Turner

Individuals with learning disabilities and other conditions affecting their ability to read may, when taking a standardized test, seek reasonable testing accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). ( 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 et seq., 12189.) This case presents the question of whether persons taking such tests in California are additionally entitled to accommodations under the state’s Unruh Civil Rights Act (the Act) and Disabled Persons Act (DPA). (Civ. Code, §§51, 54-55.) We conclude these state law provisions do not require testing accommodations for reading-related disabilities.

I. Background

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is a nonprofit organization whose members include medical schools and teaching hospitals throughout the country. Its mission is to improve public health by enhancing the effectiveness of academic medicine. Among other things, AAMC develops and administers the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), a nationwide standardized test designed to assess a medical school applicant’s knowledge of basic science concepts, writing skills and facility in problem solving and critical thinking.

The MCAT is designed to…