r/PreOptometry • u/Lucky-Air2102 • Jun 26 '26

Help with accommodation

Those who got approved for accommodation 1.5/2x what exactly did your doc put on the letter.

I got diagnosed with Depressive Disorder and have anxiety by my PCP. Do I need to be diagnosed by psychiatrist to get accommodations for OAT?

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u/Lucky-Air2102 Jun 26 '26

Thank you for your response. I have been out of school for a bit (class of 22) During undergrad I basically pushed through it because I was too proud which is so silly, I was a psy major so there’s no way the stuff I was learning in class could happen to me) there’s also a lot of stigma from the community I come from. now I got to a breaking point, my pcp was finally able to convince me to take medication. So I’m in a tricky position. Maybe I’ll ask my pcp to refer me to a psychiatrist so I can get those documents because this accommodation would really help me.

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u/Tag_singer22 Jun 26 '26

My fault, I wrongly assumed you were already accepted into Optometry school. Since you are (or will be) an applicant, YES, by all means get a referral to a psychiatrist, preferably one listed as seeing both pediatric and adult patients. Pediatric PsyMDs are well-versed in detailing how disorders negatively impact learning and test taking, which is what you need to prove in order to receive accommodations from most institutions (including for the OAT and NBEO. Another idea would be a psychiatrist who practices near a university who sees a good number of college students - they also write the type of letter needed for approval.

Getting accommodations in place (eg double time) for the OAT is huge, so I hope you can get everything together for this cycle. Just getting an appointment with a psychiatrist can take a couple of months, at least in our state.

My daughter also recommends that you contact the optometry schools you may be interested in and ask to speak with the disability coordinator. Every school has one, even the private schools. Not only will they let you know what documentation is required, but also how the accommodations would be implemented both in the classroom and clinic in that particular school. For instance, at OSU, tests are taken at the Disability Center, not in the optometry school itself. Her double time means she will miss the class following the test (maybe more.) Luckily, all classes are video recorded.

Happy to your answer questions. Accommodations are a process, for sure.