Learning Disability and Professional Licensing Examinations: What Accommodations are Reasonable under the ADA?

Among the issues that have arisen since the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 is whether learning-disabled applicants for professional licensing should receive accommodations such as more time and a separate room in which to take their licensing examinations. This article evaluates the validity of current policies in light of the legally mandated goals of licensing boards, the legislative intent of the ADA, the job requirements of professions such as medicine and law, and what is known about learning disabilities, distractibility and timed tests. One of the conclusions reached is that testing accommodations should help licensing applicants overcome disabilities that are irrelevant to competent professional practice, but that they should not help applicants mask job-related disabilities.