Legal Question in Disability Law in Massachusetts
confidentiality rights re: college applications
i took the graduate school entrance general exam in january of this year. due to a disability and after considerable effort i was able to obtain accommodations from ETS, the company who administered the test. when my scores were forwarded to the school i hoped to attend, i was chagined and angered to learn that it was informed by ETS that i had taken the test with accommodations. since the purpose of accommodations are to level the playing field, not to give any advantage, what possible rational could ETS have for breaching my confidentiality? is there anything i can do to protest or rectify this situation?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: confidentiality for college applicants
Why don't you write ETS and ask why the fact that you were accommodated was passed on to the colleges?
I'd bet the colleges must be told that
information in order to comply with
government regulations by keeping and reporting
statistics as to how many handicapped persons
have applied to the institutions and how many of
them were accepted.
Also, how did you learn this was done?
Further, I don't see your problem being one of
privacy. If you were in need of accommodation
to take the exam, it is likely you will seek
similar accommodations once you get into college
. . . in which case the colleges would have to
know in order to plan to make the necessary
accommodations.
Since you don't mention what your handicap is, I'll end my speculation here.
Good luck with your studies and your future plans.