Blind Law Student Sues ABA

A prospective law school student from West Bloomfield is suing the American Bar Association over a case he argues is truly a matter of blind justice. The student says he is being denied access to top-tier law schools because of a test he says no one who’s blind could possibly pass. The Law School Admission Test – or L-SAT – typically features more than a dozen questions where it’s strongly encouraged to draw out a written diagram to solve the problem. Law school hopeful Angelo Binno was born blind and has overcome many obstacles. But the 28-year-old says he could not overcome the low test scores he kept getting when taking the L-SAT. And because of those scores he was rejected by the three law schools he applied to.

“But I can’t work any harder…I can’t study any harder,” Binno said. “I can’t figure it out because I can’t draw out a diagram like a sighted person can to figure out the answers to these questions.” Binno is no slouch. He graduated his high school a year early, interned at a law firm after graduating and speaks three languages. He also worked for Homeland Security before funding cutbacks led to a lay-off. But Binno says he was stymied in his attempt to become a lawyer because the American Bar Association – the ABA – requires law schools to use a – quote – “valid and reliable” admissions test, and only the L-SAT qualifies.

Binno said, “The ABA’s supposed to be standing up for justice. What are they standing for in this situation? I’m not saying that I should receive an automatic entrance into law school. All I’m saying is give me a level playing field.” Binno turned for help to the law firm where he’d interned…and a very sympathetic friend. Attorney Richard Bernstein is blind but says HE received a waiver to enter law school -- 15 years ago. Bernstein says shortly thereafter the ABA revised its standards and, Bernstein claims, threatened to penalize schools that gave too many wavers or did not use the L-SAT. Now Bernstein is suing the ABA, arguing the L-SAT violates the Americans with Disabilities Act Bernstein said, “They are basically forcing U-S law schools to break federal law by requiring applicants to take an illegal exam. The Americans with Disabilities Act is very clear about this. It is illegal to require someone to take an exam which on its face is discriminatory.” The ABA counters -- though only in a written statement – that it requires universities it accredits to conform to federal law and that accommodations are made for people with disabilities. Those who’ve judged law school applications, like Wayne State University Professor David Moss, say some universities do accept students with low L-SAT scores. But Moss adds that the company creating the L-SAT directs that tests given with special accommodations – like those granted to blind students – should not be given the same weight as regular L-SAT’s. “They’ve got this flag on it that screams out ‘Beware of this test result…it could be dangerous to your health.’” The concern schools have is that it might damage their rankings – and prestige -- in the annual ratings by U-S News and World Report. Santa Clara University law school Dean Donald Polden chairs an ABA committee reviewing accreditation standards. He says the ABA does grant some schools exemptions from using the L-SAT – but the top-tier programs don’t want to risk their rankings. Polden said, “The stories are legion about a five or six position swing in a school is caused the loss of jobs of administrators or students to flee for other law schools.” Polden says many on his committee think the ABA should eliminate the use of the L-SAT as a pre-requisite to enter ANY law school. In the meantime Angelo Binno waits for his day in court, not as the attorney he hopes he’ll eventually become but as a plaintiff arguing that his disability should not prevent him from reaching the top ranks of his chosen profession.