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

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Abstract

Changes in disability law and professional practice were designed to give individuals with disabilities greater access to protections and services by emphasizing functional limitations and self-reported problems over a formal diagnosis and third-party documentation. It is not known if these changes are associated with increased access to accommodations among college students with disabilities, most of whom struggle academically yet never receive formal support. We examined college students’ access to accommodations as a function of institutional type, selectivity, and cost over time. Although access to accommodations increased from 2.8 to 5.2% over the past 12 years, this change was largely driven by students attending America’s most selective and expensive private institutions. Access to accommodations was significantly lower and remained relatively stable among students attending 2-year public colleges. These findings suggest a Matthew effect in higher education in which students most in need of academic support are increasingly least likely to receive it. We suggest four ways to reduce this access inequality: (1) encourage universal design, (2) facilitate access for students with disabilities from disadvantaged backgrounds, (3) critically evaluate documentation from students without real-world limitations, and (4) insist on evidence of symptom or performance validity before granting accommodations.

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Funding

This study was supported by a grant from the Laurie Bukovac Hodgson & David Hodgson endowed fund for disability research.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Denison University, Granville, OH, 43023, USA

    Robert Weis & Sophie A. Bittner

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Weis, R., Bittner, S.A. College Students’ Access to Academic Accommodations Over Time: Evidence of a Matthew Effect in Higher Education. Psychol. Inj. and Law 15, 236–252 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12207-021-09429-7

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