Stop Telling Disabled Students to Forget Their Rights

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Dear Callum, Stop Telling Disabled Students to Forget Their Rights

A response to Callum Borchers’ article, "No One Cares About Your GPA, and More Career Advice for New Grads" (Wall Street Journal, May 13):

“Forget about those academic accommodations. The share of college students receiving disability accommodations such as time-and-a-half on tests has exploded in recent years. At Harvard, it jumped from 3% to 21% in a decade, according to The Harvard Crimson, the university’s student newspaper. That new rate, roughly one in five, is now typical across higher education. It’s great that schools are giving people with mental-health conditions more opportunities to show their intelligence, even if some students game the system. But accommodations deemed reasonable in the classroom aren’t always practical in the workplace. When a client needs something done in an hour, you can’t take 90 minutes. You won’t get a designated note taker to assist you in meetings. Forget about a private office to reduce distractions, unless you reach the C-suite someday. The key is to find a role where success doesn’t hinge on a modification that your employer may be unwilling or unable to give.” – Callum Borchers

In response to Callum Borchers’ article, "No One Cares About Your GPA, and More Career Advice for New Grads" (May 13), it is important to recognize that disabled professionals have long faced exclusion from education and the workforce. Gen Z’s request for accessibility is nothing new. In 2025, 22.8% of disabled Americans were employed compared to 65.2% of those without a disability.

With 12 years of combined advocacy experience, we've noticed a generational divide—many older professionals demand that disabled people assimilate into the workplace visibly and interpersonally. Instead, we envision an accessible future where disabled people are welcomed for who they are. 

When you tell us to “forget about those academic accommodations,” you encourage our peers to erase our identity. We want to remind you that neglecting accommodations is illegal per the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 1 in 4 Americans have a disability, meaning a 29% accommodation rate would align with the general population, making Harvard's 21% underrepresentative.

Suggesting that students are “[gaming] the system” normalizes discrimination and fails to acknowledge that students must have documentation from a medical provider or prior K-12 support to secure academic accommodations in higher education.

Academic barriers follow students into the workforce, deepening inequities in financial security, housing, health, and more. The consequences are measurable: disabled people experience poverty at more than twice the rate of the general public. 

There is hope: in July, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee advanced the Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower (RISE) Act. Now placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar, the RISE Act requires universities to accept high school documentation as proof of disability, instead of forcing students to pay for new evaluations. The bill would also require colleges to report data on how many disabled students are enrolled. 

Borchers points to the rising share of students with accommodations as proof something's wrong. If the RISE Act passes, those numbers will rise further, not because students’ needs have changed, but because they are finally being supported and counted. Instead of viewing transparency as a negative, we can use it to create access and equity.

Sincerely, Felicity Chapman, Rye, NY, and Jessica Lopez, San Diego, CA.

About the authors

Felicity Chapman has spent the last eight years increasing awareness and improving education outcomes for disabled students in New York, D.C, and internationally. Named an Ashoka Foundation Changemaker in 2021 and an Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholar in 2024, Felicity has worked with disability nonprofits in Brussels and Montreal. She recently served as a youth advisor for the US International Council on Disability. While earning her degree in Public Relations and Education at American University, Felicity interned at the Kennedy Center’s Accessibility Office and with Senator Tammy Duckworth. Her vision for the future is one in which all disabled students have access to an inclusive, high-quality education.

Jessica Lopez is a Marketing and Strategy Consultant with experience across B2B tech, EdTech, and the public sector. She has held roles at Amazon, Alation, OpenSesame, and the U.S. Department of Labor, and currently advises law firms and organizations in the nonprofit sector on digital marketing strategy and brand positioning. Born without hands and feet, her lived experience informs her advocacy for accessible education and workplaces. A published policy author and sought-after speaker, Jessica's policy work has reached over 300 institutions globally and earned speaking invitations from Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. Her work in student leadership includes authoring a civil rights resolution adopted statewide, impacting two million students during her term as Student Body President. An Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholar, Jessica authored a thesis on accessible travel and its business implications. She holds a BA in Business Administration, graduating magna cum laude, and has been featured in Fox and VeryWell.

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