Kimberly Swygert has a fascinating post on the debate over whether ETS and other testing companies should “flag” the tests of test-takers with disabilities who are allowed to take exams such as the SAT under special conditions, such as being allowed more time.
Disabilty rights activists say accomodating those with disabilities is necessary to “level the playing field” and that flagging the results “stigmatizes” those so accomodated. Kimberly and other testing professionals believe failure to flag deprives admissions officers of information they need to know.
I have long thought (but infrequently said) that one of the unsung passions that often drives demands for minority rights, and especially for sensitivity to the needs of minorities for recognition, is the desire of minorities not to feel like they are … a minority. The prototypical example is a member of a small non-Christian religious group who is made to feel “excluded” by the indignity of being exposed to the ubiquitous evidence of majority religiosity — “In God We Trust,” etc.
Don’t misunderstand. I believe minorities do have rights, and that governments in fact should not be allowed to play favorites among religions (or races). But I do not believe government has a positive obligation to do whatever is necessary to prevent minorities of any kind from feeling like minorities. And neither should ETS.
The problem being that this has nothing to do with how those with learning disabilities feel.
I’m in high school and have a learning disabilty which makes me perform extraordinarily poorly on tests and other assignments when timed too restrictively. While I am given more time to complete most tests and assignments; it’s illegal to do so with most of the state-mandated tests, which are also, ironically enough, the one’s that effect my grades the most.
I disagree with most activist organizations when it comes to their methods for trying to allow learning disabled students to take tests under special conditions, and their bleeding-heartedness and constant legal wrangling is constantly setting more legitimate efforts at accomadating learning disabled students back. Their ass-backwards efforts at getting what they want have made schools greatly distrust learning disabled students who have nothing to do with the organizations.
However, saying that the problem of holding learning disabled students accountable for tests in which no consideration was paid for their disabilty is non-existant or illegitimate because the lobbyists supporting them are assholes is a bit unreasonable. So is saying that it’s a matter preventing minorities from feeling like minorities.