Test information is usually presented in print in the English language. Therefore, braille, large print, reader, and audiotape are simply different ways of presenting the same information. In most cases, these formats could be interchanged without a change in the question content or the ability being tested. For oral presentation, the test-taker must try to keep the entire passage in memory. In braille or large print, scanning through the passage is slower than it is with regular print.
Figural material is problematic for people with visual impairments.
When readers are used, they should be people who read well and articulate clearly, and they should practice reading the test in advance. They should be warned against inadvertently giving clues to the test-taker when they read. It should be noted that changing a test from a printed version into a sign language version is a translation into another language, rather than simply a change of format. It must be done with all of the care that would be taken in translating a test from English into, say, Japanese. In most cases of accommodated testing it is necessary to change the test's time limits.