Number of students reporting disabilities soars, yet likely remains an underestimate

March 30, 2022

“In three short years, registrations for Yale’s Student Accessibility Services have nearly doubled. Yet this number is likely two to three times lower than the actual number of Yale students with disabilities,” writes Michael Ndubisi.

“Yale’s student disability leaders say stigma is the main cause of underreporting, especially with mental illness, which Yale considers a disability for which students can apply for accomodations. Their efforts to combat the stigma surrounding disability and mental illness have accompanied a shift in the number of students registered with Student Accessibility Services. In 2019, only 842 students were registered with SAS, and as of Feb. 2022, that number now stands at 1,318 students — nearly double the number registered three years ago.”

DEFY leaders comment.