WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Law School Admission Council (LSAC), the agency that administers the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), has agreed to revise its policies on test accommodations for persons with physical disabilities under a settlement agreement reached with the Department of Justice. The agreement was submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for approval recently.
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in 1999 alleging that the LSAC violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it failed to provide reasonable test accommodations to four persons with physical disabilities to take the LSAT, a standardized test administered to those seeking admission to law school. Some of the applicants who have cerebral palsy and requested extra time to complete the examination because of the nature of their physical disabilities were asked by LSAC to undergo testing for learning disabilities.
Under the terms of the settlement, the LSAC will, among other things:
- Grant the requested test accommodation to candidates who have been granted the same or comparable accommodation on other standardized admission tests;
- Give considerable weight to the recommendation of the candidate's doctor or other evaluator;
- Ensure that LSAC does not require individuals to undergo diagnostic or functional tests that are unnecessary and/or not commonly utilized by the medical community; and
- Pay $20,000 to individuals harmed by LSAC's actions.
"This agreement opens the door for people with disabilities interested in pursuing the study of law," said Ralph F. Boyd, Jr., Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. "Making reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities ensures that testing procedures are fair for all participants in the law school application process."
The agreement does not address LSAC's handling of requests of accommodations from persons with learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), psychological or psychiatric impairments, or other non-physical impairments. The department will monitor LSAC's compliance of the agreement for five years.
Title III of the ADA, which was passed by Congress in 1990, prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by private entities and specifically requires that private testing entities offer examinations in a manner that is accessible to people with disabilities.
People interested in finding out more about the ADA can call the toll-free ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TDD), or access the ADA home page at: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm.