Assessment and Accommodation of Students With Learning Disabilities at the Postsecondary Level in Canada: A Special Issue for Psychologists in Education

More than 12 years ago Linda Siegel wrote about issues related to the Guckenberger v. Boston University case (Siegel, 1999). In reviewing the testimony and facts presented in this high-profile case, Dr. Siegel noted that a number of issues emerged that were of relevance to those in the field of educational psychology and, specifically, that there was no consensus regarding what constitutes an appropriate assessment of a learning disability, or even an agreed upon diagnosis of this disorder, and that the quality of assessments provided to support this diagnosis was inconsistent. The Guckenberger v. Boston University case resulted in an urgent call for development of an empirically based, specific, and clear operational definition of this disability to be employed by all qualified assessors and for postsecondary institutions to employ consistent standards for determining who qualifies for academic accommodations and on what basis such decisions should be made. This case also raised an important issue regarding who is qualified to determine what accommodations must be provided to students with disabilities and on what basis such decisions should be made (Elswit, Geetter, & Goldberg, 1999). This special issue of the Canadian Journal of School Psychology is devoted to examining current diagnostic practices in Canada and also the practices related to accommodating students with learning disabilities (LD) at the postsecondary level. Furthermore, we gathered expert opinions regarding the duty to accommodate students with LD and when such accommodations may not be required. Our aim was to gather current information and research regarding practices in Canada in order to assist psychological practitioners who conduct LD assessments and to provide empirically based information to inform best practice in this area of clinical activity.