Some UC Berkeley law students exploiting disability status

News of a rapid increase in the number of University of California Berkeley law school students claiming disability-related accommodations is shocking, but sadly not surprising.As with recent stories of rampant fraud of government programs in Minnesota and elsewhere, it appears that some unscrupulous individuals are taking advantage of the generous spirit of the American people to benefit themselves in ways that they do not deserve.One analysis found that more than one-third (37.5%) of Berkeley law school students receive disability accommodations.

Of those, a whopping “98% of disabled students have a primary or secondary diagnosis of ‘ADD/ADHD,’ ‘anxiety,’ or…‘depression’” — all conditions that qualify law students for extra time to complete exams.By comparison, Berkeley’s disability rate is more than 10 times the rate at other universities and community colleges, and exceeds by a sizable margin the disability rate among the general population of senior citizens aged 65 to 74 (24.3%).

For that matter, Berkeley’s percentage of students with disabilities exceeds its percentage of male students — a highly implausible scenario.It comes as no small irony that the student body at elite law schools like Berkeley disproportionately comes from affluent backgrounds.In other circumstances or settings, some of the students receiving accommodations would likely object to arrangements that advantage “privileged” individuals.

But when it comes to their education and advancement, suddenly their woke scruples melt away, and they demand changes to make their advancement easier, even if they don’t deserve them.As a former member of the National Council on Disability, I recognize the need that Americans with physical and/or mental disabilities have for accommodations that reflect their health-related needs.I don’t want students with bona fide physical, mental, or developmental disabilities to face unnecessary or undue obstacles to their e...