Remarkable World Commentary Episode #70: Who Needs To Take Responsibility

🎙️ Remarkable World Commentary Episode #70: Who Needs To Take Responsibility | Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA
https://donnajodhan.com/rwc-01-01-2026/

In this sobering episode of Remarkable World Commentary, Donna J. Jodhan kicks off 2026 with a hard question, who needs to take responsibility when an exam is promised to be accessible, but turns out not to be. She recounts her experience after months of intense preparation for a CompTIA Network+ / cybersecurity exam, funded through a scholarship, only to arrive on exam day and face a system that was poorly structured for accessibility, paired with a proctor/reader who couldn't properly interpret key parts of the test, leaving her no real choice but to forfeit the exam.

Donna also challenges the broader pipeline that led to this failure, raising concerns about inaccessible study materials, an inaccessible learning platform, and practice questions that were unreliable, then asks listeners to weigh in: Should she walk away, or should she hold the key parties accountable (the scholarship organization, Pearson VUE, and CompTIA) so others won't face the same barrier? She invites listeners to share their thoughts by emailing her directly.

TRANSCRIPT

Podcast Commentator: Greetings. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP and MBA, invites you to listen to her biweekly podcast, Remarkable World Commentary. Here, Donna shares some of her innermost thoughts, insights, perspectives, and more with her listeners. Donna focuses on topics that directly affect the future of kids, especially kids with disabilities. Donna is a blind advocate, author, site loss coach, dinner mystery producer, writer, entrepreneur, law graduate, and podcast commentator. She has decades of lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and expertise in access technology and information. As someone who has been internationally recognized for her work and roles, she just wants to make things better than possible.

Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: I'm Donna J. Jodhan, and welcome to my remarkable World commentary. Happy 2026 to everybody. I hope that everyone had a great holiday time. And now, unfortunately, for better or for worse, we're back to work. So I'd like to begin this year's commentary remarkable world commentary with a very sobering commentary or some sobering thoughts from me. And the topic of my podcast for today is who needs to take responsibility? Okay, so. Exams are often laid out either in an accessible format or in an unaccessible format. Okay. So what we have is this. And this is based on my experience of a few months ago, after I had spent months and months studying for a cybersecurity course, a Network Plus ten course that was issued by the comp Tia organization and administered by the Pearson organization. I got a scholarship to do the cybersecurity course that was given to me by the Apex organization. I was extremely humbled, and I worked my butt off for the last nine months, or the first nine months of 2025. During that time, I had a heck of a time trying to set up an exam through Pearson and Comp Tea on the day of the exam. Everything that could have gone wrong went very wrong. The exam was not accessible. I had to work with a proctor slash reader who did not know how to interpret the exam, so I had to forfeit the exam or forgo the exam.

Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: The security procedures were extremely tight and I understand that. But when you go into an exam room expecting that this exam is accessible and it is not, it is heartbreaking. It is horrifying. And somebody needs to take responsibility for. What has happened? Okay. So here we have an exam that has been laid out in a very inaccessible way. You go into the exam room, the reader slash proctor is unable to interpret properly. Okay. And you are not allowed to have a human reader or sorry, you're not allowed to have a computer set up with screen reading software for a blind slash vision impaired person. This, after I had had my technician sign umpteen forms saying that he would be my proctor slash reader. He was highly qualified, but then I was refused permission to bring him in. Everything else they adhered to like extra hours and visits to the bathroom and things like that. But the exam was terribly, terribly laid out. Okay. And then you have an organization who issued this His scholarship, but somehow forgot to check as to whether this exam was going to be accessible. An organization that in itself offered study materials were not accessible. There were lots of typos. The LMS system was inaccessible. The practice exams were ones where many times when I checked with ChatGPT, the answers to the questions that were given in the practice exams were incorrect.

Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: And on and on and on. I can go, but I won't. Okay. So the thing is, when the apex organization offers such a wonderful opportunity, students like me study robustly and vociferously, and then the exam centers get involved and and schedule the exams. The student goes to the center on the appointed day and then the exam is not accessible. But nobody, no one, no organization wants to take responsibility for this amazing faux pas that has taken place. What can I do? What should I do? Should I stand up and fight in the name of other students who are having this difficulty, but are afraid to say anything? Should I walk away? What do you think I should do? Why don't you send me your thoughts to me at Donna Jordan at gmail.com? That's d o d a n at gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you. I'd love to hear you. Tell me what you think I should do. Should I walk away? Or should I hold these three parties responsible? The apex organization, Pearson Vue, who is an internationally based organization with a reputation that I hope will take a look at what has happened here or the comp Tia folks, another internationally based organization. I'm Donna, wishing you a great day.

Podcast Commentator: Donna wants to hear from you and invites you to write to her at [e-mail]. Until next time.