College students who receive special accommodations because of a learning disability say they have less difficulty completing assignments and more contact with faculty¹ outside of class than peers who don't receive extra help. A new study by the University of Iowa, however, found that only one third of undergraduates from 11 universities who reported having a learning disability were receiving accommodations.

 

The disparity might come down to two things: a desire to be independent and money.

 

"Some students with learning disabilities go to college, and they want to manage on their own," says Karla McGregor, a professor in the UI Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders² and lead author of the study. "They don't want the extra help."

 

However, this study found there's more to the disparity than a wish to go it alone.

 

Post-secondary educational facilities are not mandated³ to identify students with learning disabilities. It's up to the student to self-identify, and that's where the money comes in. Many universities require documentation of a student's learning disability in order to qualify for special accommodations. Screenings, interviews, and tests to confirm the existence of a disability can cost as much as $5,000.

 

"Accommodations are free, but the tests to prove you have a learning disability are not," says McGregor.

 

According to the study, 50 percent of the wealthiest students with a learning disability reported receiving accommodations; only 30 percent of low-income, working-class, and middle-class students with a learning disability said they received extra help. In addition, the study found the rate of accommodation was higher among out-of-state than in-state students at the various universities studied.

 

"This too could reflect affluence⁴ as out-of-state tuition is typically two- to five-times greater than in-state tuition," the authors write. 

 

The study, "The University Experiences of Students with Learning Disabilities," was published May 17, 2016 online in Learning Disabilities Research & Practice.

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