Public Access Test iCert360
An independent, well-structured and objective assistance dog team test is important in order to secure the requirements for access rights and funding. It also helps to maintain a high level of quality in the assistance dog sector so that the concept can continue to develop well.
Thanks to a forward-looking grant from the Postcode Lottery (see below), we were able to develop an innovative test procedure. It is objective, comprehensive and yet economical – and at the same time as individual and relaxed as possible for dog and owner!
Find out more about how we accompany assistance dog teams with a fair and reliable video Public Access Test.
iCert360™ is the registered name for our newly developed and patent-pending process. “i” stands for “international”, “cert” for “certification” and “360” refers to the 360-degree video perspectives used here.
iCert360™ | Traditional Team Examination |
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Relaxed and well prepared | |
The video supervisor who follows you does not evaluate, but merely ensures that the technology is working. With the exam supervisor guiding you remotely the exam can run in a very relaxed way. | Being evaluated by examiners live on site can be stressful for both humans and dogs. The focused looks and possible critical reactions in case of a mistake are clearly noticeable and can cause distress. Something unpredictable quickly causes distracted examiners. |
Everything seamlessly recorded | |
360-degree cameras capture everything: right, left, front, back, top, bottom – and from multiple perspectives. | Live, on site, examiners can only perceive a small selection of what is happening at a time. Movements, environmental stimuli, navigation and notes, as well as fatigue with declining concentration – it’s so easy to miss something. |
Comprehensively documented | |
Different angles are recorded throughout and reliably – even your perspective. This allows for a thorough and accurate assessment. | The subjective and limited perspective leads to misinterpretations. An authentic reproduction of the owner’s perspective is missing in the traditional assessment. It is precisely this perspective that often says a lot about the partnership. |
Questioning perception | |
Situationscan be repeated in the video and thus evaluated objectively and in detail. We work through very different assessments together as a team in order to understand their cause. | The brain filters the most important environmental stimuli for us. To do this, it uses selective(1) or subjective perception(2): you see what you think you see. This is deeply rooted in our thinking and cannot be switched off. Only video documentation therefore allows a reliable live assessment. |
Maximum autonomy for the team | |
The exam should reflect your everyday life. That is why we seek your suggestions where possible and plan longer breaks when necessary. | Traditional tests are often done in one piece, despite this placing a great and unnatural strain on both dog and human. It is important to save expensive expert time and travel costs. |
Anonymous and unbiased | |
Examiners do not learn the name, place of residence, type of training or the training institution, personal details, or the scores of the other examiners. In this way, they remain unbiased. | Personal details, preconceived opinions or googled information about the person can influence the objectivity and judgement of examiners who assess live on site. Examiners can also influence each other. |
Independent | |
We diligently avoid conflicts of interest. Anonymous exam recordings protect against conflicts of interest on behalf of examiners. | If examiners know the training institution or the client, past experience or the desire for future assignments can distort the assessment. |
Quality management | |
iCert360™ is basedon detailed quality management. If a subject examiner deviates (“outlier”), the reasons are evaluated. | “The examiner has had a bad day” – who hasn’t experienced this? In the traditional procedure, nothing protects you from expert opinions whose judgment you doubt. It’s one statement against the other, and in the end the examiner is always right. Structures that are not questioned only improve slowly. |
Data protection | |
Data protection is very important to us. We have an external data protection officer since 2018: long before it was mandatory. | GDPR requirements mandate all organisations that come into contact with personal health data, even if they are small, to have an external data protection officer. This is not always the case in the traditional process. |
Qualification for official ID – German government
The Assistance Dog Foundation test is recognized by the authorities of the federal states, which will issue you with the ID card and registration number.
You can register for the test here without obligation.
The test is designed to be as individual as possible, while still guaranteeing a comprehensive assessment in accordance with the Assistance Dog Ordinance (AHundV), or other certification schemes in the future.
The exam process
Quality management and data protection
All employees who come (or could come) into contact with your personal data or videos are bound to data protection by very strict contracts. There are also contractual agreements with external service providers. Regarding the implementation of data protection, we are supervised by an independent data protection officer who advises and helps to manage the processes in a data protection-compliant manner.
In addition, the Assistance Dog Foundation subjects itself to comprehensive quality management with its testing concept.
You can be confident that the inspection will be carried out according to the same quality standards for everyone. Quality management defines quality as a process: transparent procedures, clearly defined, ensure “progress” when all steps are regularly scrutinized and improved.
Well planned and relaxed
After you have registered for the test without obligation, the first step is to check whether you and your assistance dog are qualified in accordance with the Assistance Dog Ordinance (AHundV). The major health check is not required for assistance dogs that started their training before July 1, 2023, but only a current veterinary certificate.
After this step, you will be invited to take part in the expert examination, which usually takes place via Zoom (modifications are possible if required).
You can prepare for this certificate of competence examination with our free certificate of competence manual. You will be registered for the examination once you have passed the certificate test and paid. As far as possible, the examination takes place in your usual environment on site. You can submit your usual daily routine and suggestions for a route, as well as emergency information and special requirements. The day of the exam is set and prepared.
What does “360-degree video” mean?
Just give it a try! Start the sample video and then drag the image back and forth with your mouse. You can see what a 360-degree video captures: Everything! All around, above and below, everything is captured completely and reliably with just one camera. iCert360™ uses several of these cameras so that everything is documented clearly and continuously.
Advantages of our Public Access Test iCert360™
Comprehensively documented
iCert360™ has been designed to do great things, but requires minimal on-site operation. The technology works without distracting or disturbing others. The video supervisor follows you at a distance of a few meters, but only makes herself noticed in order to communicate instructions from the examination supervisor. Videos and conversations are recorded securely and invisible stimuli (e.g. smells, unusual temperatures or weather phenomena) are communicated via them.
You will meet your video representative at the meeting point. She will give you a small camera (with carrying device and battery – 500 g), which you put on and which documents your perspective as the holder. This allows the examiners to understand situations from your perspective.
Everything from your dog’s facial expression and body language to the way you interact with your dog can be included in the assessment.
These authentic impressions of your partnership, the valuable personal perspective, are not perceptible to the same extent in traditional examinations where the examiners walk behind you.
Even a traditional camera cannot capture them so realistically.
Exam supervision and procedure
An exam supervisor follows the events via livestream. She sees and hears everything via an encrypted video link. She is in constant communication with the video officer via headphones – just as if she were there in person. However, while she is guiding the inspection and comparing it with the route and list of assistance to be inspected, she is not distracted by her own activities and interactions on site, but can concentrate fully on smooth organization. In an emergency, she has your instructions and knows quickly what to do.
We always take the best possible account of your personal situation in planning and implementation. However, it is also important that the requirements of the Assistance Dog Ordinance (AHundV) and international standards for a good assistance dog team are met at the same time, as passing the test certifies a high-quality assistance dog team.
In order to avoid overloading, two time slots of around two hours are scheduled on the day of the exam, but these are not always needed. This forward-looking planning ensures that people and dogs get the rest they need so that no one overloads themselves. If required, it is possible to split the course over further dates, but this may involve additional costs.
Of course, third parties can follow the test, but we do not actively involve them unless they are part of the assistance dog team (team of three). Our experience has shown that being accompanied by a third party usually has a negative effect on the team’s performance, as it distracts both dog and human. If you are not yet confident traveling alone with your dog, we advise you to give yourself a little more time and work on your partnership. If there are still problem situations where opinions differ as to what happened, iCert360™ can always use the video to clarify the situation.
Assessment
The video and audio material is uploaded immediately and in encrypted form to a multi-secured data storage system to which only the video editors have access. A single, seamless, powerful video from the recordings of all cameras is created. The examination video prepared in this way is reviewed independently by several evaluators. Our evaluators are highly qualified experts and practitioners in the field of assistance dogs.
In addition to their practical skills, they often also have academic and other additional qualifications. In addition to the assistance dog trainers who meet the requirements of the AHundV, an experienced assistance dog owner will, where possible, also assess your test – true to the maxim “nothing about us without us”, the principle of the UN Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Independent and objective
To guarantee an objective and fair assessment, the examiners do not obtain information such as your name or place of residence, details regarding your training method, training institution or other information that you share with us but is not relevant for the assessment. If the logo of your training institution is visible on your equipment, we hide it from the cameras (and thus from the examiners) by using neutral covers. The examiners – who were not present live on the day of the examination – only know your ID, a 14-digit combination of letters and numbers. They thus assess a completely anonymous team. The goal is an assessment that is objective, unbiased and focused on the human-dog team without bias or distraction.
Evaluation
The examiners assess each situation and assistance with a score. To do this, they can rewind, slow down and replay each scenario in order to comprehensively analyze the interaction between owner, dog and environment.
This enables a very careful and fair evaluation. The reviewers do not find out how the other reviewers have assessed a situation. The final grade is calculated as soon as all examiners have completed their assessments.
The comments of the expert examiners are summarized for the assistant dog owner. If the assessments differ greatly in certain scenarios, this is analyzed and documented in the team.
If the assistance dog team does not pass, the examiners decide on the basis of the overall situation whether the exam can be repeated in part or in full. Here, too, the video format proves its worth: problems can be clearly illustrated and explained, creating a concrete learning experience. This also allows the trainers to clearly understand problem points without having to run through the whole exam.
Costs
Detailed costs can be found on the last page of the certification regulations. Assistance dog owners who have to finance the test themselves receive a 30% discount.
Thank you, Deutsche Postcode Lottery!
We have been developing iCert360™since 2018 and have thus been able to create an important innovation in the assistance dog sector. The years of development would not have been possible without the visionary support of the German Postcode Lottery.
iCert360™ is an innovative assessment format that combines state-of-the-art technology, specialized apps and livestream. Seamless interaction between the process steps and comprehensive data protection are essential. Thanks to the Postcode Lottery, the many documents and process steps could also be created and compared with national and international standards.
Extensive testing in practice and the establishment of a solid quality and project management system ensure good implementation. After a corona-related delay, we have now been able to apply for a patent for the process.
Further information: Technical handbook Certification regulations Training agreement 1
Fn 1: Templates for a veterinary certificate and a specialist medical opinion will be provided in the application process.
Here you can apply to become an examiner.
You can apply to be a video officer here.