Licensure Exam Guidelines for PWDs

Section 7 (b) of R.A. No. 8981 empowers the Commission to make rules and regulations and issue orders and other administrative issuances necessary to execute and implement its functions and improve its services.
The PRC establishes a general rule that all examinees shall be treated equally as ordinary examinees.
The PRC issues disability-specific guidelines because persons with disabilities include individuals with hearing and vision impairment (deaf and blind), physical disability (polio victims, with crutches or on wheel chair), and speech impairment (mute) who are allowed to take licensure examinations.
The resolution’s purpose is to provide guidelines for the conduct of licensure examinations for PWDS.

The guidelines apply to licensure examinations for persons with disabilities (PWDS).
The guidelines cover PWDS who are blind, vision-impaired (low vision), physically handicapped (polio victims, with crutches or on wheel chair), and deaf and/or mute examinees.
The guidelines operate within PRC Central Office and Regional Offices examination settings and test centers.
Treatment adjustments are made during the examination process while maintaining overall examination integrity.

Blind examinees must be assigned inside the Examination Division or in a room near the Building or Floor Supervisor in both Central and Regional test centers.
A Room Watcher designated by the Chairperson (in the Central Office) or by the Regional Directors (in the Regional Offices) must assist blind examinees in filling up the Examinee’s Identification Sheet using information provided by the blind examinee.
The Room Watcher must read twice the test questions to the blind examinee and must mark the answers of the blind examinee on the Answer Sheets.
The entire proceedings must be recorded using a tape recorder and blank tapes provided by the examinee.
The recorded tapes must be submitted to the Rating Division for safekeeping and future reference.
A Certification must be issued by the Room Watcher that the marked answers are the examinee’s answers based on the recorded proceedings.

Other vision-impaired examinees (such as those with low vision) who can still read the test questions must be treated as ordinary examinees.
Vision-impaired examinees who can still read test questions must be allowed to sit near the window or where there is proper illumination in the room.

Physically handicapped examinees (including polio victims with crutches or on a wheelchair) must be assigned at the ground floor or at the lowest floor in the test center together with other ordinary examinees.

Deaf and/or mute examinees must be given written instructions in the accomplishment of examination forms.
Assignment of interpreters is not allowed for deaf and/or mute examinees in the context of the examination instructions and forms.

The Commission may adopt procedures applicable to examinees with other kinds of disabilities not covered by the resolution.
Any adopted procedures must not compromise the integrity of the licensure examination.