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Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Over 20 Percent of Incoming College Freshmen Claim to Be Disabled

At top colleges around the country, over 20 percent of incoming freshmen claim to be disabled.

22 percent at Pomona College in California. 18 percent at Pitzer College in California, Vassar College in New York, Reed College in Oregon, and Mount Holyoke in Massachusetts. 14 percent at Stanford Universty. These are the percentage of students who considered themselves disabled at top universities around the country. That means that almost one in five students in every classroom is classified as disabled by school officials.

Jan Collins-Eaglin, the Claremont consortium’s associate dean of students for personal success and wellness, says that anxiety and stress are likely behind the increase in the number of “disabled” students. “At Pomona, we have extremely talented bright students with very high expectations who are coming in with a good level of anxiety and are highly stressed,” she said in a comment to the Wall Street Journal. “Our job here is to help them really thrive.”

Despite the increase in the number of students that identify as “disabled,” top school officials say that the rigor of the curriculum hasn’t changed. Jodi Foley, the director of accessibility services at Amherst College, says that Amherst has only continued to strengthen its academic program as more and more students report mental health and anxiety issues. “The academic profile of Amherst’s student population continues to increase as it continues to diversify.”

Others, still, are upset at some advantages given to students who face certain types of anxiety. Some students who experience panic attacks received special accommodations during SAT exams. Some were offered special “distraction-free” environment. Others were offered additional time to complete the exam.

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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

And then, what kind of jobs will they be eligible for?

Anonymous said...

They may be disable but they are weak. Some want a free ride without effort. Most are punks and weaklings. They are sorry and know nothing about a good day of hard work. They are the future. A bunch of wimps So sad.

Anonymous said...

well if they graduated from some public school they prolly are!

Anonymous said...

This bodes well for the workforce.

Anonymous said...

Mentally disabled.

Anonymous said...

A distraction-free environment...college? Whoa, what Bizzaro world have we all been transformed to?

College is all about adapting to distractions in prep of the real world!

Anonymous said...

Yet they'll make more, contribute more and do more than you.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, disabled by upbringing.

Anonymous said...

Probably awarded disablity as young children by a parent looking to get an additional check from the government each month. I would beg these mothers don't do this, you'll be labeling your child for life - for behavior problems YOU can change. But, alas, the $$$ was too strong a draw. Pathetic .

SomersetLady said...

I think this is like many programs meant to be "helpful" for those who REALLY need it. But then some government or agency decides that they cannot exclude anyone. Some people truly need it, like my brother. He's severely ADD, like the absent minded professor; He's Forgetful and easily retractable. But very smart. He was diagnosed in college and then got help in college. Even with help, it was very hard for him. ADD meds didn't help much. After a lot of ups & down, he finally graduated. Everything just took longer. But he was one that definitely needed help. He now has a great job which is perfect for him and is a productive member of society.