Reply to Wall Street Journal on rampant growth in percentage of college students with “disabilities”

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Why are disability accommodations as a result of mental illness (the root cause of the large percent, as highlighted in the article) a bad thing? What makes them less deserving of attention and consideration than someone who is physically disabled or blind? [/quote]

Because it's not clear if those disabilities even require academic accommodations at all.  In elementary and secondary school, having a disability alone does not qualify you to get anything.  You only get accommodations and services if they're needed.  Being anxious does not mean you need more time to take a test, or to have a reduced homework load.  Maybe you get some specific accommodations for a panic attack during an exam.  But as anyone who has actually dealt with anxiety and panic knows (raises hand!) the proper treatment for situational anxiety is not avoidance; it's learning how to cope with the situation.  [/quote]

Learning how to cope with the situation? Like, oh, running into a question and your mind going blank. So putting the pencil down. Closing your eyes for a minute. Taking a few deep breaths. Telling yourself you can skip this problem and move on to the next one. Opening your eyes, picking up your pencil, and moving on to the next question? That sort of coping with the situation?

That's exactly what my child with anxiety does. And sometimes, it means my child spend half an exam working through anxiety reactions. So yes, extended time on exams is a perfect accommodation because it means my child's anxiety isn't ramped up because he fears he's going to run out of time. Instead he gets to practice his coping techniques and his teachers actually get an exam that is reflective of what he knows rather than reflective of a panic attack.

I'm glad your anxiety is less intrusive or you have better developed skills. These are kids. They're still learning.[/quote]

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