Latest / OneLegUpAlex Media / Shake it Off Soundbite of the Week at OneLegUpAlex Media - Disability Services or Fraud Schemes in College? (from Show 90 on 3-29-26)

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Shake it Off Soundbite of the Week at OneLegUpAlex Media - Disability Services or Fraud Schemes in College? (from Show 90 on 3-29-26) · OneLegUpAlex Media

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  Speaker 1: All right, well, here at one look a Balox Media,
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  Speaker 1: I gotta deliver the Shake it Off SoundBite of the week,
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  Speaker 1: and this time we go to the college campuses where
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  Speaker 1: there's been an increase in students filing for disability recommendations,
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  Speaker 1: and Lucas Ferrara, the man who, along with Mert Roberts,
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  Speaker 1: runs and hosts Shake it Off with Mert and lucas well,
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  Speaker 1: he questions why.
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  Speaker 2: There is an.
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  Speaker 1: Uptick in the disabled community on campus, and if there's
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  Speaker 1: any fraud going on in the meantime, why.
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  Speaker 3: Are so many college kids suddenly registering as disabled?
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  Speaker 4: And is some of it strategic?
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  Speaker 3: Now, that's a question that makes administrative squirm, professors side,
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  Speaker 3: parents whisper, and students split into camps. Some say it's
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  Speaker 3: overdue recognition of the rights of the disabled, Others call it.
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  Speaker 4: An academic arms race, and a growing number of.
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  Speaker 3: Faculty quietly call it for what they believe it is,
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  Speaker 3: gaming the system. Over the last decade, Murt, the numbers
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  Speaker 3: haven't just crept up, they've exploded.
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  Speaker 4: Okay, What began is a push.
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  Speaker 3: For inclusion under the Americans with Disabilities Act has morphed
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  Speaker 3: into something far more complicated, particularly at the country's most
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  Speaker 3: elite colleges. Now we're talking to murder about accommodations that
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  Speaker 3: can be make up meaningful changes in how you live
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  Speaker 3: and how you score in school, extra time on exams,
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  Speaker 3: private or distraction free testing rooms, priority housing, reduced course loads,
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  Speaker 3: attend its, flexibility, assignment extensions, exemptions from certain requirements, and
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  Speaker 3: let's not forget parking privileges.
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  Speaker 4: Right, These aren't small berks.
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  Speaker 3: They can be decisive and make it differs in one's
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  Speaker 3: college career. And as registration rates skyrocket, particularly for mental
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  Speaker 3: health related conditions like ADHD, anxiety depression, autism, spectrum disorders,
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  Speaker 3: a debate has erupted. Here's the question, is this genuine
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  Speaker 3: progress toward equity or is this the system being exploited?
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  Speaker 5: What say you, merg Well, you know there's a harsh
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  Speaker 5: reality out there that you know a lot of people underestimate.
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  Speaker 5: You know, a lot of time, there's a lot of
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  Speaker 5: money just sitting out there for people with disabilities. But
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  Speaker 5: guess what, people with disabilities oftentimes have pride and they
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  Speaker 5: don't take advantage of these systems in place. But regular
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  Speaker 5: people out there no offense to people with disabilities by
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  Speaker 5: saying regular people but people who shouldn't be taking advantage
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  Speaker 5: of these opportunities. Well, they figure out a way to
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  Speaker 5: take advantage of some of these opportunities. And this is
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  Speaker 5: what you get. You get people who appear to be
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  Speaker 5: regular people, now all of a sudden, they have the
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  Speaker 5: you know, the luxury of getting a free parking spot
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  Speaker 5: because they can get a you know, a handicapped parking spot,
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  Speaker 5: or they might get these concessions during a test, all
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  Speaker 5: that stuff you brought up, and you say, wait a minute,
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  Speaker 5: this person doesn't have a disability, but the person with
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  Speaker 5: the disability is sitting in the same it's sitting in
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  Speaker 5: the other classroom taking the test like all the normal
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  Speaker 5: students who don't have disabilities. And I'm saying it like
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  Speaker 5: that for a reason because if we're going to say
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  Speaker 5: people with disabilities, then if you have a disability and
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  Speaker 5: you have a problem me saying normal versus disability, then
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  Speaker 5: you are the problem because instead of admitting and playing
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  Speaker 5: into the fact that you have a disability and taking
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  Speaker 5: advantage of these services, you allow normal people to take
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  Speaker 5: advantage of these services because they don't have a problem.
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  Speaker 5: Would be being enlisted as somebody with a disability because
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  Speaker 5: they say Hey, I get the park wherever I want to.
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  Speaker 5: You know how much I would enjoy to be able
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  Speaker 5: to get a disability parking disability a sticker because I
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  Speaker 5: wear glasses, I'd be able to park anywhere in New
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  Speaker 5: York City.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's not a disabled, that's not a disability parking
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  Speaker 3: glasses because it's correctable. But if you went to a
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  Speaker 3: doctor and your doctor was to pick, for example, depression,
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  Speaker 3: if you suffer from depression or some mental issue, you
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  Speaker 3: would get it parking for your past real easy. But
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  Speaker 3: let me ask you, Alex, as a disability advocate, do
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  Speaker 3: you take issue.
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  Speaker 4: With the merc use of the word normal because I
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  Speaker 4: think some.
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  Speaker 1: People I want to be careful how we label all
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  Speaker 1: this because there are people with invisible disabilities, there is
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  Speaker 1: no doubt about it. However, I think everybody needs to
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  Speaker 1: be vetted. If they look quote unquote normal or able body, whatever,
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  Speaker 1: there should be extra vetting. Now you're right on the
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  Speaker 1: mark there that you know people disabilities don't normally take
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  Speaker 1: advantage of this because of that pride or that sense
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  Speaker 1: of you know, if we're going to be part of society,
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  Speaker 1: part of society, we're not going to go for this,
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  Speaker 1: which is said.
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  Speaker 2: But I want to make a point I made at.
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  Speaker 1: The same time slot many years ago about transable community.
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  Speaker 1: This sort of falls in line with people that really
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  Speaker 1: are harming themselves to become disabled, and you make it
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  Speaker 1: tie the two together. Maybe that's why, because maybe they
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  Speaker 1: make themselves disabled they can actually get the benefits, which
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  Speaker 1: is even sicker to me than.
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  Speaker 2: Some of the invisible disability trying to get it.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, there are people out there cutting themselves apart
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  Speaker 1: to become disabled, maybe for the benefits.
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  Speaker 2: I never thought of it that way.
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  Speaker 5: And you know what, Alex, you just says something very
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  Speaker 5: smart there you have. There's people out there who realize
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  Speaker 5: maybe being disabled can be an advantage over just being
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  Speaker 5: somebody who's a regular able body person. See if people
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  Speaker 5: with disabilities played into the fact that they have disabilities
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  Speaker 5: and started to look at themselves as well, I'm showing
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  Speaker 5: the world that I'm special because even with this disability,
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  Speaker 5: I'm going to take advantage of the services, but I'm
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  Speaker 5: also going to thrive with the assistance of the government.
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  Speaker 5: It would go a long way into promoting people with
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  Speaker 5: disabilities from admitting that it's okay, or from accepting the
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  Speaker 5: fact that it's okay to accept help to make life
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  Speaker 5: a little bit easier for people with disabilities. And I
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  Speaker 5: think if we were able to, you know, get this
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  Speaker 5: promoted into the subconscious of people with disabilities, you would
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  Speaker 5: not have room for a regular person to go into
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  Speaker 5: a doctor's office and say, you know, I got headaches
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  Speaker 5: and be able to get away with it, because they
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  Speaker 5: would have a full roster of people who really deserve
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  Speaker 5: these services, who would be taking advantage of them.
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  Speaker 1: How about the medicaand fraud right, I mean, I know
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  Speaker 1: we're going off course here, but it all stems together.
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  Speaker 1: There are people out there take advantage of every system
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  Speaker 1: right now that may not qualify for it.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, the system is certainly has its weaknesses, no question
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  Speaker 3: about it. But the point I wanted to make during
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  Speaker 3: this show was that, interestingly enough, the disability registrations are
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  Speaker 3: higher at the elite institutions. The more elite the institution,
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  Speaker 3: the higher the number of disabled students as opposed to
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  Speaker 3: public institutions. The contrast is impossible to ignore it. The
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  Speaker 3: more selective the school, the higher the disability registration rate.
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  Speaker 3: That to me suggests something dirty. Okay, That to me
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  Speaker 3: suggests that people are gaming the system that to me
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  Speaker 3: is cheating.
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  Speaker 4: It's a form of cheating. And if they were.
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  Speaker 3: Not disabled in high school or no history from childhood
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  Speaker 3: of any form of disability, you would think ADHD would
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  Speaker 3: be diagnosed much earlier than the late teens early twenties.
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  Speaker 4: This kind of abuse should not be tolerated, Alex.
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  Speaker 3: This's got to be a better system, because otherwise the
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  Speaker 3: protections for the truly disabled.
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  Speaker 1: Well, that's the other thing is that you take these
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  Speaker 1: people and that may not be what would you say,
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  Speaker 1: the normal view of disability or whatever you want to say,
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  Speaker 1: and then the actual ones that need the accommodations are
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  Speaker 1: left out in the cold. And that's even worse to me,
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  Speaker 1: is how do we have a system where people that
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  Speaker 1: actually need the services are left out of the cold
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  Speaker 1: while someone who might have and I hate to say
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  Speaker 1: about it, i'd say bad back or something like that.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, there are things that I feel like are
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  Speaker 1: manageable without accommodation.
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  Speaker 2: Does that sound mean maybe let me.
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  Speaker 5: Say this, No, that that's not accurate. You're not People
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  Speaker 5: with disabilities are not left out in the cold. And
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  Speaker 5: it might be harsh to say this, it's that the
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  Speaker 5: way that people with disabilities think is they have a
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  Speaker 5: very perseverance type of mindset. They want to show the
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  Speaker 5: world that they can fit into society. They want to
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  Speaker 5: show the world they don't need help, and this puts
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  Speaker 5: you at a disadvantage from getting help.
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  Speaker 4: And how longer the mindset that's true, That.
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  Speaker 5: Is the mindset that.
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  Speaker 3: It used to be that people would would not find
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  Speaker 3: a sense of pride by calling themselves disabled. Now it
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  Speaker 3: is a badge of honor that is being abused. If
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  Speaker 3: you go to the airport bird, I've never seen so
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  Speaker 3: many disability dogs in my life, and these are pets.
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  Speaker 3: These are just pets that people are bringing to the
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  Speaker 3: cabin with them and they use that disability as an excuse.
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  Speaker 3: And I mean Alex was on the training and he
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  Speaker 3: saw this.
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  Speaker 4: Have to stop, let me get through.
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  Speaker 5: Stop your your mischaracterization of the issue is showing right
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  Speaker 5: now because the people who are wearing it as a
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  Speaker 5: badge of honor are the ones that I'm talking about
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  Speaker 5: for taking advantage of people with actual disabilities. Are not
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  Speaker 5: wearing it with a badge of honor.
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  Speaker 3: Because but thank you just clarifying that, because now the whole.
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  Speaker 4: Perception has shifted. You get to board the aircraft.
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  Speaker 3: First, So why wouldn't you want to take advantage of that,
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  Speaker 3: particularly legitimately disabled.
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  Speaker 4: Come on, Alex, you have to chime in.
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  Speaker 3: You're the disability advocate and you're letting Merd steal the
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  Speaker 3: show here.
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  Speaker 1: Well, look, and I've seen it firsthand. You know, she's
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  Speaker 1: still in front of the show with things and work out.
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  Speaker 1: Gabby has dealt with this too. And you know, people
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  Speaker 1: who do need the services and get them cannot make
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  Speaker 1: a certain amount of money either, so they're getting that
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  Speaker 1: run into the deal too, is that they can't make
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  Speaker 1: a lot of money on these services. They have to
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  Speaker 1: make under five hundred dollars. I try. I don't think
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  Speaker 1: it's right either, So when these people get the services,
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  Speaker 1: there are still some downsides. However, I think what you
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  Speaker 1: guys are hitting at is why aren't people with disabilities
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  Speaker 1: in getting these programs more? And the answer is and Mert,
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  Speaker 1: you know, it took a long time for me to
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  Speaker 1: acknowledge I have one leg like that was a long
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  Speaker 1: time in the making, but now it's kind of my brand.
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  Speaker 1: But that's because we don't want to be identified as disabled.
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  Speaker 2: Or known by a disability.
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  Speaker 1: We want to know by our mindset our brain, our
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  Speaker 1: thoughts are thinking, that's where the that's where it is,
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  Speaker 1: and maybe now the time to say, all right, well,
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  Speaker 1: if we fought for the ADA in nineteen ninety, right,
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  Speaker 1: people climbed on the steps who were actually disabled climbed
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  Speaker 1: on the steps of the capitol to make it happen,
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  Speaker 1: that maybe we should take that same approach and get
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  Speaker 1: people with disabilities truly enrolled in colleges.
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  Speaker 5: Again, you should have an apartment right now, of your
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  Speaker 5: choosing and the nicest of building. But they have these
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  Speaker 5: they and they have these types of things set aside
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  Speaker 5: for people just like Alex. But Alex doesn't take advantage
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  Speaker 5: of it because he doesn't want to feel like he's
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  Speaker 5: a drain on society, which is unfortunate. But this is
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  Speaker 5: a mindset that permeates.
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  Speaker 3: But it lets the scammers take advantage of it. I
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  Speaker 3: don't understand your rationale. So you seem to say those
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  Speaker 3: that leggitimately qualify are passing out of pride, right, but
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  Speaker 3: the scammers can take advantage of it. The scammers should
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  Speaker 3: be pedalized, Okay, the shammers should be denied accommodations. If
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  Speaker 3: you did not have a history of disability, your entire
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  Speaker 3: school career, and all of a sudden you go into
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  Speaker 3: Harvard and you just say, because you that that they
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  Speaker 3: no one should buy that nonsense.
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  Speaker 5: No, they have a certain amount of money set aside
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  Speaker 5: because there are statistics, statistics out there that tell you
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  Speaker 5: how many people have disabilities, but the people with disabilities
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  Speaker 5: are not stepping up to the plate and taking advantage
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  Speaker 5: of it.
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  Speaker 4: So they have to tail these seats.
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  Speaker 1: And it's possible, it's possible there's not enough awareness for
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  Speaker 1: kids leaving high school going to college. There may not
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  Speaker 1: be enough awareness of these programs because they don't talk
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  Speaker 1: about on the mainstream news like we're talking about it
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  Speaker 1: right now. Always appreciate Lucas and Murphy for having me
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  Speaker 1: on Shake it Off every Sunday night, seven to nine
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  Speaker 1: pm to weigh on these very important issues.
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  Speaker 2: And here at one leg A alex Media.
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  Speaker 1: As you know, we always cover news, and I want
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  Speaker 1: to tell you this episode comes at a time when
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  Speaker 1: actually Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen is launching a new program
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  Speaker 1: this week that will reward tipsters with up to thirty
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  Speaker 1: percent of fines imposed on criminals for trying to bleed
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  Speaker 1: taxpayers dry. That's right, you can make a buck or
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  Speaker 1: thirty percent if you whistle blow scammers out there. The
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  Speaker 1: program includes tip offs for Medicaid and Medicare ripoffs and
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  Speaker 1: give that fraud in those two programs alone, according to
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  Speaker 1: James Frainey of The New York Post, tops some seventy
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  Speaker 1: billion dollars per year. Whistleblowers could be in for some
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  Speaker 1: big payouts. I'll drop that link to the story, but yes,
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  Speaker 1: fraud on campus, fraud in Minnesota, fraud in the Medicare
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  Speaker 1: and Medicaid system where real people disabilities need those services.
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  Speaker 1: The fraud is rampant, and we got to cut it down,
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  Speaker 1: and we also got to bring awareness to those programs
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  Speaker 1: that are willing to help people with disabilities who definitely
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  Speaker 1: need it.
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  Speaker 2: And that's my
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  Speaker 1: Message today, not only on Shake it Off this past weekend,
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  Speaker 1: but at One Leg Up alex Media