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Does the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) Discriminate Against Candidates With Disabilities?
Anyone who has dared broach the law school admissions process can attest to that fact that it is not an easy road. While law schools look at grades and consider the 'whole' applicant, the reality is that the road to law school is heavily cluttered with standardized tests. Naturally, most college graduates have already had to navigate the SAT. Law school hopefuls soon discover that the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is far and away the biggest slice of the pie in the law school admissions process, and the pressure is on. The LSAT is a bear, even for the best, brightest, and most adept standardized test-takers. Imagine then, what it must be like to have the odds stacked even further against you.
Last week, a Wesleyan graduate, with an apparently shiny academic record was denied in her bid to be granted extra time to take the LSAT. The student, who allegedly suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder and a 'speed processing disorder', sued the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), the body which administers the LSAT, claiming that their failure to grant her accommodations is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Her lawsuit follows closely on the heels of a similar suit by a blind man against the American Bar Association who claimed that the LSAT discriminates against the visually impaired. The LSAC is no stranger to being sued and claims that it reviews discrimination on a case-by-case basis. According to various reports, advocates for the disabled have long criticized the council for its failure to address the needs of test-takers with disabilities. For now, interested onlookers will just have to wait for the outcomes of these two cases, and see what it means for law school candidates with disabilities.
Labels: does LSAT discriminate against candidates with disabilitites
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