According to the most recent data published by the National Center for Education Statistics, about 20 percent of undergraduate students and nearly 11 percent of graduate students have a disability. There’s a discrepancy though, between the rate of students reporting having a disability, and those who are actually registering with their campus disability center. It turns out many students don’t inform their colleges of their disability and that has led to a support gap.The truth is, too many college and university students with disabilities decide to forgo a request for the accommodations that they may need to be successful.

So, why aren’t these students seeking the accommodations that they need? The most common reason is stigma.

Disability stigma is a persistent problem on college campuses, which can lead to discrimination, a hostile learning environment and psychological stress. Research shows that students who have a disability — whether visible or invisible — are often belittled by other individuals, considered a challenge to understand and often experience pity and avoidance. In some cases, experiencing stigma for a long period of time can result in decreased self-esteem, depression and suicidal ideation.

Currently, under the ADA, students must first self-identify to receive the resources that they need. That’s where so many college students are getting hung up.

To better understand the critical issue of why so many higher ed students aren’t self-identifying, I dug deeper into the research, investigating the self-identification process and how different institutions approach it.

For a student at a higher ed institution, this process includes registering with campus disability services offices and supplying documentation as evidence of their disability. After my surgeries, when I was diagnosed with a vision impairment, the last thing that I wanted to do was ask for help, and obtain paperwork to prove that I had a disability.

If students do not advocate for themselves, they will not be granted access to the resources they need. Colleges and universities need to change their tactics for supporting students with disabilities who are hesitant to self-identify. They need to work actively to address disability stigma, train faculty to support students and offer multiple pathways for students to ask for support. It is vital that we move beyond compliance with ADA toward a more enlightened and comprehensive team-based solution to support students hesitant to self-identify.

While there’s so much work to be done, there is a body of research providing possible solutions to address this issue, offering higher ed institutions a glimpse into steps they can take to improve the learning experience for students with disabilities.

Read the full article about disability needs in higher education by Stephanie A.N. Levin at EdSurge.