College Students’ Access to Academic Accommodations Over Time: Evidence of a Matthew Effect in Higher Education

Perspectives from Undergraduate Life Sciences Faculty: Are We Equipped to Effectively Accommodate Students With Disabilities in Our Classrooms?

“…However, there are barriers to registering with university disability resource centers that likely disproportionately prevent students with fewer financial resources from accessing accommodations, such as the need to pay for evaluations and take extra time to complete paperwork and visit doctors ( Cawthon and Cole, 2010 ). While universities with larger numbers of financially well-off students also have more students enrolled with the DRC ( Weis and Bittner, 2022 ), we saw no statistical differences in self-reported financial status for those registered with a DRC in a 2022 nationwide survey of undergraduate students ( n = 657 DRC students, n = 890 non-DRC students; Goodwin and Brownell, unpublished data). However, it is possible that DRC students who come from more privileged backgrounds are more likely to engage in conversations with their instructors about getting their accommodation needs met, which, if true, could contribute to Greg’s perception that better-off students have a greater advantage in the accommodations system.…”

“…Despite the near ubiquity of DRC centers on college campuses, there are systemic inequities that impact which students with disabilities receive DRC accommodations. Institutions with higher enrollment of privileged students (i.e., private, highly selective, and expensive institutions, serving fewer low-income students) also have the highest DRC enrollment ( Weis and Bittner, 2022 ). Conversely, students who attend public institutions, community colleges, low-cost institutions, and institutions that serve high proportions of low-income students are less likely to be enrolled with a DRC ( Weis and Bittner, 2022 ), despite the fact that disability status is associated with low socioeconomic status in the general adult population ( Goyat et al.…”

“…Indeed, students with disabilities perceive that DRCs are generally understaffed ( Toutain, 2019 ). The need for staff in the DRC is heightened by steadily increasing numbers of students who register for disability or accommodation services: as of 2020, an average of 5% of students are registered with a DRC across all US institutions ( Weis and Bittner, 2022 ).…”

Twenty Years Into the 21st Century – Tech-related Accommodations for College Students with Mental Health and Other Disabilities

“…The same is true of what is determined to be appropriate documentation . Nevertheless, the result has been that in the U.S., AHEAD's guidelines have largely been adopted, with only 22% of schools requiring formal documentation (Weis & Bittner, 2021).…”

“…These involve making alterations to the delivery of services so that these are accessible to more students. While a decade ago a larger proportion (70%) of students with disabilities enrolled in two-year colleges (Newman et al, 2011), currently this trend has reversed, with four-year colleges enrolling a larger percentage of students with disabilities (4.55% vs 3.30%) and with four-year colleges granting more accommodations than two-year institutions (Cohen et al, 2020;Weis & Bittner, 2021).…”