Did you know that nearly 20 percent of undergraduate students (19.4%) report having a disability, and 8 percent of masters students and 7 percent of doctoral students report having a disability? The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) defines “disability” in legal terms, not medical terms, and defines a person with a disability as “a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” This can include blindness or vision impairment, deafness or hearing impairment, autism, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and more.

While a disability may (or may not) present you with challenges, under the ADA, schools are not allowed to ask about your disabilities. It is up to the student to disclose in order to receive appropriate accommodations. This needs to be accompanied by documentation of the disability that the student provides to the office of disability services. You might be hesitant to disclose a disability, but without doing so, you could be losing out on valuable services and aid that could make all the difference.

How Accommodations Can Help

Once you provide documentation of your disability, you can get various accommodations that can help you with your studies. Accommodations can include, but aren’t limited to:

  • Exam accommodations like extra time or a different room

  • Classroom accommodations like special seating, an ASL interpreter, or a note-taker

  • Braille materials, large-print texts, etc.

  • Accessible parking or housing

  • Assistive communication device use, screen readers or magnifiers, etc.


Different schools may offer different accommodations, and this might be something to look into before solidifying your choice of program. Even with accommodations, depending on your situation, you might still run into unforeseen challenges. Make sure you have a contact person at the school to whom you can reach out with any questions or concerns. You might find that your needs change by semester, depending on your class schedule, professors, or personal health.

There are lots of resources out there that can also provide a wealth of information, including the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS), the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).

Here at Thesis Editor, we know graduate school can be challenging for anyone, let alone those with disabilities. We’re here to help. If you need assistance in understanding the feedback on your papers, help mapping out a research plan, assistance with data analysis, or an extra set of eyes on your writing or revisions, we are here for you – for all of this and much more. Contact us today to see how we can help you reach your goals.
< Self-Care During COVID-19 EndNote: An Introduction >

Tagged under: Graduate School   Uncategorized   consultations   disabilities   dissertation editing   graduate school support   graduate student support   professional services  

I cannot sing the praises of Thesis Editor highly enough.

I am a third year PhD student and I had been struggling for months with my quantitative analysis (both running and interpreting my tests). Any support I had sought out from my institution ended up leaving me more confused than when I arrived. I came across Thesis Editor whilst I was searching online for some stats help, and I am so thankful that I did.

If like I was, you are struggling with an aspect of your PhD, perhaps do not seem to be able to get the help you need from your institution or outside, you will not regret using Thesis Editor.

Dawn, the Director, was absolutely brilliant from beginning to end. I was contacted promptly after my initial enquiry, and there was a very quick turnaround to which a quote was given after assessing my work. I was then assigned a statistitian, Dr Musicha, and received extremely comprehensive feedback within one week. This was then followed by a 1-hour consultation. My consultation with Dr Musicha was nothing less than phenomenal. Honestly I cannot even put into words how much I gained in the hour together. He not only helped me built my knowledge but practically had me share my screen and walked me through my challenges on SPSS so I had a thorough understanding - something that has not been done with my university throughout my PhD. I was taught more in that hour about my quant stats than I have by anyone else. He was also just so kind, and encouraging and really boosted my confidence.

Using Thesis Editor has been an invaluable investment, and I can only thank Dawn and Dr Musicha so dearly.

- Beth

Read More Client Testimonials

Unlock Doctoral Success with our #1 Best Selling Book