Audio by Randi Ingoglia
The number of students served by Cal Poly’s Disabilities Resource Center (DRC) increased by 14% from the 2023-24 academic year to the 2024-25 academic year, according to university spokesperson Keegan Koberl.
The recent surge in students served by the DRC follows an even greater increase in the prior academic year. Based on a report from an academic senate meeting held in April, the DRC saw a 25% spike in the number of students seeking services from the 2022-23 academic year to the 2023-24 academic year.
DRC provides students with test proctoring, assisted notetaking, on-campus transportation and more, according to the Cal Poly DRC website.
Per the report, the number of tests proctored increased by 25% and the number of tram rides provided increased by 19%.
“This is not a unique trend in higher education or in K-12,” Koberl said, citing data from the Government Accountability Office, which stated that “the number of students in college reporting to have a disability rose from 11% in 2004 to 21% in 2020.”
Some potential explanations for this increase in disability reporting include factors such as an increase in diagnoses, earlier diagnoses and complications from the COVID-19 pandemic, Koberl said.
Outside of national trends, Cal Poly DRC changed a university policy to increase inclusivity, which also led to an increase in students served, according to Koberl.
“Approximately three years ago Cal Poly DRC shifted our approach to align with the AHEAD (Association of Higher Education and Disabilities) guidelines and standards,” Koberl said. “That takes a more inclusive approach and moving away from the medical model of disability and towards a social model of disability.”
The DRC has developed policies to ensure they can handle the growth and students will not be affected. With a 25% increase in tests proctored each year for the past three years, DRC will find spots for every student who needs testing accommodations, according to Koberl.