Cornell University

Law School Procedures for Accommodations for Students With Disabilities

It is our intention to provide reasonable accommodations for students with qualifying disabilities. The policy outlines procedures for applying for an accommodation(s) due to such a disability. They apply to classroom accommodations, exam accommodations, and accommodations relating to our building.

Students who believe they are entitled to an accommodation should communicate with the Dean of Students as soon as possible. In order to make decisions based upon an individual’s specific situation, it may take some time for the Law School’s Administrative Committee to determine what is appropriate and fair. If at all possible, you should initiate the process in the spring or early summer before your matriculation, or, if later, as soon as the disability arises. Students enrolled in non-law courses for which accommodations are needed should consult with Student Disability Services.

  1. To initiate working with Student Disability Services (SDS) visit their website and select Register forAccommodations.You will be directed to fill out the Disability Self-Disclosure Form. If you have questions about the process, you may contact SDS for assistance. They can offer you advice and guidance on the services available to students at the University.
    Students requesting disability accommodations must submit the Disability Self-Disclosure Form along with any supporting documentation of your disability. Documentation is not required to submit the self-disclosure form. The form and guidelines for disability documentation are available on the Student Disability Services website.
  2. Once you have filled out the Disability Self-Disclosure form, SDS will arrange for a meeting between you and a counselor. After gathering sufficient information, SDS will forward a written recommendation regarding possible accommodations for your disability will be sent to the Law School’s Administrative Committee. Due to the academic calendar, the Committee must have the written recommendation by the beginning of the fourth week of the semester; therefore, it is important that you contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. This recommendation is a precondition to action by the Law School’s Administrative Committee on any request for an accommodation.
  3. In addition to a written recommendation, the Law School’s Administrative Committee will also need to receive a copy of the medical documentation. The Administrative Committee may request additional documentation or may request that your physician speak directly with the Law School Dean of Students. The Administrative Committee may also ask that you be evaluated by another medical professional.
  4. SDS will ask you to make a written request regarding any specific type of exam accommodation or other academic accommodation which you believe to be appropriate. In this regard, please tell us the accommodations which you have been granted in college and graduate school, and on standardized tests including the LSAT and the SAT.
    While your prior testing history and other accommodation history are relevant to our determination of reasonable accommodations in Law School, it is important that you realize that we will not necessarily agree to grant the particular accommodations that you have been given in the past. Only after the Administrative Committee has thoroughly considered your request for an accommodation will we be able to arrange for what we believe to be a reasonable and appropriate accommodation, given your disability and the essential components of our academic program. It is important for you to realize that an important feature of that program is the comparative grading of students based on examinations that are time- pressured, competitive, and occasionally stressful.
  5. Once we have received:
    1. written recommendations from Student Disability Services, regarding any suggested accommodations
    2. copies of your disability documentation
    3. a written request from you that includes your accommodation history, and
    4. any additional information requested by the Administrative Committee, the Committee will consider the request and respond.

      In almost all cases, we have been able to give a student written notice of exam accommodations within two or three weeks of receiving all the appropriate material. Occasionally, however, a determination may take longer as the committee gives each file the careful attention and individualized review merited. A student should not discuss his/her need for classroom or exam accommodations directly with a particular law faculty member, unless asked by the Dean of Students on behalf of the Committee to do so. The Administrative Committee may on occasion feel it is appropriate to discuss a particular accommodation request with an individual faculty member.
  6. If the specific accommodations that you requested are denied, you may appeal that decision to the Dean of the Law School. The Dean will review each appeal to determine whether in his or her judgment the Committee’s determination is clearly erroneous, and, if it is, then the Dean may make a judgment on what accommodations are reasonable or whether further information is needed.
  7. If you wish to request an accommodation on bar examinations, you must direct your request to the state or states to which you are applying for admission. Each state has its own procedures for bar admission.

If you believe you are being discriminated against because of your disability, you have the right to file a grievance under Cornell Policy 6.4.