I am completely blind in my right eye. I have gotten time and a half on bar exams in two different states.

My vision became worse over the years. During high school I had about 10/100, during college and grad school I had about 3/100.

My exam accommodations were always a bit different. During high school I usually received 10-20 minutes more time. There was no clear rule and it was pretty much up to the individual teachers. Some of them were very generous and easy-going, others were very strict. Our exams usually lasted 90 minutes, so 10 minutes extra would be ~12% extra, 20 minutes would be ~25% extra. Furthermore I received double-sized exam sheets (A3) with large print. Some teachers let me take their exams in their office where it was more quiet but again, this was up to the individual teacher. In German class where we were sometimes expected to write long essays I was allowed to use my laptop computer. In all the other subjects I had to write by hand.

When I was 18, I decided to go on a high school exchange year to the US. At my school in America, I did not receive any special accommodations whatsoever. In fact, the teachers didn't even enlarge the exercise and exam sheets for me. Everything was exactly the same as for the sighted students. As you can imagine, this was pretty tough for me. Unfortunately at the time my English was not so good yet and I was too scared to fight for myself. The teachers at that school just seemed very unwilling to accommodate to my needs. And my host parents who probably could have said something chose not to.

Once I came back to Switzerland and I began studying at university, things became more regulated. I now worked out a clear contract with the university's disability office that specified all the accommodations I was allowed to have. These included:

- Large print exam sheets

- A separate, quiet exam room (office space etc)

- I could write everything on my laptop computer

- Extra time ranging between 25%-100% depending on the nature of the exam (25% for multiple choice, 50% for short answers, 100% for essays).

Finally, some professors at university offered to examine me orally instead of in a written test. Whenever this was offered to me, I happily accepted it. I like oral exam and they make things a whole lot easier. I also enjoy the fact that I'm done after 15-30 minutes instead of sitting in a small office space for 2 hours.

This is also why I've never used a scribe. While studying at uni I heard of people who used scribes but personally I never needed them because the oral exam option and the accommodations I had worked fine for me.

I got 2x time, separate testing area, and a reader/scribe for my standardized or bubble-filling exams.

This is VERY important to have documented on your IEP before you sign up for ACT/PSAT/SAT so there is a paper trail or they will try to deny your accommodations. I even had to fight Pearson for accomodation for a test called "Respecting Students Educational and CIvil Rights in the Classroom." They did not want to allow accommodations.

​

I know accommodations are supposed to be individualized, but I always write in 2x time for exams.

It could depend on what form the exams take. On a computer? Does magnification software help? On paper? Large print (as you mentioned) and something like CCTV/Video magnifier could help. Is there math? You could use a talking calculator. If you expect progressive loss of sight it might be worth learning a screen reader so you can take a break from looking at a computer monitor. That might help with fatigue.

I'm partially sighted, and I get the following:

- 1.5 times for quizzes, exams, etc.
- Computer typing with no spell check (word pad) on high contrast (white writing on black background)
- CCTV
- No Scantron for MC, just circle on the paper copy or type in the computer

I find these super helpful cuz I can read so much easier with white font on black. Plus Scantrons were created to fuck with me, so I asked to no longer use those. I actually missed a few on like three exams. It cost me like 10% on one test. I was heartbroken.

In general, I get 75% extra time and everything on the computer. Exam documents in pdf and I write the answers in Word. The exception would for anything math-based and if it needs graphs and stuff.

I have the option to use a scribe if necessary. I avoid that at all cost as it takes too long to teach them statistical symbols to solve a simple equation.

I get breaks too but it's not explicitly written in my accommodation plan. As most university exams are 3 hrs and with extra time, it can easily be a 5 hr exam. I just take breaks in between and close my eyes to rest. The only exam where I used the entire time and extra time were accounting exams. They are fucking hard. Everything else I'm done before the 3 hr mark.

My eyes can handle up to 2.5 hrs of continuous work, so, I try to finish the exam before then.

i had the exact same accommodations as you, however i think of my vision was as bad in my left eye as it is in my right i wouldn’t have been able to read the large print (modified paper)

It was for GCSEs with the exam board WJEC so it depends on what type of exam you’re doing. You could always ask for an example sheet to see if the large print is actually big enough.

You should get time and a half. I was always provided that.

I got large print, some extra time, two answer choices instead of three, some extra help from other teachers, and that’s pretty much it!