Minnetonka Man With Disability Allowed to Take Law School Entrance Exam

Editor's note: The following comes from a release by the United States Attorney's Office.

A 22-year-old Minnetonka man with a disability can take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) with all the accommodations he had originally requested. The decision is part of a settlement reached today with the Law School Admission Council under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

These accommodations include double the standard testing time on each section of the LSAT, breaks between each section, a separate and quiet testing area in which to take the test, permission to bring and use his own computer for the writing sample section of the exam, permission to bring and use scratch paper and use of an alternative answer sheet.

This was the Justice Department’s first settlement applying its revised regulations relating to examinations and courses.

The LSAT is a national standardized examination that all applicants must take before applying to American Bar Association accredited law schools in the U.S. This settlement agreement arose out of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota into whether the Admission Council violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide testing accommodations to a person with a disability.

 “Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, national testing entities must ensure that the standardized tests they administer allow persons with disabilities to demonstrate their aptitude and abilities on tests rather than being placed at a disadvantage because of their disabilities," U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones said in a press release. "This settlement with the Law School Admission Council is another important step in ensuring that persons with disabilities who provide documentation to support modifications to standardized tests will be given fair consideration by testing entities.”

The man who filed the complaint was diagnosed early in life with Attention Deficit Disorder, Hypotonia and a learning disability. He received testing accommodations throughout elementary school, secondary school and college. He completed college in three years and desired to enroll in law school.

He requested testing accommodations for several previous LSATs. He submitted supporting documentation to the Admission Council, including evidence of past accommodations, as well as documents from his health care providers. The council twice denied him, among other things, extended time on the LSAT, additional breaks in between sections and a quiet testing room.