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Accommodations

Candidate Disability

 

The ADA defines a person with a disability as someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as walking, standing, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, or working. The purpose of accommodations is to provide equal access to ABOG examinations for all individuals. 

 

Accommodations offset the identified functional limitation so that the impact of impairment is minimized by means of an auxiliary aid or an adjustment to the testing procedure. Functional limitation refers to the aspects of a disability that interfere with an individual's ability to function in some capacity on a regular and continuing basis. ABOG shall not exclude any candidate from examination solely because of a disability if ABOG is provided with notice of the disability in time to permit ABOG to make such adjustments in the examination as are reasonably necessary to accommodate the disability. 

 

Candidates must indicate if special testing accommodations under the ADA are needed no later than the close of the application period. Requests must be submitted in writing and provide sufficient documentation to permit ABOG to verify the existence, nature, and extent of the disability. Please notify ABOG by submitting your request via the contact us form.

  • Accommodations will only be considered with appropriate documentation and according to the timing outlines above under Notification Requirements. 
  • Your documentation must specify the requirements or accommodations determined to be necessary to overcome or compensate for the disability. 
  • In addition, you must supply any additional information ABOG may subsequently request in a timely manner. 
  • The purpose of documentation is to validate that an applicant for test accommodations is a disabled individual as defined by the ADA to provide guidance in determining effective accommodations. 
  • Comprehensive information by a qualified professional is necessary to allow ABOG to understand the nature and extent of the disability and the resulting functional impairment that limits access to its examinations. It is essential that your documentation provides clear explanation of the functional impairment and a rationale for the requested accommodation. 

A candidate will not be offered an accommodation that would compromise the ABOG examination's ability to accurately test the skills and knowledge it is designed to measure and no auxiliary aid or service will be provided that will fundamentally alter the examination or will result in an undue burden to ABOG. 


If any of the requirements cannot reasonably be provided, ABOG will notify you and indicate those alternative accommodations that ABOG determines to be appropriate in consideration of the disability claimed and documented and the integrity of the examination. 

If you fail to notify ABOG of a disability by the deadlines given above and fail to achieve a passing grade, you may not appeal the results of the exam. You're entitled to sit for the next regularly scheduled exam, but must pay new application and exam fees and must meet current year exam requirements. 

 

Lactation

 

If you're a candidate who will be lactating during Multiple Choice Examinations Administered at Off-site Testing Centers (Specialty and Subspecialty Qualifying Exams, Continuing Certification Part III (Year 6) Exams, Re-Entry Exams, and MIGS or PAG Focused Practice Designation Exams) or the Certifying Exams, please review the information below for instructions on reserving a lactation room. All examination accommodation requests must be sent via the contact us form. 

 

Candidates who are lactating may request a 30-minute break and extension of their examination if they notify the ABOG office no later than the close of the application period and schedule at a Pearson VUE Testing Center by the same date. Most Pearson VUE Testing Centers have only one room that is available for breast pumping, so candidates are encouraged to make their reservations as soon as they receive approval for the test as these rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. If a candidate requests extra time for lactation, they must schedule their testing site through the Pearson VUE accommodations department after contacting ABOG. If no seat is available at the closest center, and they have requested extra time, they will have to travel to an available location to sit for the examination. As Pearson VUE testing centers have limited lactation facilities, ABOG cannot guarantee that the candidate will be able to schedule at their preferred testing center.

Candidates who are lactating will be given an opportunity to use a pump prior to their examination. Please notify ABOG at the time of application if you know you will need the lactation facilities. At the time of notification, a lactation room will be reserved for the candidate. The rooms are booked on a first-come, first-served basis. If all the lactation rooms are full, the candidate will be given an alternate location at the ABOG Testing Center. Candidates must bring their own breast pump with them to the testing center.

 

Page last updated: July 31, 2025