Lengthy articles from the New York Times newspaper and The Atlantic magazine in the past few three months both have reported an average of around a 25-percent increase in university students receiving 504 accommodations for reported disabilities. This trend is seen at selective, prestigious schools and also at schools that accept a large percentage of applicants. 

504 plans are educational accommodations that aid students with disabilities. These accommodations may include extended time on assessments and assignments, the opportunity to test in separate rooms, and easier accessibility to parts of campus for students with physical disabilities.

According to Kelly Singleton, the head of the counseling department at Sherwood, the trend of more students having 504s starts in middle and high school when students typically are granted a plan with accommodations. “We’ve seen a big increase in 504 plans, probably in the last 10 years or so … If [the articles] are saying 25-percent increase, I would say we’ve seen something very similar here”. 

The writers of the New York Times article, Mark Arsenault and Steven Rich, explain that the reason for this increase is not completely known, but a number of experts believe that the rise of ADHD, autism and severe anxiety diagnoses since the covid pandemic may be a factor.

Singleton echoes what the New York Times reports. “I think since the covid pandemic … we’ve seen an increase in anxiety across the board. I think that diagnosis in general has gone up, but I also think that there’s just more awareness being brought to diagnoses such as anxiety and ADHD,” said Singleton. “Each 504 plan is individual to a student’s needs, but the common accommodations that we see are extended time, preferential seating, a flash pass or the ability to take a break if they’re feeling overwhelmed.” 

Both articles reported that getting 504 plans within the last decade is simpler, only needing a doctor’s note in contrast to the much stricter medical and scientific evaluation of a student in previous years, “Previously, the threshold for diagnoses had been ‘clear evidence of clinically significant impairment’. After the release of the DSM-5, (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), the symptoms needed only to ‘interfere with, or reduce the quality’ of academic functioning”, writes Rose Horowitch for The Atlantic. 

Singleton clarified that in order to get a 504 plan, students need to have a proper diagnosis from their own doctor or from the school psychologist. However, the most important factor is whether or not this diagnosis impairs a student’s performance in school, “A diagnosis of ADHD alone does not give a student a 504 plan, but if we have the diagnoses and then we see a student not finishing assignments on time or struggling in other ways here at school, we look at all that information in a meeting and then determine if they qualify for a 504 plan,” explained Singleton. 

Students who are on 504 plans at Sherwood are most commonly given extra time to turn in assignments and to take tests or exams. Due to these benefits, according to the articles, there are students, as well as some educated savvy parents, who are trying to game the system in order to ensure that they, or their child, get more time on school work. 

However, Singleton believes that this is not the case. “I think pretty much most of the students who have a 504 plan and have extended time really do need it.”