From the Accreditation Board
Accessibility and inclusion are incredibly important, and the Accreditation Board (AB) has several measures in place, and is exploring others, to make the accreditation exam as accessible as possible.
Current measures include the option of remote candidacy where possible. Candidates who are unable to attend one of the exam venues for a valid reason may request a remote sitting.
For example, a candidate might apply for a remote sitting if:
- they would need to cross a state or country border to attend their nearest venue
- travelling to their nearest venue is prohibitively long, complex or expensive
- they have a physical or other disability that means they are unable to attend an exam venue.
Candidates can also make adjustment requests to ensure they are not disadvantaged when sitting the exam. Examples of adjustment requests include:
- extra time
- custom equipment (e.g. a custom keyboard, mouse, monitor, screen-reader or chair)
- an Auslan interpreter (e.g. to understand invigilator instructions)
- opportunity to take medication during the exam (especially if it needs to be administered outside the exam room)
- dietary needs that require candidates to have food or drink at a particular time.
Candidates who make these types of remote or adjustment requests will usually be asked to provide more information and proof of their circumstances, such as a medical certificate.
All candidates are allowed to bring routine ergonomic equipment (e.g. lumbar supports, monitor stands or small footstools) into the exam room without making an adjustment request, unless the equipment is large, needs special fitting or is likely to affect others sitting around them. Any candidate bringing extra equipment will be expected to arrive early at the exam to ensure the equipment is installed before the exam begins.
Although no candidate has requested this to date, the exam team is also ready to provide the exam documents in accessible on-screen formats.
Candidates who are unsure whether they need to make an adjustment request will be able to ask the exam coordinator when registering.
One of the AB’s objectives is to help candidates overcome financial, cultural and other barriers to sitting the exam. To target the financial barrier we recently introduced a concession rate for the exam registration fee, and we set all fees as low as possible (see Gatherings March issue). We are also exploring the possibility of providing inclusion places to subsidise (either partially or fully) the registration fee. In the coming months, we will be circulating an anonymous survey to all IPEd members who are not accredited to investigate what some other barriers are and how we might address them to allow us to better support editors wanting to pursue accreditation.
Accreditation renewal reminder
A reminder to renewing AEs from the 2008 and 2018 cohorts to submit their renewal applications by 31 July.