such as phone number, address, and e-mail address, as well as birth date, which will be used for identification purposes only.
The ABVLM reserves the right to request additional information at anytime from the candidate requesting accommodations on its examinations.
Review of Requests and Notification of Decision
The ABVLM Board of Directors will consider requests for special accommodations following the receipt of all necessary materials. The Board will make every effort to process requests promptly. The candidate has the responsibility to submit the required documentation in a timely manner. If a request is not approved, notification will include the reason it was denied.
Appeal Process
In the event the ABVLM Office or Executive Officers denies a request for an accommodation, the candidate may submit a written statement of appeal to the Full ABVLM Board of Directors. The notice of appeal must be postmarked within 60 days of the postmark on the Board's decision letter.
Upon receipt of an appeal from an ABVLM candidate, the Full Board will review the appeal at its next regularly scheduled meeting. The candidate will be notified by certified mail of the Board's decision and the reasons for it within 45 days following the meeting at which the appeal is considered. The decision of the Full ABVLM Board shall be final and binding on both the candidate and ABVLM.