“Accommodating College Students with Learning Disabilities: ADD, ADHD, and Dyslexia,” by Melana Zyler
Vickers, reveals the assistance provided for students with learning disabilities so mild that they may not be
visible to others. The paper is not about severe disabilities such as autism, brain injuries, or visual or hearing
impairment.
The paper is based on interviews with on-campus experts in learning disabilities, with professors who deal
with learning-disabled students, and with students themselves. It includes statistics showing the rise in
accommodations. Vickers asks such questions as whether students with such disabilities are being improperly prepared for
their future lives, when they will have little or no accommodation; whether accommodation unfairly benefits
some but not others; and whether the privacy rules are ultimately harmful to the students themselves.