Along with the growing number of students with disabilities in higher education comes an opportunity to explore the difficulties they experience, especially in the post-pandemic era, as well as how to better support them, thus making post-secondary education more inclusive. A considerable amount of research has been done in providing accommodation for students with physical disabilities, but other hindrances to accessibility such as mental health conditions are prone to be overlooked, perhaps in part due to the stigmatization and subjective invisibility of this topic, specifically in rigorous, competitive fields such as Computer Science (CS).

In order to bridge this gap, we conducted a nationwide survey in which 53 undergraduate CS students who identify as living with a mental health condition shared their experiences in their CS courses, instructor and TA office hours, interactions with other students, and the rest of the field. This paper summarizes the most common negative and positive experiences, as well as respondents’ recommendations for CS instructors, including recognizing these students’ struggles, making themselves approachable, and providing flexible formats of lectures and office hours. The results of this study provide a glimpse of the academic lives of CS students living with mental health conditions, so that CS instructors could foster a more inclusive environment by supporting more students in their paths of pursuing higher education.