INDIANA SUPREME COURT BOARD of LAW EXAMINERS

STATE BOARD OF LAW
EXAMINERS
Office of Admissions and Continuing Education
251 N. Illinois Street, Suite 550
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-2552

GENERAL INFORMATION

General Information

The Indiana Board of Law Examiners encourages persons with disabilities to apply for test accommodations. Reasonable test accommodations will be made on the Indiana Board of Law Examiners Bar Examination for qualified applicants with disabilities. The Indiana Board of Law Examiners Bar Examination is a 2-day timed examination designed to test the knowledge and skills necessary for one who seeks admission to the Indiana Bar.

It is the policy of the Indiana Board of Law Examiners to administer the bar examination and all other services of this office in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended (ADA). A qualified applicant with a disability who is otherwise eligible to take the bar examination, but who cannot demonstrate under standard testing conditions that he/she possesses the knowledge and skills to be admitted to the Indiana Board of Law Examiners Bar, may request reasonable test accommodations.

The Indiana Board of Law Examiners will make reasonable modifications to any policies, practices, and procedures that might otherwise prevent individuals with disabilities from taking the bar examination in an accessible place or manner, provided such modifications do not result in a fundamental alteration to the examination or other admission requirements, impose an undue burden, or jeopardize examination security. In order to accommodate disabled persons, the Indiana Board of Law Examiners will furnish additional testing time, auxiliary aids, and other accommodations when necessary to ameliorate the impact of the applicant’s disability on the applicant’s ability to take the bar examination. No additional charges will be assessed to individuals with disabilities to cover the costs of reasonable accommodations.

Requests for test accommodations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The applicant must submit documentation from one or more qualified professionals that provides information on the diagnosed impairment(s), the applicant’s current level of impairment, and the rationale for the accommodations requested on the bar examination. In addition, the applicant must submit verifying documentation of his or her history of accommodations, if any. All documentation will be retained by the Indiana Board of Law Examiners and may be submitted to one or more qualified professionals for an impartial review. Accommodations granted elsewhere do not necessarily entitle an applicant to accommodations on the bar examination, although the Indiana Board of Law Examiners gives considerable weight to documentation relating to past accommodations received in similar testing situations or in response to an IEP or Section 504 plan.

DEFINITIONS

1. Disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of the applicant. In the bar examination setting, the impairment must limit an applicant’s ability to demonstrate, under standard testing conditions, that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities tested on the bar examination.
2. Physical impairment is a physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the body’s systems.
3. Mental impairment is any mental or psychological disorder such as intellectual disability (formerly termed “mental retardation”), organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, or any specific learning disability.
4. Major life activities include, but are not limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working.
5. Reasonable accommodation is an adjustment or modification of the standard testing conditions, or an appropriate auxiliary aid or service, that ameliorates the impact of the applicant’s disability without doing any of the following:
   1. fundamentally altering the nature of the bar examination, including but not limited to compromising the validity or reliability of the examination; or
   2. imposing an undue burden on the Indiana Board of Law Examiners; or
   3. jeopardizing examination security.
6. Qualified professional is a licensed physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, or other health care provider who has appropriate training in the field related to the applicant’s disability.

FILING DEADLINE

Requests for accommodations will be considered after receipt of all required information. The Applicant Checklist, located in Section V of Form 1: Applicant Request for Test Accommodations, must be submitted with the application. The applicable items specified in the Applicant Checklist must be completed and UPLOADED on or before the filing deadline of the exam the applicant wishes to take.

Applicants with disabilities are subject to the same application deadline as individuals without disabilities. Because some of the accommodation request forms require input from third parties, the appropriate individuals should be asked to complete the forms well in advance of the deadline.

A timely request for test accommodations for the February administration of the Indiana Board of Law Examiners Bar Examination must be UPLOADED immediately after submission of application.

A timely request for test accommodations for the July administration of the Indiana Board of Law Examiners Bar Examination must be UPLOADED immediately after submission of application.

Requests for test accommodations and supporting documentation may be UPLOADED to the Indiana Board of Law Examiners at the time of application.

RETAKE APPLICANTS

Applicants who retake the examination must submit Form 1: Applicant Request for Test Accommodations each time they apply for the bar examination, even if they previously requested and were granted accommodations by the Indiana Board of Law Examiners. It is not necessary to resubmit supporting documentation that was submitted with a previous request, provided the applicant sat for the Indiana Board of Law Examiners Bar Examination within the preceding three years and (1) is requesting the same accommodations that were received previously on the Indiana Board of Law Examiners Bar Examination and (2) has had no material changes in his/her condition. New supporting documentation is required if there is any change in the accommodations requested. An update to prior medical documentation is required assessing the applicant’s current functional limitations and ongoing need for accommodations if the nature of the applicant’s disability or disabilities is changeable. The Indiana Board of Law Examiners reserves the right to request an update to prior documentation in all cases if it determines that the prior documentation is insufficient to establish the applicant’s current level of impairment and need for accommodations.

STEPS FOR SUBMITTING A COMPLETE REQUEST

This application packet contains seven separate forms, but you need only submit those forms and documents that pertain to your particular disability. Please carefully review the information below to ensure that you submit a complete request. A checklist is provided in Section V of Form 1: Applicant Request for Test Accommodations, which you should complete and submit with your request. All required forms and documentation must be submitted together by the deadline.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Some of the forms that must be submitted with your request must be completed by third parties and returned to you for submission to the Indiana Board of Law Examiners. Make certain that you request completion of these forms by the third parties in a timely manner so that you are able to submit your request by the deadline.

STEP 1: Have a qualified professional complete the applicable disability verification form and return it to you for submission to the Indiana Board of Law Examiners. There are separate forms for learning disabilities, AD/HD, psychological disabilities, visual disabilities, and physical disabilities. You will need to complete the top portion of the applicable disability verification form and request that your qualified professional complete the rest of the form and return it to you.

STEP 2: Gather verifying documentation of your history of accommodations requests, if any. Submit a Form 7: Certification of Accommodations History completed by each educational institution or testing agency (hereinafter “entity”) from which you requested accommodations, whether your request was granted or denied. Complete the top portion of the form and request that the entity complete the rest of the form and return it to you for submission to the Indiana Board of Law Examiners. Alternatively, you may provide other proof of your accommodations history, such as a copy of the letter(s) you received from the entity notifying you of the specific accommodations granted or denied. The proof should identify the time frame (e.g., third year of law school) and the nature of the disability (e.g., AD/HD) for which any accommodations were granted or denied. If you received accommodations as a result of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 Plan, please provide copies of all IEPs or 504 Plans.

STEP 3: If the nature of your disability is AD/HD or a learning disability, provide transcripts. UPLOAD copies of your undergraduate and law school transcripts and your LSAC Candidate Item Response Report. Exact photocopies of transcripts are acceptable for this purpose. You can obtain your LSAC Candidate Item Response Report by logging in to your LSAC account at www.lsac.org. Click on Item Response Report (IRR) under the LSAT and LSAT Status Tab, and print the report. If you have trouble obtaining the report, contact an LSAC representative at 215-968-1001.

Learning disabilities and AD/HD are developmental disorders with childhood onset, even if not diagnosed until adulthood. Transcripts or report cards of your elementary, middle school, and high school education, while not required, are useful in providing evidence of symptoms and impairment present during childhood. The Indiana Board of Law Examiners reserves the right to request such academic records in particular cases.

STEP 4: Complete Form 1: Applicant Request for Test Accommodations. UPLOAD all relevant forms and documents, as indicated above, so that all required documentation is provided in one submission.