Submitting diagnoses
- You may submit diagnoses and accommodation requests up to one month before the exam date each semester. In exceptional cases, you may submit a request after this date, though accommodations may not be enacted immediately.
- To submit a request for exam accommodations, fill in the requested details in the online application form and attach relevant diagnoses. After that, a meeting will be scheduled for an interview and to open a file at the Center.
Validity of diagnoses
- You may request exam accommodations based on diagnoses conducted up to five years previously. If the diagnosis was made prior to age 16, a new diagnosis is necessary. If the diagnosis was made after high school, its validity and suitability for academic studies must be confirmed by the HILA counselors.
Accepting diagnoses
- The decision whether or not to accept a valid diagnosis conducted before the student was admitted to Shenkar is at the discretion of the support center. In some cases, the student will be required to fill in parts of the diagnosis or obtain a new diagnosis.
- An admitted student who would like an up-to-date diagnosis may request one at a diagnostic institute through the National Institute for Testing & Evaluation. We recommend consulting with the HILA counselor on the appropriate diagnosis method.
- The center is not obligated to accept diagnoses from institutes not approved by the center.
Types of diagnoses
- Students with learning disabilities — a recent didactic diagnosis must be submitted.
- Students with attention deficit disorder — a didactic diagnosis and/or a comprehensive attention test conducted by a neurologist or psychiatrist specializing in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among adults must be submitted. The diagnosis should include a detailed clinical assessment, an age-standardized computerized diagnosis and a differential diagnosis. The conclusions must be reasoned and appropriately supported.
An attention test may only be submitted if there was a didactic diagnosis during school years. A first attention test will require completing information through a didactic diagnosis.
A didactic diagnosis gives a complete picture of the underlying learning functions and mechanisms. For the student and those supporting them, such a diagnosis provides important information regarding the source of the difficulties and their effect on various academic functions. The information helps us assemble a range of support tools appropriate for the diagnostic findings. We recommend that, in the event of first-time diagnoses during academic studies, the student obtain a full didactic diagnosis to determine the source of the difficulties and their effect on various academic functions.
An ADD diagnosis confirms the disorder’s presence and characterizes it. The diagnosis is primarily designed to serve a therapeutic process, so it does not contain much information regarding learning mechanisms and functions (reading, writing, memory, language, etc.). Therefore, the range of accommodations and services to be provided by the support center is more limited.
Scholarships and financial assistance to fund diagnoses
- The support center offers a limited number of scholarships to help finance students’ diagnoses. Students eligible for assistance are those who received a scholarship from Shenkar or Mifal HaPais, lone soldiers, and new immigrants, through the Israel Student Authority.
- In awarding scholarships, priority will be given to first- and second-year students.
Approving accommodations
- Testing method accommodations will be granted based on several considerations: the diagnostic findings and recommendations, the acceptability of the accommodations within the designated department, and a personal interview with the student. About two weeks after the interview, approval of accommodations will be sent by e-mail. The approval is valid until the end of the study period unless otherwise stated.
Please note:
- HILA is not obligated to accept all of a diagnostician’s recommendations.
- Certain accommodations are subject to lecturer approval only; it is the student’s responsibility to obtain this approval.
- There are accommodations where implementation is subject to system constraints and will be determined individually for each test.
Renewal of temporary accommodations
- In some cases, approval will be granted for a fixed period. In such instances, the student is responsible for applying to renew the approval no later than one month before the exam period. If a student does not renew the approval in time, the accommodations will not be granted for the scheduled exams.
- The student must bring the accommodation approval with them to all exams.
It is very important to carefully read the HILA regulations published on the website!
