Physical

For Test Takers

All requests for accommodation based on a physical, visual or hearing disability should include the following pieces of documentation:

1. A completed accommodations request form (pdf).
2. A signed Verification and Release Form.
3. A personal statement that includes the following. (You can use the request form above to complete your personal statement.)
   • Your name and contact information
   • Title of the exam for which you are requesting an accommodation
   • Description of the specific accommodation requested 
   • Description of any alternative accommodations
   • Description of the nature of your impairment, including:
   • When it was first identified or diagnosed
   • When it was last evaluated and/or treated 
   • The name of the professional who evaluated and/or treated the condition
   • How your impairment is accommodated in your daily life
   • A list and, where applicable, documentation of any past accommodations that you have received for standardized testing or in academic settings. If you have received no previous accommodations, then you should provide an explanation for why no accommodations have been received in the past and why accommodations are necessary now.
4. A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what the report should contain.

Note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.

For Evaluators

Your professional report should include the following:

• Your name, address and phone number 
• Your area of specialty/expertise
• A description of the specific functional limitations caused by the test taker's impairment that require accommodation
• A description of the accommodations recommended by you 
• A desciption of the history of treatment and/or rehabilitation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
• Documentation addressing whether the test taker's impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities within the meaning of the ADA
• Objective evidence of functional limitations:
  • A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of the test taker's impairment
  • Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which your report and opinions are based