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Reconsideration for Denial of Accommodation Request

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 12:35 pm
by roballen
I received a denial to my request today for accommodations. I was wondering if anyone has dealt with the experience of seeking reconsideration? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

Re: Reconsideration for Denial of Accommodation Request

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 1:24 pm
by dukelawguy144
Were you looking for extended time because of ADD?

Re: Reconsideration for Denial of Accommodation Request

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 1:52 pm
by roballen
No, i was diagnosed in elementary school that I was speech/language imparied. I was then offered special education services outside of my classroom and testing accommodtions. I was embarassed about being different so in high school when it came to the SATs i did not request accommodtions, I did poorly on them and then did not request accommodations in college. They came back and said that I dont have prior accommodtions with standardized tests ( the sat, which is the only other one I've taken in my life) and that I did well in college without accommodations and that my SAT and LSAT is average. I do not know what they consider as a LSAT average score, but my score is below a 149. I was tested again recently as they would not accept my old testing and my testing shows that I have a reading disorder scoring low average in areas that i feel limits my ability to take the lsat. I'm so frustrated and have spoken to someone who has taken lsac to court and won, but I don't know if I want to go down that road.

Re: Reconsideration for Denial of Accommodation Request

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 1:58 pm
by dukelawguy144
roballen wrote:No, i was diagnosed in elementary school that I was speech/language imparied. I was then offered special education services outside of my classroom and testing accommodtions. I was embarassed about being different so in high school when it came to the SATs i did not request accommodtions, I did poorly on them and then did not request accommodations in college. They came back and said that I dont have prior accommodtions with standardized tests ( the sat, which is the only other one I've taken in my life) and that I did well in college without accommodations and that my SAT and LSAT is average. I do not know what they consider as a LSAT average score, but my score is below a 149. I was tested again recently as they would not accept my old testing and my testing shows that I have a reading disorder scoring low average in areas that i feel limits my ability to take the lsat. I'm so frustrated and have spoken to someone who has taken lsac to court and won, but I don't know if I want to go down that road.
I would ordinarily deride someone who requests accommodations but I actually have some sympathy for you. Taking the LSAC to court would be a tiring and probably unsuccessful route. Do you think if you send in multiple doctors opinions it would help? I heard someone calling the ACLU for help on getting extended accommodations for the MCATS. Yea man, sorry about that

But if 149 is all you are getting, law school is going to be difficult as well. What makes you think that you will be able to overcome your disability in law school. For you, I would consider business school. Business school is filled with a bunch of people with learning disabilities that make bank (I think CEO of Cisco has a LD). Also it is probably easier to get extension for the GMAT. Law school will be hard for you bro and you cannot expect someone to give you a helping hand through everything. But I cannot be the judge for that, only you can.

Have you considered business school?

Re: Reconsideration for Denial of Accommodation Request

Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 1:56 am
by mb88
roballen wrote:i was diagnosed...that I was speech/language imparied.
roballen wrote:...my score is below a 149...
roballen wrote:...my testing shows that I have a reading disorder scoring low average...
Sorry, roballen, but it really just sounds like you don't have the cognitive skills necessary for this field. That's not to say that you're stupid - for all I know, you could be incredibly gifted at nuclear subatomic engineering, but you clearly don't have very good reading and writing skills.

If you had a learning disability that made it difficult for you to do math, would you try to become an engineer? If you were color blind, would you try to become a fashion designer? If you were mute, would you try to become a sports announcer?

My question for you is this: Why are you trying to become a lawyer if you already know that you're poor at reading and writing? Do you not realize that a lawyer's primary function is to read and write vast quantities of highly dense and complicated material? It's not a matter of just getting through the LSATs and then suddenly being free of reading/writing. After the LSAT, it only gets worse. And at that point, there are no special accommodations.

Re: Reconsideration for Denial of Accommodation Request

Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 8:05 pm
by Gabby
If you had a learning disability that made it difficult for you to do math, would you try to become an engineer? If you were color blind, would you try to become a fashion designer? If you were mute, would you try to become a sports announcer?

My question for you is this: Why are you trying to become a lawyer if you already know that you're poor at reading and writing? Do you not realize that a lawyer's primary function is to read and write vast quantities of highly dense and complicated material? It's not a matter of just getting through the LSATs and then suddenly being free of reading/writing. After the LSAT, it only gets worse. And at that point, there are no special accommodations.[/quote]





Does the name David Boies ring a bell? He is a great lawyer who argues cases before the Supreme Court, and he is also a severe dyslexic. FYI, employers are also required to make accommodations.

Rob Allen, don't let this uninformed person discourage you. Fight for the accommodations you deserve.

Re: Reconsideration for Denial of Accommodation Request

Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 9:18 pm
by mb88
Gabby wrote:FYI, employers are also required to make accommodations.
Not when the job is directly impacted by the disability. Do you think construction companies have to make accommodations for paraplegics? Do you think airlines have to make accommodations for blind pilots? Do you think tech support offices have to make accommodations for deaf call agents?

Gabby wrote:Rob Allen, don't let this uninformed person discourage you. Fight for the accommodations you deserve.
Sorry, but real life isn't a fairy tale where everybody gets to follow their dreams and do exactly what they want. The law, as a profession, is reading and writing. Clients' property, freedom, and sometimes lives hang on lawyers' ability to read and write huge amounts of complicated material. You don't get accommodated if your impairment may harm the client.

A lawyer depends on his ability to read and write in the same way a construction worker relies on their stamina and strength, or an engineer relies on their ability to do math.

Your insistence that the OP should continue on the legal career track is just the same as you insisting that somebody impaired in math should follow their dreams of becoming an engineer. It's illogical, unwise, and potentialy harmful.