Mental Health & Disability
Mental health conditions are disabilities too. DAU recognizes the deep intersection between mental health and disability advocacy, and works to reduce stigma, improve campus support systems, and ensure students with psychiatric and psychological disabilities are fully included in our community.
If you or someone you know is in immediate crisis, please call or text 988, text HOME to 741741, or go to your nearest emergency room.
Why Mental Health Is a Disability Issue
Conditions like depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and OCD are recognized disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Yet students with psychiatric and psychological disabilities often face unique barriers — including stigma, skepticism from faculty, and accommodations processes that weren't designed with their needs in mind.
At Cornell, the academic pressure and competitive environment can exacerbate mental health challenges. DAU advocates for a campus culture that treats mental health with the same seriousness as physical health, and for institutional structures that support — rather than penalize — students who are struggling.
Our Advocacy
DAU works to ensure that students with mental health disabilities have access to meaningful accommodations, including flexible deadlines, attendance policies that account for mental health crises, and reduced course loads without academic penalty.
We also engage with Cornell administration and the Student Assembly to push for expanded mental health services, reduced wait times at CAPS, and policies that protect students from academic consequences during mental health emergencies.
Key Issues We Address
Mental health intersects with nearly every aspect of campus life. These are some of the core issues DAU focuses on in this space.
Stigma Reduction
Challenging the stigma around mental health on campus through education, open dialogue, and community-building that normalizes seeking help.
Psychiatric Accommodations
Ensuring students with mental health disabilities receive appropriate academic accommodations — and that faculty honor them without requiring students to over-disclose or justify their needs.
Crisis Response Policies
Advocating for humane, supportive institutional responses to mental health crises that protect students academically and do not result in involuntary withdrawal or punitive measures.
CAPS Access & Wait Times
Pushing for expanded capacity at Cornell's Counseling and Psychological Services so students can access timely mental health care without weeks-long waits.
Intersectionality
Recognizing that students of color, LGBTQ+ students, first-generation students, and others face compounded barriers to mental health support, and centering their experiences in our advocacy.
Academic Culture
Challenging a campus culture that glorifies overwork and treats exhaustion as a badge of honor — and advocating for norms that prioritize student wellbeing alongside academic achievement.
You Are Not Alone
If you are a Cornell student struggling with your mental health, please know that support is available — and that reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness. DAU is here to connect you with resources and to advocate alongside you if you face barriers to getting the help you need.
Mental Health Resources at Cornell
Need Support or Want to Get Involved?
Whether you're looking for resources, want to share your experience, or are ready to advocate alongside us, DAU is here. Reach out — we'd love to connect.