Heard a podcast claiming 30% of college students disabled?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in the ADA office at a big flagship U (i.e., I work with staff/faculty on employment-related accommodations) and also work closely with the Disability Office (especially where people have dual roles, such as grad student and TA/research assistant). Yes, there are people who abuse the process, but most of the anecdotes on here are like welfare queen anecdotes of the 1980s - they do not reflect reality (for the most part) but just serve to stir up outrage. Without reviewing someone's entire school file and medical information, you really have no idea of someone is trying to advantage of the system.

Maybe you are covering for yourself or your friends who engage in such scams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work in the ADA office at a big flagship U (i.e., I work with staff/faculty on employment-related accommodations) and also work closely with the Disability Office (especially where people have dual roles, such as grad student and TA/research assistant). Yes, there are people who abuse the process, but most of the anecdotes on here are like welfare queen anecdotes of the 1980s - they do not reflect reality (for the most part) but just serve to stir up outrage. Without reviewing someone's entire school file and medical information, you really have no idea of someone is trying to advantage of the system.

Maybe you are covering for yourself or your friends who engage in such scams.

If 1/3 of the kids should not be there, 1/3 of the jobs should be cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t recall which podcast (I listen while I commute), but I tried looking it up to see if it’s true. Sort of shocked at what I found.




This is from reported numbers. Under the ADA, colleges are required to maintain an office of disabilities to register, record, and offer accommodations for disabled students (including those who had IEPs and or 504 plans. If they inform the university).


But the really surprising part was this:

“A Majority of College Students with Disabilities Do Not Inform School, New NCES Data Show“

https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/4_26_2022.asp

The podcast also claimed: international students who come to the U.S. to study, generally report near zero disabilities, which when factored in, raises the U.S. student percentage of disabled college students even higher.

Did anyone else catch the same podcast or reporting? How do we change this?

Switch to another podcast?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work in the ADA office at a big flagship U (i.e., I work with staff/faculty on employment-related accommodations) and also work closely with the Disability Office (especially where people have dual roles, such as grad student and TA/research assistant). Yes, there are people who abuse the process, but most of the anecdotes on here are like welfare queen anecdotes of the 1980s - they do not reflect reality (for the most part) but just serve to stir up outrage. Without reviewing someone's entire school file and medical information, you really have no idea of someone is trying to advantage of the system.

Maybe you are covering for yourself or your friends who engage in such scams.

Or maybe it’s not as big a deal as people whose job it is to stir up clicks make it out to be. That would be a shocker, wouldn’t it?

My kid is dyslexic and he gets extra time on tests in high school. I doubt he wants to continue it in college though. But, he’s been in special ed since 2nd grade. In all those years, I don’t think I’ve run across a kid who’s faking it for extra time or has a fake diagnosis. I’m sure some exist somewhere but I haven’t seen them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Debated getting DD checked for slow processing speed at beginning of MS because she definitely has that. But decided against it because even with accomodations in school, jobs won't extend that. So best to learn how to work with the brain you have in the system we have and push the brain to the max capacity. Much easier to do that when young and brain is most plastic and also when young because there is the support and safety net of parents.

I thought to have extra time accommodations when in school and then not have it suddenly as an adult will be a rude awakening. This way DD will force her brain to adapt a bit and also she will find a career path that suits her.

In my field of work, slow processing wouldn't work and their can be no accommodations. I work at top speed everyday with massive amounts of information, and critically make judgements and decisions that affect other people's wellbeing. DD won't end up in my job but that's ok. She will find her way.

She's near the end of MS now, and the processing speed has gotten better in my assessment, and same with her memory and ability to connect information. She's not the brightest or the fastest by any means, but the improvement as been marked!

The brain can adapt and rise to the occassion more than many parents are allowing for their kids. For me it is more important to expand her brain's abilities and struggle right now while I can support her than it is for me for her to get straight As. I decided accommodations may help her grades now but would not be in her best interest in the long run. Forcing her brain to make and strengthen these neuronal connections will serve her much better for her life.

This is a damaging perspective. I feel bad for kid. A parent so cold and arrogant that they over look their kids mental health and harm their ability to learn.

[Anonymous]

I think there are a lot of things that people seek support for as disabilities in college but not in the real world. My kid has severe, but well controlled asthma. Since avoiding environmental triggers is part of that control, he will submit disability paperwork to ensure he is placed in a dorm room with AC or allowed to install a window unit, and not asked to share a room or suite with an emotional support cat.

As an adult he will look for an apartment with AC and not choose to get a cat. No disability paperwork will be involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work in the ADA office at a big flagship U (i.e., I work with staff/faculty on employment-related accommodations) and also work closely with the Disability Office (especially where people have dual roles, such as grad student and TA/research assistant). Yes, there are people who abuse the process, but most of the anecdotes on here are like welfare queen anecdotes of the 1980s - they do not reflect reality (for the most part) but just serve to stir up outrage. Without reviewing someone's entire school file and medical information, you really have no idea of someone is trying to advantage of the system.

Maybe you are covering for yourself or your friends who engage in such scams.

Or maybe it’s not as big a deal as people whose job it is to stir up clicks make it out to be. That would be a shocker, wouldn’t it?

My kid is dyslexic and he gets extra time on tests in high school. I doubt he wants to continue it in college though. But, he’s been in special ed since 2nd grade. In all those years, I don’t think I’ve run across a kid who’s faking it for extra time or has a fake diagnosis. I’m sure some exist somewhere but I haven’t seen them.

Is your kid headed to an elite school? The more elite the school, the more the abuse. It’s a % of abuse at elite schools that is higher. But those saying 20% at elite schools are not borderline or questionable, to say the least, do not know this population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's shocking is that these types of accommodations aren't offered in jobs after college.

Thank god we don’t

Um, employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to workers with disabilities. Time to check in with HR!

Employers are definitely not required to provide double or unlimited time to complete work tasks.

It depends. Employers are not required to change essential duties of a position or to reduce production standards. So if the production standard is to review 8 files per day, they don’t need to relax that. Or if an essential duty is being able to write an article before print deadline or whatever, then they don’t need to give extra time. But if there is an arbitrary deadline that is not essential to the duties of the position then they may need to give more time. It’s a very fact dependent inquiry and requires an interactive process to make that determination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work in the ADA office at a big flagship U (i.e., I work with staff/faculty on employment-related accommodations) and also work closely with the Disability Office (especially where people have dual roles, such as grad student and TA/research assistant). Yes, there are people who abuse the process, but most of the anecdotes on here are like welfare queen anecdotes of the 1980s - they do not reflect reality (for the most part) but just serve to stir up outrage. Without reviewing someone's entire school file and medical information, you really have no idea of someone is trying to advantage of the system.

Maybe you are covering for yourself or your friends who engage in such scams.

Or maybe it’s not as big a deal as people whose job it is to stir up clicks make it out to be. That would be a shocker, wouldn’t it?

My kid is dyslexic and he gets extra time on tests in high school. I doubt he wants to continue it in college though. But, he’s been in special ed since 2nd grade. In all those years, I don’t think I’ve run across a kid who’s faking it for extra time or has a fake diagnosis. I’m sure some exist somewhere but I haven’t seen them.

Is your kid headed to an elite school? The more elite the school, the more the abuse. It’s a % of abuse at elite schools that is higher. But those saying 20% at elite schools are not borderline or questionable, to say the least, do not know this population.

So, all this talk and hand ringing for an iffy percentage in a scant handful of schools? That’s not worth the ink spilled.

Plus there is a lot of conflating of a disability and any actual academic benefit. I don’t think a peanut allergy declaration is helping anyone in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Top 25 schools according to that site, public schools look more reasonable:

3% or less Duke
4.83% UCLA
7.50% MIT
10.43% Rice
11.20% Emory
11.73% Caltech
12.00% Georgetown, Michigan
12.83% WashU
13.34% Berkeley
13.57% Carnegie Mellon
14.00% Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Notre Dame
14.26% Columbia
15.00% Vanderbilt
15.03% Penn
15.54% Princeton
15.80% Dartmouth
19.80% Yale
21.00% Chicago, Harvard
21.58% Cornell
22.00% Brown
38.17% Stanford

this Duke number can't be right.

but Stanford - wow.

[Anonymous]

Have close friend in Stanford admin--they're aware that kids/parents overreport disabilities to receive accommodations for housing. Location, amenities, age--big variety in the housing stock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there are a lot of things that people seek support for as disabilities in college but not in the real world. My kid has severe, but well controlled asthma. Since avoiding environmental triggers is part of that control, he will submit disability paperwork to ensure he is placed in a dorm room with AC or allowed to install a window unit, and not asked to share a room or suite with an emotional support cat.

As an adult he will look for an apartment with AC and not choose to get a cat. No disability paperwork will be involved.

I think people who need emotional support animals should live off-campus. And not get priority for singles. That's a hotbutton issue for me. The ESA declarations are pretty fraudulent. Dog people particularly seem okay with lying so they can take dogs wherever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's shocking is that these types of accommodations aren't offered in jobs after college.

Thank god we don’t

Um, employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to workers with disabilities. Time to check in with HR!

Not to the extent that educational institutions are required.

Well they still have to do the work required of them. Accommodations are different than lowering the requirements of the job.

To be fair though, I do think a lot of high school and college accommodations would allow non disabled students to succeed too when they’re unable to succeed otherwise. Things like extra time on tests and notes ahead of time help a lot.

I think the thought process is that kids will choose occupations that allow them to succeed and not ones that they’d struggle with. Like a kid with reading issues wouldn’t become a lawyer (choosing a vague issue here).

FWIW, I have a kid with dyslexia and dysgraphia. Getting nites beforehand is unheard of as far as I can tell, as is getting notes afterward. She has a recommendation for notes from a neuropsych and has NEVER been able to get notes (one HS and 2 colleges). She gets prof slides (which most kids do or the take photos) and has been offered an AI program (that is a product in the open market). Notetakers are not a thing anymore apparently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Debated getting DD checked for slow processing speed at beginning of MS because she definitely has that. But decided against it because even with accomodations in school, jobs won't extend that. So best to learn how to work with the brain you have in the system we have and push the brain to the max capacity. Much easier to do that when young and brain is most plastic and also when young because there is the support and safety net of parents.

I thought to have extra time accommodations when in school and then not have it suddenly as an adult will be a rude awakening. This way DD will force her brain to adapt a bit and also she will find a career path that suits her.

In my field of work, slow processing wouldn't work and their can be no accommodations. I work at top speed everyday with massive amounts of information, and critically make judgements and decisions that affect other people's wellbeing. DD won't end up in my job but that's ok. She will find her way.

She's near the end of MS now, and the processing speed has gotten better in my assessment, and same with her memory and ability to connect information. She's not the brightest or the fastest by any means, but the improvement as been marked!

The brain can adapt and rise to the occassion more than many parents are allowing for their kids. For me it is more important to expand her brain's abilities and struggle right now while I can support her than it is for me for her to get straight As. I decided accommodations may help her grades now but would not be in her best interest in the long run. Forcing her brain to make and strengthen these neuronal connections will serve her much better for her life.

This is a damaging perspective. I feel bad for kid. A parent so cold and arrogant that they over look their kids mental health and harm their ability to learn.

Parent of a kid with LDs here and I totally agree with you. The parent risks sever psychological damage and for sure a lack of confidence. Her kid just thinks she is stupid when she has a disability. My kid was not diagnosed until 4th grade and it was such a relief to her to know she was not stupid but her brain processes differently. As a college student she has been very successful but that never would have happened if we had let her tough it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Debated getting DD checked for slow processing speed at beginning of MS because she definitely has that. But decided against it because even with accomodations in school, jobs won't extend that. So best to learn how to work with the brain you have in the system we have and push the brain to the max capacity. Much easier to do that when young and brain is most plastic and also when young because there is the support and safety net of parents.

I thought to have extra time accommodations when in school and then not have it suddenly as an adult will be a rude awakening. This way DD will force her brain to adapt a bit and also she will find a career path that suits her.

In my field of work, slow processing wouldn't work and their can be no accommodations. I work at top speed everyday with massive amounts of information, and critically make judgements and decisions that affect other people's wellbeing. DD won't end up in my job but that's ok. She will find her way.

She's near the end of MS now, and the processing speed has gotten better in my assessment, and same with her memory and ability to connect information. She's not the brightest or the fastest by any means, but the improvement as been marked!

The brain can adapt and rise to the occassion more than many parents are allowing for their kids. For me it is more important to expand her brain's abilities and struggle right now while I can support her than it is for me for her to get straight As. I decided accommodations may help her grades now but would not be in her best interest in the long run. Forcing her brain to make and strengthen these neuronal connections will serve her much better for her life.

This is a damaging perspective. I feel bad for kid. A parent so cold and arrogant that they over look their kids mental health and harm their ability to learn.

Parent of a kid with LDs here and I totally agree with you. The parent risks sever psychological damage and for sure a lack of confidence. Her kid just thinks she is stupid when she has a disability. My kid was not diagnosed until 4th grade and it was such a relief to her to know she was not stupid but her brain processes differently. As a college student she has been very successful but that never would have happened if we had let her tough it out.

+1