Reading disability: Court decides on extra time for student
Published: Tuesday, May 7th 2024, 04:40
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In a public hearing on Tuesday, the Federal Supreme Court will discuss whether a prospective student should have been granted extra time in the aptitude test for studying veterinary medicine due to her reading difficulties. The University of Bern rejected this.
With the support of Inclusion Handicap, the umbrella organization of Swiss disability organizations, the young woman took legal action. Her request was rejected at cantonal level, which is why she finally appealed to the Federal Supreme Court.
Her speech therapist confirmed that the complainant suffers from reading difficulties. For the aptitude test, the university accommodated the young woman by assigning her a seat at the side of the hall. It did not grant her any further facilities.
Study places limited
The aptitude test is carried out because admission to the study of medicine and veterinary medicine at a number of Swiss universities is subject to a numerus clausus.
In Basel, Bern, Fribourg, Zurich and at the Università della Svizzera italiana, the same test is used to select students. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich also uses it.
The test produces two values. The first is the percentile value. It is used to classify applicants and determine the level at which the admission limit is set depending on the number of available study places.
The second value, the average value, is used to decide between students who have just reached the threshold value for admission.
In the test, the prospective student achieved a percentile score of 10. The minimum score for places in veterinary medicine was 51. She was therefore told that her score meant she would not be able to study veterinary medicine at a university that required the aptitude test. In Switzerland, only the universities of Bern and Zurich offer such a course. (Case 2C_299/2023)
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