Disability claims in higher education are on the rise. Some have speculated that it’s about getting additional time for assignments and exams.
The College Fix reports:
More than half of UC Berkeley disability accommodations are ’emotional’More students are receiving disability accommodations at the University of California at Berkeley this school year, the leading type being for “Psychological/Emotional” disabilities, according to data published on the institution’s website.The rise in college students receiving disability accommodations nationwide has been under recent scrutiny. However, one expert who spoke with The College Fix pointed out that there is a lack of research on the matter.At UC Berkeley, this year has the most students registered as disabled since 2020, according to the data.The data, which only goes back to 2020, shows the number of students who received disability accommodations increasing every year. In 2020-2021, there were 4,153. The following year there were 4,585. This year, there are 5,711.The greatest percentage of disabled students this year have “psychological” or “emotional” impediments. There are 2,528 registered, representing more than 50 percent of all students with disabilities at the university.The next most common is ADHD/ADD, with 1,675 students. According to the data, 287 students have a learning disability, 290 face mobility problems, 71 struggle to hear, and 63 have impaired vision.UC Berkeley’s media relations office declined to comment recently when The College Fix asked how students get accommodations, if it is looking into potential abuses of the system, how the university intends to ensure disabled students’ needs are met amidst the rise of those seeking accommodations, and whether resources are being stretched too thin.The university did, however, provide links to Berkeley’s Disabled Students Program’s application and FAQs.
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