policy or strategy for people with disabilities

Providing Equal Opportunities

KAU has around 50% of its students as Female students. Furthermore, KAU is honored to embrace more than 25% of the total students with disabilities enrolled in the Saudi Universities within the Kingdom. Hence, KAU will continue to develop the talents of people with disabilities and females, invest in their productive capabilities and enable them to strengthen their future and contribute to the development of the society and economy. In this regard, King Abdulaziz University established the Vice Deanship for People with Special Needs whose message is to support students with special needs to obtain an equal educational environment and enable them to take full advantage of the educational, social and cultural opportunities offered at King Abdulaziz University, and their easy access to services and accommodation.

The Student Handbook: Policy to admit and help students with special needs

KAU published the academic advising student handbook, which is a procedural manual for academic advising policies, in 2013, with yearly updates (if needed) and reviews. This manual contains the policy of the advice programs to help new students with special needs. It is a guiding program that deals with all issues and problems of new university students with special needs. These issues are related to students’ adaptation to different university environments and their capabilities development to communicate and deal with the different groups of university employees and other students in order to secure a "life with minimum issues & disturbances" and full of human security. The paths of the counseling program for people with special needs are listed below:

• The program is offered once at the beginning of each semester to introduce new students with special needs to the available facilities and services to raise their awareness about their university rights and introduce them to the different environments from which they can benefit and practice their activities similar to their normal peers.

• The program provides advisory services on an ongoing basis for this category, and supervises the implementation of all the requirements they need.

• Each semester, a course is offered on the culture of dealing with people with special needs, targeting faculty members and all university employees.

• A copy of the academic guides printed in Braille will be provided for blind students.

• Colleges’ guidance stickers are explained, indicating the location of the pathways for students with motor disabilities and their dedicated pathways at the various entrances and buildings of university colleges.

KAU fights all types of discrimination through its policies and procedures, be it the national policies or the university's specific policies. KAU Admission's policy is a non-discrimination policy that is reviewed and published on yearly basis with updates where and when needed. In 2021 about 49% of full-time students of all levels and all programs were females.

Special Admissions Facilities for Students with Hearing Disabilities

A new strategic plan for deaf education in the university is deployed, where the university has put in place a number of strategic plans to serve this class, the last of which is the strategic plan for deaf education that aims to make the university an ideal and attractive environment for them according to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and aims to open a new specialization for male and female students every year. This year Female students, with severe hearing disabilities, were accepted in the Fashion Industry Program at the College of Home Economics which is a unique program designed specifically for the deaf in which students study an introductory year developed specifically for the program. And for further support, King Abdulaziz University, represented by the Faculty of Tourism, has allocated 10% of the travel and tourism diploma seats for students with special needs to train and qualify them to the job market, in support of the university to train such an important segment of the Saudi society. This initiative comes from the university to show special attention and care for students with special needs. It also falls within the strategic plans of the social responsibility of the university to provide a scientific degree that covers theoretical and scientific aspects in accordance with local aspirations and international standards, and in order to develop the competitive capabilities of male and female students of the university, contribute to building community partnership, and develop programs to care for students with special needs.

Moreover, and as a positive discrimination, each semester

1. a course is offered on the culture of dealing with people with special needs, targeting faculty members and all university employees.

2. a copy of the academic guides printed in Braille is provided for blind students.

3. faculties’ guidance stickers are explained, indicating the location of the pathways for students with motor disabilities and their dedicated pathways at the various entrances and buildings of university colleges.

In this regards, KAU publishes its admission policy which states the admission conditions without any discriminative rule or condition. Rather, and as a positive discrimination, it explicitly requires official documents for applicants with special needs (page 17). The full admission guide is published on the vice deanship of admission webpage and also on the social media.

Positive Discrimination for Under-Represented Groups

For the sake of supporting under-represented groups, a new strategic plan for deaf education, in the university, has been deployed, where the university has put in place a number of strategic plans to serve this class, the last of which is the strategic plan for deaf education that aims to make the university an ideal and attractive environment for them according to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and aims to open a new specialization for male and female students every year. In 2019, Female students, with severe hearing disabilities, were accepted in the Fashion Industry Program at the College of Home Economics which is a unique program designed specifically for the deaf in which students study an introductory year developed specifically for the program. A sample of a study plan (preparatory year) for the deaf

Mechanism for applying for people with disabilities to enroll in postgraduate programs

For the sake of supporting under-represented groups, a new strategic plan for deaf education, in the university, has been deployed, where the university has put in place a number of strategic plans to serve this class, the last of which is the strategic plan for deaf education that aims to make the university an ideal and attractive environment for them according to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and aims to open a new specialization for male and female students every year. In 2019, Female students, with severe hearing disabilities, were accepted in the Fashion Industry Program at the College of Home Economics which is a unique program designed specifically for the deaf in which students study an introductory year developed specifically for the program. A sample of a study plan (preparatory year) for the deaf

Allowances for students with special needs:

Female students with special needs are given an allowance in addition to the monthly stipend, and the allowance continues even after the stipend stops. It is classified based on a letter from the general supervisor of the center for people with special needs.

• Blind student (reader’s allowance): 5240 riyals per month

• The disabled student (hearing disability - motor disability):

• First degree disability allowance: 5240 riyals per month

• Second degree disability allowance: 1,500 riyals per month