Why Are 38 Percent of Stanford Students Saying They're Disabled?
7 days ago
- #education
- #academic-accommodations
- #mental-health
- High percentages of students at elite universities like Stanford (38%), Brown (20%), and Harvard (20%) claim academic accommodations for learning disabilities.
- Many of these students claim mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD.
- Professors suggest that these accommodations are often used by privileged students to gain extra time on tests rather than addressing genuine disabilities.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) allows students to receive accommodations with minimal documentation, such as a doctor's note.
- Online platforms like TikTok contribute to a distorted view of normalcy, where common behaviors are labeled as signs of diagnosable conditions.
- Risk-aversion among high-achieving students drives them to seek accommodations to avoid failure and self-doubt.
- Unnecessary accommodations can hinder genuine intellectual growth and the development of essential life skills.