Extra Time Is a Virtue - How Standardized Testing Accommodations After College Throw Students With Disabilities Under the Bus

Aug 30, 2026

A law-school admissions scenario examines how standardized test accommodations can be reframed as signals of disability rather than evidence of ability. Using a student with Asperger Syndrome who receives extra time on the LSAT, the discussion highlights how annotated scores and “special conditions” may influence admissions decisions despite restrictions on direct disability inquiries. The paper connects the scenario to the reality faced by thousands of test-takers over decades and addresses concerns such as implicit inference, annotated-score evaluation, and denial or waiver of accommodations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time1 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Extra time and accommodation on the LSAT

Disclosure and disability inference in admissions

Annotated scores and evaluation concerns

Broader impact and personal context

EXTRA TIME IS A VIRTUE: HOW STANDARDIZED TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS AFTER COLLEGE THROW STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES UNDER THE BUS Haley Moss* I. INTRODUCTION Picture a college senior diligently preparing to take the standardized entrance examination to get into law school, better known as the Law School Admissions Test (“LSAT”) . He was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome 1 and will graduate with his bachelor’s degree from a four-year university in several months. He participated in college student organizations, earned good grades, lived independently, and is certainly an eligible candidate for admission to a professional program after graduation. He contacts Law School Admission Council (“LSAC”), the organization that governs LSAT administration, to secure extra time on the test because of certain challenges he confronts as a * B.A. and B. S. 2015, University of Florida. J.D. 2018, University of Miami School of Law. Author of two books -Middle School: The Stuff Nobody Tells You About (2010) and A Freshman Survival Guide for College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Stuff Nobody Tells You About (2014) . Illustrator and contributor to the anthology What Every Autistic Girl Wishes Her Parents Knew (2017) . I would like to thank my parents, Sherry and Rick Moss, for all of their love and support on this journey because without you, I would never be where Iam today. I would also like to thank my fellow members of the autism and disability communities who inspire me to keep advocating and making a difference! 1 Asperger Syndrome is a form of autism, often marked by difficulty with social interactions, troubles with nonverbal communication, impulsivity, and issues with motor skills, or attention. Each person presents differently, so the symptoms used in this hypothetical reflect only this particular student’s experiences. See Autism Spectrum Disorder, MAYO CLINIC, [https://www.mayo](https://www.mayo)[ ](https://www.mayo)[clinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-](clinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-)[ ](clinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-)[20352928](20352928) (last visited Oct. 9, 2019) (“Autism spectrum disorder is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication.”) . 202 ALBANY GOVERNMENT LAW REVIEW [Vol. 13 student with Asperger Syndrome. He may easily lose the ability to focus for crucial increments of time due to the hum of the fluorescent lights in the examination room, or the blur of other students filling in their multiple-choice answer sheets at a quicker pace. The organization grants him extra time on the test to accommodate his disability. After test day, he is pleased with his score. Or, maybe he isn’t. Either way, he continues with his plans to apply to law school. He does not intend to disclose his Asperger Syndrome diagnosis on his law school applications. However, he may disclose after he is admitted if he needs accommodations from the school’s disability services. The law schools to which he applied receive his application materials and his test score; however, the test score arrives with a written annotation indicating he received extra time on the test and the test was taken under special conditions, so the score might not be indicative of his ability. Federal regulations prohibit law schools from directly asking if students are disabled.2 However, admissions officers at colleges and universities have a tendency to assume that a standardized test being taken under “special conditions” means that the student has a disability.3 The law school’s admissions committee considers this assumption in its admission decision for this particular candidate. This specific scenario where a student’s disability status is inferred is not based on the facts of a specific case, but it w

FAQs

Why can an LSAT extra-time accommodation affect a student’s law school admissions decision?

Because the test score may arrive with written annotations indicating special conditions and an accommodation, which admissions officers may interpret as a sign of disability.

What rules limit schools from directly asking applicants whether they are disabled?

Federal regulations prohibit law schools from directly inquiring prior to admission whether an applicant is disabled, with limited exceptions.

How does the paper use a student with Asperger Syndrome to illustrate a wider problem?

The author selects this disability and scenario, drawing on facts from a past court context, to show how accommodation labeling and disability inference were common for many students over decades.

Aug 30, 2026

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