[blindlaw] LSAT Accommodations?

Mon May 18 17:41:15 UTC 2009

Dave,

     You're absolutely right.  A test-taker with a disability can legitimately ask that the administrators  reasonably accommodate that disability.  But it's scarcely reasonable, for instance, to insist that you be provided more time to complete the LSAT than anyone else gets simply because you're blind.  Such a request indicates nothing more nor less than that you  believe blindness has rendered you inherently incapable of performing as well as your peers with better vision.  Surely this runs counter to everything the disability rights movement stands for.

craig
----- David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com> wrote:
> Let me start by saying this is just my opinion.  I also will say I 
> work for a rehab agency.  I also monitor lots of lists here, and see 
> stories from all over the country.  I think the bigger problem is 
> that many students don't have the skills to succeed, not that they 
> aren't getting enough or the right accommodations.  People can't take 
> notes independently, can't read Braille, can't travel independently, 
> don't know how to use human readers, and on and on.  And some of the 
> reason for that is accommodations to willingly granted.
> 
> It would be interesting to see the failure rate back in the 60's and 
> 70;'s before we had ADA etc.
> 
> Dave
> 
> At 11:39 AM 5/16/2009, you wrote:
> >I must agree with Chuck in saying that we have a chicken and egg
> >problem.  Is the reason for the failure of blind and disabled to finish
> >college because they are not adequately prepared to do so or because
> >they do not receive sufficient accommodation and or support to do so.  I
> >think it is very difficult to determine so we are not really able to
> >pressure the colleges and universities.  Personally, I think higher ed
> >institutions could do better and in the blindness context, we need to do
> >more to assure access to the materials required for students to perform.
> >It is certainly difficult though to assess responsibility between the
> >two factors here.
> >Jim McCarthy
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> >On Behalf Of ckrugman at sbcglobal.net
> >Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 2:22 AM
> >To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
> >Subject: Re: [blindlaw] LSAT Accommodations?
> >
> >Is the failure to graduate the students that are accepted the college's
> >fault or due to the lack of preparedness on the part of many disabled
> >students that are accepted and in actuality not ready to handle the
> >various demands placed on them by being in college and not being
> >prepared to meet the demands. While I am a strong supporter of
> >reasonable accommodations I believe that the students need to take some
> >responsibility for the completion of their course of study.
> >Matriculation is not automatic for disabled students or the general
> >college population and of course is not guaranteed upon acceptance.
> >Chuck
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "James Pepper" <b75205 at gmail.com>
> >To: "NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
> >Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 8:30 AM
> >Subject: Re: [blindlaw] LSAT Accommodations?
> >
> >
> > > They probably do that, I know that one of thee Coolge entrance exams
> > > does it, but I am not sure if it is the SAT or the ACT but they inform
> >
> > > the schools eactly which devices were used to take the test.  I think
> > > it is both of them.  This is how colleges can know who is disabled and
> >
> > > who is not without actually asking the student if they are disabled or
> >
> > > not.  It is a great way to get around the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
> > > And this is good for colleges that do not have a high percentage of
> > > students who are disabled because they will most certainly accept you
> > > once they realize you are disabled, to satisfy their requirements to
> > > not be considered discriminatory.  But your chances of graduating from
> >
> > > that situation is not as good as a college that accepts the disabled
> > > on a regular basis.  Of course state schools are more likely to handle
> >
> > > the disabled with respect, since they are more in tune with the
> > > consequences of discriminiation.  But if you are competing with a lot
> > > of other disabled students to get into a college that is a good
> > > college for the blind, then you will probably be judged on your
> > > abilities based on being disabled and not the general population.
> > > Because they will probably only admit a certain amount of students who
> >
> > > are disabled as the disabled tend to cost the university a lot more
> > > than non disabled.
> > >
> > > Since most people do not know they are doing this type of profiling,
> > > they have gotten away with it since 1973.
> > >
> > > You all are lawyers, can you stop this nonsense because colleges
> > > accept the blind and disabled in proportion to their numbers in the
> > > population, but they don't graduate them in any proportion to the
> > > numbers they accept.
> > >
> > > James Pepper
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> >
> >
> >
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