This press release was published by AHEAD on December 16th, 2025

As the CEO and Board of Directors for the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD), we are writing in response to Rose Horowitch’s December 2 “Accommodation Nation” article in The Atlantic. For nearly 50 years, AHEAD has represented disability resource professionals and researchers in higher education. We welcome discussions on disability in higher education but want to address the article’s claims about the supposed overabundance of test accommodations and its links to income inequality.

One concern is that the language used in this article may perpetuate stigma that has long been invalidated. The author describes the management of test accommodations for an increasing number of students as a “struggle” for professors and frames them as unfair burdens. Accommodations for students with physical disabilities are portrayed as “noncontroversial” when compared to test accommodations for learning disabilities, ADHD, and mental health conditions.ⁱ This overlooks facts that testing accommodations are required by federal law,ⁱⁱ and students with many types of disabilities use test accommodations.ⁱⁱⁱ It also dismisses the ongoing struggles disabled students^iv face daily, which can far exceed any struggles for faculty implementing accommodations. Finally, the author frames the issue as one based on the diagnosis of the student instead of the number of students receiving testing accommodations as the title suggests. It leads one to wonder if the increase in testing accommodations were due to what the author deemed as “noncontroversial” diagnoses would The Atlantic article have the same tone.

Although the use of test accommodations is increasing, this reflects evolving understandings of disabilities and improved services,^v rather than a negative trend. Increased test accommodations in grades K-12 have also increased awareness and use of testing accommodations in higher education.^vi Horowitch is correct in saying the rise in the number of students eligible to receive accommodations increased after the ADA was amended in 2008 which returned the law to Congress’s original intent. Some accommodations also reflect changes in higher education such as the national “crisis” of mental healthvii that led to significant increases in students needing services from campus counseling centers. This, in turn, led to more referrals to disability resource centers resulting in the dramatic increase in accommodations for the barriers caused by mental health conditions. Furthermore, some of the article’s statistics are not as shocking when it is realized that 21% of undergraduates and 11% of graduate students in the United States have disabilities.^viii

Any discussion of test accommodations also requires nuance. Experiences of students are critical as part of the interactive process and to address the disability-related barriers unique to the student, and this is part of why AHEAD guidance suggests using students’ self-reporting side-by-side with medical documentation. Many students with disabilities are first diagnosed in college, reflecting the students’ ability to “pass” or refuse accommodations in high school. Additionally, disability laws in K-12 have different criteria for eligibility, rules for implementation, and goals of the accommodations received. It is also indicative of diverse college students, including veterans, working parents, and other adults over the age of 21.  While the research on test accommodations are mixed, there are researchers who have found positive correlations between accommodations and outcomes, as well as other factors affecting testing outcomes, as well as related topics for further research.^ix Similarly, we agree there are gaps between access for poor and wealthy students, but this access to greater resources is a socioeconomic issue that does not mean testing accommodations are unfair for everyone. The real threat to fairness is not the increased number of students receiving accommodations but the persistence of skepticism that delegitimizes disability. Rather than questioning whether too many students qualify, the focus should be on designing assessments that are inclusive for all learners.

• AHEAD^x is updating its guidance on documentation and studying ways to make professionals’ accommodations decisions more consistent across institutions.
• The National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD)xi and National Deaf Center^xii offer technical assistance and resources on topics related to higher education and disability, including transitions of students from high school.
•  The National Disability Center for Student Successxⁱⁱⁱ is increasing the body of research on college students with disabilities and its dissemination.
• TRIO’s^xiv programs offer wraparound supports for students with disabilities, including those who are also first-generation students or students of color.
• Think College has developed accreditation standards (including assessment standards) for inclusive higher education programs.^xv
• CAST, Inc.^xvi is researching Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which explores ways to make pedagogy and assessment more inclusive for all students (not just those with disabilities), with the possibility of courses become flexible and accessible enough that some accommodations are not always necessary.
• There are also organizations with specific information and experience related to learning disabilities, ADHD, and mental and emotional illnesses among college students.^xvii