Addendum or no?

FerdaFresh

Hey y'all. I'm curious to see what others would do in my predicament. I suffered direct trauma to my right eye in August; now I have a big black "floater" that follows my vision as I read. This is distracting and it impacts my speed, especially during LR and RC. So, I'm wearing an eye patch for the December test (lol).

Problem is, the patch is over my dominant eye, and it makes a difference to how fast and efficient I am taking in information as I read (try reading passages with just your non-dominant eye, which is likely your left eye, and you'll see what I mean). The seconds can add up to make a significant point difference on test day due to the general setback of performing under timed conditions without ocular dominance (even bubbling answers feels less intuitive).

Would you personally bring this up when applying to schools? Some schools in Ontario, Canada, provide optional sections for applicants to fill out for this type of thing. An example:

"Describe any personal facts or issues, relating to your application, that you would like the Admission Committee to be aware of that were not covered in your other responses. Provide docume­ntation (e.g., attending physician letter) to evidence and support any such personal issues or facts."

akistotle

Have you considered applying for LSAT accommodations? The request deadline is on October 18, 2017.

FerdaFresh

Would there be some sort of advantage to doing this?

I've contacted LSAC and they said I can bring the eye patch. I didn't have to go through the accommodation paperwork; they just told me they'd write a note in my profile in case the proctor gave me trouble. So now, I believe it's more a matter of knowing whether I should inform schools... I think (unless it's somehow in my interest to be categorized as "accommodated" right now)?

akistotle

@FerdaFresh said:
Would there be some sort of advantage to doing this?

I've contacted LSAC and they said I can bring the eye patch. I didn't have to go through the accommodation paperwork; they just told me they'd write a note in my profile in case the proctor gave me trouble. So now, I believe it's more a matter of knowing whether I should inform schools... I think (unless it's somehow in my interest to be categorized as "accommodated" right now)?

Well, the advantage to getting accommodations is that you may be able to get more time (50% additional time). I'm not an expert, so I don't know if you can get accommodations, but if reading with one eye significantly hinders your reading speed, I think you have a legitimate reason to apply for accommodated testing. If you could get accommodations, I think you won't have to write an addendum. Schools you are applying to won't know if you had testing accommodations.

FerdaFresh

Thanks for the input, @akistotle! I never even considered timing accommodations. I don't know if I'll go through with it... but between providing the links and deadline you've been very helpful. I also appreciate your opinion on how "serious" it sounds (I feel like it might be hard for people to take seriously without it happening to them).