Stanford Student Reveals Insidious ‘Disability’ Trend Sweeping Nation’s Elite Schools

“One of the most prestigious universities in the United States is offering benefits to those who say they suffer from ADHD, night terrors and even gluten intolerance. You would be stupid not to game the system,” writes Elsa Johnson, an undergraduate at Stanford University, for the Times.

This system is Stanford’s “disability accommodation” apparatus, which grants privileges to people on paper. disabled: The “best accommodation on campus”, extra time for exams, additional class absences, late payment compensation. (RELATED: Shocking Number of Elite College Students Pretend to Be ‘Disabled’ to Avoid Roommates)

Nearly 4 in 10 Stanford undergraduates are registered as having a disability, according to The Atlantic. claimed in December 2025. This fall term, nearly a quarter (24%) of Stanford undergraduates received university housing or housing. About a fifth of Harvard students received accommodations for people with disabilities over the past year, the Harvard Crimson reported in December 2025. The number of Harvard undergraduates with “disabilities” increased from 3% to 21% in 2024.

The percentage of Harvard students with disability accommodations increased from about 3% in 2014 to 21% in 2024.

The Harvard Crimson published this graphic showing the rise at Harvard and several other elite schools.

Look at Brown and Stanford too! pic.twitter.com/TplTnJaPFp

-Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) December 8, 2025

“The truth is that the system is there to be gamed, and most students feel that if you don’t play it, you put yourself at a disadvantage. That’s why I decided to treat my legitimate illness – endometriosis – as a liability at Stanford,” Johnson writes.

Endometriosis »causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow in other places where it does not belong,” according to Cleveland Clinic. This can cause pelvic pain and heavy periods.

An aside: In my experience, Gen Z women suffer from chronic illnesses like endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome, and Hashimoto’s disease in surprising numbers. A consequence of a poor diet, perhaps, or the result of Munchausen syndrome which affects an entire generation.

Johnson says some students claim to be severely disabled. (One wonders if they should live on campus, in that case.) But, she says, “most students, in my experience, claim to have less serious illnesses, like ADHD or anxiety… Students talk about “night terrors”; others say they “get distracted easily” or “can’t live with others.” I know a guy who was given a single room because he has to wear contact lenses at night. I heard of a girl who only had one because she was gluten intolerant.

This is an excellent article with mind-boggling statistics.

– At Brown and Harvard, more than 20% of undergraduates are registered as disabled
– In Amherst: more than 30 percent
– At Stanford: almost 40 percent

Soon, many of these schools “could accommodate more students receiving… pic.twitter.com/GEmr8Tw8Az

– Derek Thompson (@DKThomp) December 2, 2025

Johnson maintains the validity of her disability, but implies that her motivation for registering it at school is purely selfish: “That is why I felt justified in claiming endometriosis as a disability…I am often doubled over in agony over this problem, for which there is no known cure, so I decided to request a single room in a campus dormitory where I could endure these moments in private…Even if I felt entitled to my single room, I would feel guilty of some of the advantages I have – except that so many of my fellow students have cheated the system. (RELATED: Students Ask Elite University to Send Them to Gaza So They Can ‘Grieve’ Properly)

It seems that the main lesson that students at elite universities learn is to commit innocent deception to advance their own interests. Stanford he himself deserves to be blamed for having accepted the scam. I wonder if Stanford is motivated, in part, by fear of being sued by a “disabled” student extolling the virtues of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), whose Title III applies to privately funded universities.

Follow Natalie Sandoval on X: @NatSandovalDC