Easier Accommodation Process for Students with Disabilities

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Expert college advisor Mandee Heller Adler, CEO of International College Counselors, says new system that simplifies and speeds up the ACT application process can benefit students who apply for accommodations due to diagnosed disabilities.

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The ACT has taken steps to make it easier for students with diagnosed disabilities to get accommodations on its college-entrance exam. The new "user friendly" system is active this month, according to the ACT.

The process will now be simplified and sped up. To accomplish this, the ACT will provide a single online request form that can be tracked as it moves through ACT's system. Eliminated will be the "unnecessary documentation," which was what made the process difficult in the past. Now, students will only need to submit the documentation needed for their particular diagnosis.

"If your child has a documented disability and can benefit from accommodations, applying for them on the ACT is definitely worth it," said Mandee Heller Adler, CEO and founder of International College Counselors. "And now the process is easier for families."

The ACT also plans to send answers on accommodations requests 10 days sooner than they do now, on average.

Students can register online for the test and work with their admission consultant from International College Counselors, their counselor, or someone else, to request accommodations online.

Before this change, long wait times, repeated requests for more documentation of disabilities, and denials of accommodations were a problem for many students. Without the accommodations they were used to, many students found themselves in a difficult position. In some states students needed to choose between taking the test without their usual accommodations, and risking a compromised performance, or insisting on their normal accommodations, and then being denied the right to have the scores certified for use in college admissions.

To note, while the new system will make the process easier, it will not likely result in more approvals of requested accommodations.

"Parents should also know that colleges won't know that a student took the ACT with accommodations. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that this information is kept confidential. The colleges will only see the final score," said Adler.

The college advisors at International College Counselors help students from all over the world find, apply to, and gain acceptance into the college of their dreams. The expert educational consultants at International College Counselors are dedicated to helping students and their families successfully navigate the college admission process.

For more information on getting special accommodations on the ACT or SAT, or registering for one of the tests, or for information on college admissions, visit www.internationalcollegecounselors.com or call 954-414-9986.

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