Why accessibility? Because there are students in your classes with disabilities

According to 2022 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 28% of the US general public reports having one or more disabilities, including physical, mental, and emotional disabilities.^[1] This includes 23.8% of individuals ages 18-44 and 34% of military veterans. 

In a 2019-2020 survey of college students by the National Center for Education Statistics,^[2] 21% of undergraduates and 11% of graduate students reported having a disability.^[3] These percentages were similar for traditional and adult students and across disciplines of study and they increase each year.

You may not think you have students in your class with a disability, but you do. 

There are four main reasons why you may not know who your students with disabilities are. First, because most disabilities are invisible. You can’t always look at someone and know they have a mental health, learning, chronic health, physical, hearing, vision, or neurological disability.

Second, you don’t know because students don’t disclose. Less than 50% of students report their physical disabilities and less than 30% report mental health, learning, or neurological disabilities.^[4] Most students with disabilities who do not disclose to the university cite the fear of stigma from peers, pushback on accommodation requests by instructors, and the general hassle of documentation.^[5]

Third, there are students who have a disability but don’t have documentation.  They may not have been formally diagnosed due to the cost of testing, lack of adequate health care, or the force of cultural norms to not be “different”.  ADHD and autism can be diagnosed later in life, especially in women who did not match the male-normed symptoms in elementary and secondary schools.

Fourth, students who have a new acute or chronic health conditions or have been injured may not consider themselves as having a disability even if it impairs their learning for a semester, a year, or more.^[6] Being diagnosed and treated for cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other major medical conditions impacts students ability to manage coursework. Having an injury that affects vision, hearing, mobility, or dexterity can also seriously hinder students’ learning until they heal.

Based on 2024 data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the National College Heath Assessment data,^[7] on specific disabilities any given 100 college students could include:

• 30% diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression
• 20% with sleep difficulties like insomnia or sleep apnea
• 12% attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• 10% who experience migraines or other severe headaches
• 4% with specific learning disabilities including dyslexia and dyscalculia
• 4% with autism
• 2% who are blind or have low vision
• 2% with a trauma-related disability including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• 2% who are Deaf or hard of hearing

It’s common for people to have overlapping disabilities, for example someone with PTSD could also have anxiety, depression, insomnia, or migraines, so this isn’t to say everyone has a disability. The point is that it’s extremely unlikely that no one in your classes has a disability.