For all these reasons, law schools seek and welcome handicapped applicants. Many publicize that fact extensively; one of the feature stories in Chicago-Kent College of Law's 1991 Dean's Report was about a wheelchair-bound student.
Each handicap is different in kind and degree. Each handicapped candidate poses a unique problem to the admissions committee because it isn't possible to gauge one person's potential for the study of law by comparing him or her with other handicapped persons. By definition, a handicapped person will require some special assistance, either during the application process or while enrolled in law school. But it isn't possible to determine with confidence what special assistance any one handicapped person will need by relying on the school's previous experience with the handicapped generally.
Therefore, if you are handicapped, you will have to visit each of the law schools you intend to apply to and discuss your special needs. Schedule informational interviews, like those I described in chapter 12, with responsible law school officials, before any problems arise. Bring with you whatever medical documentation you'll need to establish the nature of your handicap and the lands of assistance that you require. If you expect to use a particular kind of wheel chair or other equipment as a law student, bring it with you to the interview.
If you think you will have problems with the LSAT, the interview should take place before you are required to register: in the winter, if you would normally take the LSAT in June, or in early summer if you're thinking about the October test. Depending on your needs, the law school may waive the LSAT and rely on other criteria when it evaluates your application for admission. Or it may advise you to seek special accommodations for taking the LSAT from Law Services. Depending on the nature of your disability, you may request
. . . the use of a reader, an amanuensis [to take dictation], additional rest time between sections, additional testing time (up to double for each section), a test room accessible by wheelchair, a large print (18 point) test book or a number of other accommodations. Whenever any special accommodations are used, the candidate is tested in a separate testing room and a separate supervisor is provided.
If you want some other part of the application procedure waived or modified, request informational interviews at the law schools on your application list after you take the LSAT but before you file your applications. Expect to suggest some alternative means of evaluating your ability to do law school work. If you simply need to determine whether the law school can satisfy your special needs for accessibility if you are admitted, you can visit the law school after you apply.
Although the interview is primarily a way for the law school to determine how much of a change it will have to make in its routine to accommodate you, it is also an opportunity for you to see for yourself what difficulties you will face if you decide to attend. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991 will make almost all public buildings handicapped-accessible over time, there are certain to be short-term problems. Most older buildings were not de-signed with the handicapped in mind. Even though a building is technically accessible, it may not be very user-friendly. The classroom building that I work in, for example, has curb cuts and handicapped parking, but only one elevator. During the 10-minute break between classes, the elevator is used by technicians, people hauling computers and audio-visual equipment, and many teachers; consequently, handicapped students frequently complain about being late for class. Such situations are best avoided, but are sometimes unavoidable.
At least in the short run, some schools may meet their legal obligation to make classes handicapped-accessible by moving or rescheduling them rather than by building new buildings or making expensive renovations of older ones. Not surprisingly, some schools are better at accommodating the handicapped than others. When you visit, ask to speak to some handicapped law students about their experiences. Find out if there are handicapped faculty members, a special counselor or adviser, and a support group.
Before you contact any law school, you may want to communicate with the HEATH Resource Center, which operates the National Clearinghouse on Postsecondary Education for Individuals with Disabilities, and which itself is a program of the American Council on Education and is partly supported by the U.S. Department of Education. The Center serves as an information exchange about educational support services, policies, procedures, adaptations, and opportunities on American campuses. . . . The Center gathers and disseminates this information so that people with disabilities can, if they choose, develop their full potential through postsecondary education and training.
Being on the HEATH mailing list is a good way to collect specialized information. You may also find it helpful to communicate with the Association on Handicapped Student Service Programs in Postsecondary Education, or AHSSPPE, a "membership organization for individuals involved in the provision of quality support services to disabled students in higher education." Directly and (mostly) indirectly, AHSSPPE makes available information, technical assistance, and advocacy to handicapped students.
