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The number of college students reporting disabilities has risen sharply – up more than 50% over the past decade, according to a recent New York Times analysis.

The response from institutions has been predictable. Some see long-overdue progress. Others question whether accommodations are being overused.

But that debate misses the more urgent issue: For too long, getting support in higher education has been unnecessarily difficult.

A computer science student at Pace University who is on the autism spectrum is graduating this spring with honors after developing market-ready software.

That outcome didn’t happen by accident. With coordinated support from faculty and accessibility services, the student was given the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in ways that went beyond traditional classroom expectations.

What is remarkable is not the accommodation itself, but how rare it is for systems to work this well.

Anyone who has ever worked in disability services – or lived with a disability – knows that accessing support is seldom straightforward. It often takes years of advocacy, extensive documentation and significant financial resources. Even then, the process does not always result in services that truly meet an individual’s needs.

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