Disabled college students who applied to take the Medical College Admission
Test (MCAT) lost their bid to have a judge issue an injunction ordering the
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to abide by California law
when evaluating whether applicants need special accommodations when taking the
test. The AAMC administers the test.
Judge Richard Sabraw of the Alameda County Superior Court declined to issue
an injunction requested by two learning-disabled medical school applicants who
wanted extra time to complete the MCAT. (Four students originally filed suit,
but after evaluating additional information about their conditions, the AAMC
accommodated them.)
In rejecting the injunction motion, the judge said that forcing the AAMC to
comply with each of the state's various mandates concerning accommodations for
the disabled would compromise the value of the MCAT. That value "will be
lost," he said, "if any given state applies its own law in
determining whether any given applicant has been provided the required
accommodations."
He added that California law is not clear on whether its disability
provisions apply to an enterprise such as the MCAT, which takes place in
venues throughout the United States.
The plaintiffs asked for extra exam time and a tranquil room because they
have dsylexia and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. They took the
test without the accommodations, and one scored in the 70th percentile and the
other in the 75th.
The AAMC has said that it uses a single national standard that complies
with requirements of the federal Americans With Disabilities Act. By rejecting
the plaintiffs' injunction request, the judge "acknowledged the
importance of being able to compare MCAT scores nationwide," the AAMC
said in a press release. ▪