In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.The recent report that nearly half of UC Berkeley law students receive disability accommodations should prompt a question that goes beyond whether students are gaming the system.If nearly half the students at one of America’s most selective law schools qualify as disabled, what exactly do we mean by disability anymore?
The conventional explanation is that we are finally recognizing conditions that were previously overlooked. There is certainly some truth to that. Mental health conditions and learning disabilities were often misunderstood or ignored in the past, and many people genuinely benefit from accommodations that allow them to demonstrate their abilities.But that explanation becomes harder to accept when accommodation rates climb to levels that would have seemed unimaginable a generation ago. Nationally, the share of college students reporting disabilities has risen sharply over the past two decades, reaching roughly 1 in 5 students at four-year institutions. At elite universities, the numbers are even more striking. Harvard’s accommodation rate rose from roughly 3% in 2014 to more than 20% a decade later.According to reporting by the Atlantic based on federal education data and university figures, 38% of Stanford undergraduates were registered with the university’s disability office.If nearly half the students at an elite law school qualify as disabled, we’re no longer talking about a small group of exceptional cases.UC Berkeley law students are among the most accomplished young people in the country. They excelled in college, scored highly on the LSAT, and earned seats at one of the nation’s top law schools. Yet once they arrive, nearly half are deemed sufficiently impaired to require special accommodations. That should give us pause.(Washington Examiner illustration; Getty Images)
