TEA reaches agreement with US Justice Department to have testing accommodations for those with dyslexia

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The U.S. Justice Department reached a settlement with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to resolve a complaint involving a student with dyslexia and dysgraphia who was denied an "alternative testing arrangement" for an exam, the U.S. Attorney's Office Western District of Texas said in a news release.

According to the department, denying the student the testing arrangement was a violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The student requested oral administration as an alternative for the Science of Teaching Reading (STR) exam, the release said.

“People with dyslexia should not be denied the testing accommodations they deserve. The ADA requires such modifications to ensure that people with disabilities are not being graded on their disabilities, and unfairly denied access to their chosen professions," U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas said in the release.

This complaint then prompted an investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office due to the ADA prohibiting public entities like TEA "from administering a licensing program in a manner that subjects individuals with disabilities to discrimination because of those disabilities," the release said.

As part of the settlement agreement, TEA will have a "qualified reader or text-to-speech technology as an alternative testing arrangement" for testing candidates taking the STR exam. This includes those diagnosed with dyslexia, according to the department. To resolve the complaint, the TEA will also provide the complainant with "requested modifications" when they take the exam.

KXAN reached out to TEA. We will update this article if a statement is received.