[blindlaw] Exemption of blind people from logic games on the LSAT

[Michael Nowicki]

Hi Albert,

You wrote that you consistently scored highest on logic games without the
help of aids, such as Excel.  How, then, did you tackle the games,
particularly complex hybrids?  Did you keep track of all the rules, big
deductions, and previous work in your head?  If so, how did you manage to do
this, given that testmakers often deliberately write rules in complex ways
to try to trick us?  Please share any strategies that you found useful, for
as you correctly observed, most, if not all, LSAT study aids and prep
companies rely heavily on visual methods.  After all, most of their
customers are sighted, and most sighted students are visual learners.

Also, I wanted to clarify my original post.  I'm not sure whether the law
suit to which I was referring intends to exempt the blind from logic games
or to get rid of the section altogether, which, from a practical standpoint,
is least relevant to success in law school and in the legal profession.

Best,

Michal

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of ALBERT ELIA
Sent: Monday, May 5, 2014 7:57 AM
To: Blind Law Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Exemption of blind people from logic games on the
LSAT

I actually found the logic games to be the easiest portion of the LSAT, and
the section on which I consistently scored the highest. I have no useful
vision, and I didn't use Excel or any other aids. I think it's just a matter
of different people being better at different types of problems.

The  logic games are not  visual: They are presented in written form. The
problem is that students are taught to solve them visually with charts,
graphs, tables, etc. I believe the gentleman who thinks the logic games are
unfair should focus on gaining the skills and training to use non-visual
techniques to solve them, rather than suggest that he should be exempt.
After all, when he's an attorney, he won't be able to object to visual
evidence on the grounds that he can't see it.

On May 4, 2014, at 9:29 PM, Michael Nowicki <mnowicki4 at icloud.com> wrote:

> Dear list members,
> 
> 
> 
> I recently heard something about a law suit against LSAC, which, if 
> successful, would exempt blind people from the logic games portion of 
> the LSAT on the grounds that it is not fair for us to be tested on 
> such a visually-oriented concept.  Do any of you happen to know 
> whether or not such a case has in fact reached the courts?  I am 
> particularly interested in this matter because although I have figured 
> out how to conquer most types of games using Excel, setting them up 
> and getting through the questions is very time-consuming.  That is, 
> there are four games in a section, but I am usually able to get 
> through only one within the allotted time (I get 70 minutes).  I've 
> been trying to work faster, but when I speed up, my accuracy suffers 
> tremendously.  This is because when I feel the clock ticking, I often 
> misinterpret one or more of the rules governing a game, which in turn 
> produces a negative chain reaction, since answering the questions 
> requires spotting available major deductions, and making deductions 
> depends on combining rules, something that cannot be done without a solid
grasp of each rule.
> 
> 
> 
> That being said, not having to worry about logic games on test day 
> would alleviate much of the stress.  At the same time, though, I know 
> that even if such a law suit has been filed, there is no guarantee 
> that it will be successfully litigated, and even if it is, who knows 
> how long the trial will take.  In short, it is highly unlikely, if not 
> impossible, that the changes in question would take effect before June 
> 9.  Nonetheless, please let me know if you have any information on this
topic.  Thank you in advance.
> 
> 
> 
> Michal
> 
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