If you wish to become a U.S. citizen, you will need to sit some exams. If this brings troubling flashbacks of struggling through school exams, then it is important to know there may be help available.
Once upon a time, society did not really understand why some people were worse at exams than others. These days most people realize that not everyone’s brain works in the same way and that two people with the same amount of knowledge as each other won’t always perform equally in an exam to test that knowledge.
Here are some examples of help that might be available:
Accommodations for disabilities
A blind person could be given a braille version of the paperwork and tests. Someone deaf might be provided with a sign language interpreter for interviews. If you have arthritic hands that no longer allow you to write you might be permitted to answer exam questions orally. If you can still write, but a disability means it takes you much longer, you might be allowed extra time to complete the written test. The idea is to give people an equal chance of completing the process successfully.
Accommodations for age
It is widely known that it is easier to learn a language when you are young. That can make gaining citizenship very difficult for some older people. An English test is part of the requirement to gain citizenship. Almost everyone must meet it, however, an exception may be made if someone is 55 plus and has legally lived here for at least 15 years, or 50 plus and lived here legally for at least 20 years.
Learning more about the help available is wise if you or a loved one is worried about your ability to complete the required tests or paperwork on your route to citizenship.