A New York woman with a cognitive disability is suing administrators of the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) for not giving her an extension to take the exam. She received extra time when she took the test around 20 years ago, after sustaining a gunshot wound to the arm.
The complaint, which Lisa Rousso filed in Brooklyn on Monday, claimed that she had a brain lesion removed in 2005, a procedure which left her with a cognitive disorder that causes her to read and write more slowly.
She is seeking a court order that grants her six hours to take the test (double the typical time), as well as longer breaks between sections. While Rousso was able to get an extension on the test with just a doctor’s note for her gunshot wound, it has since become more difficult to get accommodations for disabilities.
Rousso submitted the results of a neuropsychological evaluation when she made her request for additional time, in accordance with the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) guidelines, but LSAC deemed it insufficient and requested "additional neuropsychological testing," Thomson Reuters reports.
This is not the first time a disabled candidate has sued LSAC. The National Federation for the Blind sued the council in 2009 for failing to make its website and LSAT preparation materials accessible to blind applicants, and a candidate with attention deficit disorder sued the council in June for not granting her additional time to take the LSAT.
