Documentation Needed for ICF Exam Accommodation Requests

If you have a documented disability that limits your ability to access an ICF exam, you may qualify for reasonable accommodations.

We require supporting documentation prior to approving any accommodations. This guide will help you understand the documentation required to request accommodations.

Before requesting accommodations for an ICF exam, it is important to read and follow these guidelines carefully. If you do not follow the guidelines for submitting your request and supplemental documentation, you may receive a notification that your request is incomplete or not approved.

About ICF Exam Accommodations

Accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. They might include extended testing time, unscheduled breaks, or assistive technologies like screen reading software. Candidates can also be approved for exam accommodations for conditions that may be temporary, such as pregnancy, injury, or post-surgery impairments.

ICF exams are administered at Pearson VUE testing centers (with other testing candidates present) and remotely (with no other test-takers present). Certain accommodations, such as private testing rooms, may only be appropriate in one of these test settings.

All requests are treated with the utmost confidentiality, and you can read about how we safeguard your confidential documentation. Approved accommodations are provided at no cost to you.

Get more details about exam accommodations and how to request them.

ICF’s Commitment to Accessibility

ICF Credentials and Standards is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the professional certification of coaches who meet high standards in professional and ethical practice. Our mission is to provide credentialing, support, and services to the coaching community to promote the delivery of safe, ethical, and quality coaching services to the public. As part of this mission, we are committed to ensuring that the security, integrity, and validity of our exams are not compromised.

We are also committed to providing access to our programs and services to individuals with documented disabilities. Legally, a disability may be defined differently by different countries and jurisdictions. Given that ICF is a global organization, we recognize that a disability can be defined as any impairment that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation. Thus, the purpose of accommodations is to remove barriers so that the individual with a disability may participate equally. The goal of accommodations is not to ensure improved performance, a passing score, or exam completion.

Please note that having a diagnosis or demonstrating that you meet diagnostic criteria for a particular disorder does not automatically mean that you are disabled or entitled to testing accommodations. ICF does not require a diagnosis for exam accommodations. We do, however, require evidence that you have a disability that may impact your ability to access an exam.

Who Is This Information Helpful To?

If you’re requesting exam accommodations, this information is for you. It’s also helpful for evaluators, educators, and anyone else involved in providing supporting documentation.

Documentation Requirements

To help us understand and address your specific needs, we require documentation that demonstrates how your condition impacts your ability to access the exam.
A formal diagnosis is not required, however we do need evidence that shows how your disability or condition significantly affects your ability to access the exam under standard conditions. Providing documentation helps us ensure that the accommodations we approve are appropriate.

Instead of emphasizing your diagnosis or symptoms, the documentation should clearly address:

• Your current functional limitations in daily activities or major life activities (beyond just test-taking).
• How these limitations interact with specific barriers in the testing environment.
• The types of accommodations that have effectively improved access and reduced these barriers in other settings.

We don’t require extensive medical or psychological reports, but if you choose to submit such materials, they must meet our guidelines (as described in Category C).

While not required, a personal statement from you can provide valuable insight. You might explain how your disability affects your functioning in major life activities or activities of daily living (work, home, school, etc.), and how you expect these limitations might impact your ability to take an ICF exam under standard conditions.

Flexible Documentation Options

You may choose from two documentation processes to make the request as simple and as straightforward as possible for you.

Short Request Process Documentation Requirements

If your accommodations needs are more minimal,, the Short Request Process might be right for you. Simply provide documentation from professionals who know you well or organizations familiar with your needs.

Using this process, you can request:

• Up to an extra 45 minutes of testing time (which could be used for extra breaks).
• Use of diabetes testing and management supplies.
• Other accommodations that do not involve timing modification, a separate testing room, or the use of electronic devices or software.

For the Short Request Process, submit one of the following combinations of documents:

• 2 documents from Category A.
• 1 document from Category A + 1 document from Category B.
• 1 document from Category A + 1 document from Category D.

Standard Process Documentation Requirements

For complex or specialized accommodations requests, the Standard Request Process asks you to provide additional documentation so that ensures that we fully understand your access needs. You can submit any combination of the following documentation:

• 2 documents from Category A.
• 1 document from Category A + 1 document from Category C.
• 1 document from Category B + 1 document from Category C.
• 1 document from Category D + 1 document from Category C.
• 1 document from Category A + 1 document from Category B + 1 document from Category D.

Documentation Categories

Category A

Documentation from a professional who knows you well.

A. Letter or report from any of these professionals who know you well:

• Employer or internship supervisor.
• Therapist or related mental health professional.
• Vocational counselor.
• Psychologist.
• Rehab counselor.
• Physical therapist.
• Faculty advisor.
• Disability Services staff person.
• Educational therapist.
• Nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or other medical or mental health professional involved in your ongoing treatment, therapy, or assistance programming.

B. Currency and relevance:

• The documentation is dated no more than 12 months prior to your anticipated exam date.
• The evaluator must be a neutral, unbiased professional. Documentation from friends or family members will not be accepted, regardless of their professional qualifications.

C. The letter or report must meet standard format guidelines:

• Be legible and printed in English.
• Signed and dated.
• Printed on the professional’s (or their institution’s) letterhead.

D. The documentation should address the following:

• How the professional knows you well: The professional’s relationship to you, how often this person has interacted with you over the past 12 months, and detailed information that demonstrates that they know you well (i.e., your employer who interacts with you in the workplace every day).
• Your current levels of functioning in the setting in which the professional knows you well.
• Current functional limitations and challenges in the setting in which the professional knows you.
• Current barriers to access in the setting in which the professional knows you.
• Accommodations or modifications in the setting in which the professional knows you.
• Anticipated barriers to access on the ICF exam, and how the requested accommodations will mitigate those barriers.

E. Notes

• Documentation that focuses mainly on your medical or mental health diagnosis will not be helpful. The focus should be on a discussion of your functioning, as outlined in section D.
• A letter from an evaluator, such as a doctor or psychologist, who only knows you from the context of a diagnostic evaluation, and that only describes your diagnosis, will not be helpful.
• Computer-generated reports or printouts of medical records are neither required nor helpful.

Category B: Other High-Stakes Testing Approval

• Official verification of approval for accommodations on a prior high-stakes, standardized exam, such as the ACT, SAT, LSAT, GMAT, MCAT, GRE, or other high-stakes professional certification exam that was administered within the past five years.

Category C: Individualized Evaluation Report

You may submit an individualized evaluation report from any of these sources:

• Medical or psychological professional.
• Nurse practitioner, physician assistant, physical therapist, or other medical or mental health professional involved in your ongoing treatment, therapy, or assistance.

A. Format

• Be legible and printed in English.
• Signed and dated.
• Printed on the professional’s letterhead.
• If objective tests were administered, all scores and test-scores should be provided, using age-based norms unless unavailable.

B. Qualifications of the Evaluator

The evaluator must be a neutral, unbiased professional. Your supporting documentation should be from a qualified professional who has appropriate training and expertise. Documentation from friends or family members, even if otherwise qualified, will not be accepted. The qualified professional’s documentation must be objective. Typically, a qualified evaluator has a master’s degree or higher in a relevant field, and licensure or other credentials in an appropriate discipline.

C. Currency

The documentation must be current, such that it can reasonably reflect your current levels of functioning, current limitations, and current access needs.

D. The documentation should demonstrate that you have a disability: Evidence that you are substantially limited in one or more major life activities, compared to most people in the general population.

• Major life activities include seeing, hearing, reading, learning, walking, thinking, or major bodily functions. Narrow aspects of learning — such as “math fluency” or “oral reading rate” or “test taking” — are not considered major life activities.
• The appropriate reference group for establishing disability is most people in the general population — not college graduates, your own IQ, or other high-functioning populations.
• It is important to understand that simply having a valid diagnosis of a condition does not automatically mean that you are disabled.
• Note that speaking English as a second language is not a disability and is not covered under exam accommodations. Find more information about language support.

E. Demonstrate that you need accommodations in order to access the test.

• It is important for you and your evaluators to remember that unlike the school setting, accommodations are meant to provide access to the test, not to enhance performance, allow someone to “reach their potential,” “do better on the test,” “finish the test,” “pass the test,” or achieve any other specific outcome.
• It is possible that current or previous academic institutions have provided you with accommodations and support service, in order to help you “reach your potential” or otherwise be “successful.” However, our obligation is to ensure access to the test.

F. Content Requirements

The report must include:

• A discussion of the current functional impacts of the disorder/condition — not just on test-taking.
• A discussion of the current functional limitations likely to affect your ability to take the ICF exam under standard conditions.
• Specific recommendations for testing accommodations. Note that vague requests such as “extended time” or “magnification” will be returned as incomplete.
• A specific rationale for each requested accommodation. Simply naming your diagnosis is not an appropriate rationale. The rationale must make it clear how your requested accommodation(s) will reduce or remove specific barriers on the test, thus allowing you access.
• Evidence that the evaluator reviewed other sources of collateral or corroborating evidence, such as educational plans, transcripts, results of prior evaluations, or employment records. That is, the evaluator’s conclusions and recommendations should be based on a holistic review of multiple sources of information, not just subjective impressions, subjective self-report checklists, and test scores. If the report includes a diagnosis, it should include evidence as to how all ICD-9(10) or DSM-5 diagnostic criteria were met.

G. The report should include recommendations that are appropriate for the ICF exam and the setting:

• The test: ICF exams are standardized exams. This is different from other tasks for which you have been approved for accommodations, such as a non-standardized testing in school. For example, a school may have approved the accommodations of “unlimited time” or “preferential seating” in class, but these accommodations would not be appropriate for a standardized exam.
• The setting: ICF exams are administered at Pearson VUE testing centers (with other testing candidates present)and remotely (with no other test-takers present). Certain accommodations, such as private testing rooms, may only be appropriate in one of these test settings.

H. Be reasonable. Accommodations will not be provided if they could compromise the security, integrity, or validity of the test.

Category D

Evidence of formal accommodations or support services provided in a post-secondary academic setting within the past 18 months.

• This evidence should be printed on the institution’s letterhead.
• The documentation should outline the specific accommodations or support services that were approved.

Specific Circumstances

Before submitting an exam accommodations request, you may have questions about what you may need or be eligible to request for your exam appointment. Here is some information that may be helpful to know in advance of submitting your request.

1. ADHD or learning disorders. Psychologists and doctors may diagnose someone with ADHD or a learning disorder—but as explained above, this diagnosis itself is not required.
   • Your documentation must adequately describe your current functional limitations to major life activities—not what your performance was like in elementary school or many years ago.
   • If your documentation indicates that you have difficulty sustaining your attention over time—yet you are requesting significantly longer seat time on the exam—you and your evaluator must explain why this accommodation would be appropriate. Please note that simply providing evidence that you have been diagnosed with ADHD or a learning disorder is not sufficient to demonstrate that you are disabled.
2. Temporary disabilities or circumstances. Requests based on a temporary disability such as a broken arm, or temporary circumstances such as pregnancy, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
3. Medical conditions (including diabetes) requiring medical or assistive devices or equipment. If you use assistive devices (other than ordinary eyeglasses) or need to have medical equipment with you during your exam, you should submit a written request for accommodations along with appropriate documentation from your health care provider that indicates the need for such devices. Be sure to see the list of personal medical items that do NOT need pre-approval.
4. Anxiety. It is perfectly normal to be anxious during your exam (“test anxiety”). However, accommodations are not provided solely for this circumstance, because “test-taking” is not a major life activity. If the only impact of your condition is on test-taking, then it is likely that you are not a person with a disability.
5. Deaf. If you are deaf or otherwise hard-of-hearing, a written copy of the check-in procedures and rules can be provided to you. However, since the course and the exam are entirely written, with nothing to listen to, you should not need a sign language interpreter during the exam.
6. Blind or low vision. If you have a visual disorder that cannot be corrected with ordinary eyeglasses, there are many possible accommodations that we could provide to you, based on your specific needs. Be sure to provide information about your actual functional limitations, any assistive technology you regularly use, and what accommodations, devices, or technologies you may need in order to access the course and the exam.
7. Personal statement. It is helpful (but not required) for you to provide your own personal statement that explains how your disability affects your functioning in major life activities or activities of daily living (work, home, school, etc.), and how you expect these limitations might impact your ability to take the Exam under standard conditions.