What does ETS mean by a “substantial or functional limitation in learning?
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), not every impairment is a disability. In order for an impairment to qualify as a disability under the ADA, it has to be “substantially limiting” to a major life activity (e.g., seeing, talking, hearing, learning, walking, etc.). Thus, having a disability or a diagnosis alone may not be sufficient to support the need for testing accommodations. For ETS testing programs such as GRE and PRAXIS, the documentation needs to clearly establish that the disability significantly impacts the way a person performs a major life activity compared to the “average person” before an accommodation can be considered.
