Cal Poly Pomona student says her accommodations were allegedly denied: ‘Prove you have brain damage’

On their website, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona offers a long list of support for its disabled students. However, according to one student, the promises aren’t always delivered. Lani (lanoexe) recently took to her socials in tears when she found that all her accommodation requests had been denied. The post on Instagram and TikTok went on to get over 1.1 million views in just a day

The Los Angeles resident explained that she has been disabled since she had a stroke and a traumatic brain injury at age 10. Since then, she has lived with memory issues, depression, and motor skills challenges. She noted in her caption, “I’m so disappointed.” In her video, she said, “Imma end my sh*t right now. I just got my disability accommodations denied by my university. That’s supposedly a really inclusive campus, so I’m gonna do my makeup to f**king cope with it.”

Lani claimed that her disability counselor’s behavior seems to have been dismissive from the start. “I don’t know what schools you guys went to, but we don’t help you plan your classes,” the counselor allegedly told her. Lani repeated in disbelief, ”The disability counselor does not help you plan your class!” Lani was asking for permission to use a small notecard during exams to help with her memory issues, a tool she had used in high school but was denied at her previous college. 

Reasons that make no sense

According to Lani, the counselor’s reaction was harsh. Lani claimed, “She basically said, ‘Oh, I see why they didn’t let you have it. We don’t let you have it here, either.” Then things escalated when the counselor allegedly questioned Lani’s disability based on her appearance and academic performance. 

Lani alleged, “She said, well, because you. You are so well articulated, well-spoken, and you take good notes in class. Having a note card for someone like you, giving a note card to you is, like, an unfair advantage to other students. So we don’t give that to you either, unless you can prove that you have a real brain damage or, like, you have a real, um, disability.” Lani noted that when she woke up in the morning, she saw that her other accommodations had been removed too.

Lani expressed her frustration, saying, “I feel like because I found a way to lock down my shit and be on top of my school, I take notes every day. I never miss a class. Even when I was in pain from my period. Some days I’d force myself to go to school even though I’m bleeding super heavily because of my medication for my stroke that I take. I feel like in a way, I felt like I was being punished for presenting differently, just cause my disability is manageable in some ways.”

According to the organization Understood, there are significant differences between the support students receive in high school and college. In high school, students often have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). 

Understood noted that Colleges, however, follow federal civil rights laws like Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which focus on equal access and protection against discrimination. So even though colleges aren’t required to provide as much specialized care or individual attention, they still have to provide accommodations for students who register with them. It should be noted that Lani did register and provide her medical paperwork.

Lani’s story stirred up a furor. Many took to the comments section to share their own experiences with similar systemic failures. One TikToker commented, “It’s just ableism, it has been on the rise lately unfortunately.” Case in point, an athlete was allegedly threatened when he requested accommodations at work.

Another added, “I f**king hate it when people tell me that I don’t look disabled, what the f**k are you supposed to look like? F**king ugly!?” On Instagram, users were quick to offer legal advice, with one stating, “She does NOT require proof and this is an ADA lawsuit.”

After her video went viral, people whom Lani identified as the student body president reached out to her. In an update video, she mentioned that she plans to meet with them this week to get her accommodations reinstated and hoped to establish a better channel for disabled students. She also created a group chat for others who have had poor experiences with the disability office at her school or the sister school, aiming to ensure that staff act in accordance with the ADA. The university has not publicly addressed the allegations.

Lani, however, thought that there was a bigger problem: “It shouldn’t take a viral million-view video to talk to the dean and get my accommodation.”