Use of reasonable adjustments to improve accessibility in veterinary OSCEs

Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) provide a robust assessment of veterinary clinical skills competency and are often used for high stake examinations. For students with disabilities, OSCEs can pose challenges which may impact their ability to demonstrate their competency compared to non-disabled peers resulting in attainment gaps. Reasonable adjustments (RAs) aim to address this problem by providing supportive interventions which allow disabled students to demonstrate their full potential in the exam creating an equitable assessment. When providing RAs, institutions can tailor these to the individual student using a ‘medical model approach’ or design their OSCEs to be equally accessible for disabled and non-disabled students using a ‘universal design approach’. This article explores challenges and potential solutions to implementing RAs including additional time in OSCEs, using current evidence for both these approaches while considering students with varied physical, sensory, processing and anxiety needs. Due to the diverse needs of these students, current best practice is to use a blend of universal design and medical model RAs to optimize specific needs for individuals whilst simultaneously supporting all students including those with undiagnosed or undeclared disabilities. Effectiveness of this approach can be monitored by looking for closure of any attainment gaps but also through student perceived experience of fairness in the exam. Clear communication between the institution and students regarding what is being implemented/offered and why is key to developing an open dialogue and inclusive culture to support fair and equitable assessment outcomes for all students.