The first GED test center for people with learning and physical disabilities in New York City opened for scheduling Tuesday at the Institute for Career Development.
The ICD GED Fully Accessible Test Center, located in lower Manhattan at 123 William Street, provides full accessibility to anyone with a disability to take a GED test to obtain an equivalent to a high school diploma. The testing will be provided for free as long as the person was approved to take the GED.
The test center held a ribbon-cutting in August that was attended by Martha Jackson, the assistant commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. ICD announced Tuesday that the test center was fully open for GED test scheduling. Its first test day on Sept. 22 is already fully booked.
Jackson had said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony that the test center is an “accessible, supportive, and respectful center where proper accommodations will be provided.” The GED qualification, she said, provides people who are unemployed or underemployed in need of a high school diploma with greater career prospects.
Joseph McDonald, president of development and communications at ICD, stated that the test center — housed at what used to be the organization’s former cafeteria — provides a model for New York City and the rest of the nation. The room was rebuilt to create wider lanes for wheelchairs between all the seating, and with adjustable desks to accommodate height needs.
“We did not have a GED test center prior and so ours was designed and put together with accessibility first,” McDonald said. “We began from the mindset of accommodation and then built the center anew.”
The ICD is a workforce development nonprofit founded in 1917 to help people transform their lives through career development and employment. The organization provides vocational evaluation, career planning services, job skills training programs, internships, and job placement services for youth and adults with disabilities, including veterans.
All of ICD’s GED tests are computer-based and test takers are able to access both specialized equipment and standard equipment to take the GED test. The computers have software that is able to accommodate different kinds of capabilities, according to McDonald.
The equipment includes general assistive technology, such as noise-canceling headphones, advanced screen reading software, and dictation software. Specific assistance technology includes eye tracking devices, ergonomic keyboards, mice, touchpads, and joysticks, and screen magnification.
The test center can accommodate 15 people at a time, depending on the needs and the number of subjects being tested that day. The subjects include mathematical reasoning, reasoning through language arts, social studies, and science. The test center will offer at least two test sessions a month.
“We are actually increasing that to have more frequent testing from now to the end of the year,” McDonald said. “If demand dictates it, we can increase it further.”
There will be three private rooms for those who require privacy while taking the test, which is atypical of most places that provide GED testing, according to Gica. The nonprofit is hoping that with more funding, it can add more private rooms for the test center.
“After the first phase of this, we would look towards adding more accommodation and more rooms,” Gica said. “We actually got some funding to be able to provide more accommodation, but we want to seek more funding.”
Diosdado Gica, president of programs and operations at ICD told amNewYork Metro that the ICD had looked for more ways to service students and adults with disabilities during the pandemic. The nonprofit had found that people can fall between cracks and become vulnerable to homelessness, substance abuse, and incarceration.
“We wanted to make sure that we didn’t leave them out because in a lot of ways they needed more support than anybody,” Gica said. “That’s where the idea of having a GED test center embedded on our site where we provide really comprehensive accommodations to make the place accessible.”
To take the GED test at the ICD test center, individuals must first apply to New York State’s GED Testing Service. ICD also offers free pre-GED tutoring for people with disabilities interested in pursuing the GED test.
“Individuals with disabilities are the nation’s largest minority group and the largest untapped labor pool,” McDonald stated. “Enabling all people with disabilities to take the GED test should be a priority at all levels of government.”
