IU POLICIES
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Support & Services by Iqra University for Student with Disabilities
We at Iqra University values diverse identities and experiences, and honors disability as an important aspect of human diversity. Following the HEC Policy for Student with Disabilities at HEI 2021, we affirmed our commitment to ensure that each member of the University’s community shall be permitted to work and/or study in an environment free from any kind of illegal discrimination – including race, color, sex, pregnancy, religion, age, disability, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and veteran status. We aim to provide equal learning opportunities to students with disabilities regardless of their functional and/or physical limitations to foster a conducive and supportive learning environment for students with disabilities.
The main objectives of the policy is to:
- To facilitate accessibility and reduce barriers on campus to accommodate the needs of students with disabilities by devising dedicated academic strategy to provide appropriate access and inclusion.
- To determine and implement reasonable academic, workplace, and visitor
- Partner with the University’s departments to support meaningful functional and technological accommodation in all curricular & extracurricular activities including sports, clubs and societies by all reasonable and appropriate support to students with
- To provide dedicated support & counseling interventions to students with disabilities in order to enable them in achieving excellence in their academic tenure and career
Standing Accessibility Committee for Students with Disabilities
The Accessibility Committee works with students, faculty/instructors and staff with documented disabilities to facilitate access on an individualized, case-by-case basis. This interactive process takes time and requires collaboration and engagement among students and their instructors, Accessibility Coordinator and the management. The Committee also supports university faculty, instructors and administrators to build accessibility into systems, processes and learning environments so that fewer individual accommodations may be required.
The Accessibility Committees at Iqra University consist of following 5 members for each campus:
| Campus | Chairperson | Committee Members |
|---|---|---|
| Main Campus | Dr. Noorunnisa Khan |
Ms. Bushra Tufail (Coordinator) Dr. Ammar Siddiqui (Coordinator) Mr. Waris Ali (Head of Societies) Dr. Sumera Saeed (Medical Officer) Mr. Sunny Raj (Rep. of the Student Body) |
| Gulshan Campus | Dr. Reema Frooghi |
Mr. Younis Fareed (Coordinator) Dr. Rozina Sewani (Coordinator) Dr. Minhaj Ikram (Head of Societies) Ms. Quratul Ain Shah (Student Counsellor) Ms. Aima Imtiaz (Rep. of the Student Body) |
| North Campus | Dr. Zubair Ahmed |
Dr. Salima Ahsan (Coordinator) Dr. Muhammad Imran (Coordinator) Mr. M. Ishaq (Manager Academics) Dr. Anum Saadi (Medical Officer) Mr. Hamza Khanzada (Rep. of the Student Body) |
| Airport Campus | Dr. Erum Hafeez |
Dr. Atif Aziz (Assoc. Prof) Dr. Meer Rujaib Naseem (Coordinator) Ms. Uzma Atif Jafri (Coordinator) Ms. Ufaq Saleem (Asst. Mgr., Student Affairs) Mr. M. Usman (Rep. of the Student Body) |
| Bahria Town Campus | Dr. Hira Atif |
Ms. Sundas Waqar (Snr. Lecturer) Ms. Komal Zafar (Coordinator) Ms. Mehwish Qutub (SEU Coordinator) Mr. Shahroz Shamim (Coordinator) Ms. Madah Asghar (Rep. of the Student Body) |
| H-9 Campus, ISB | Dr. Muhammad Nadeem |
Dr. Majid (Coordinator) Dr. Kishwar Sultana (Assoc. Prof) Dr. Aisha Rehan (Coordinator) Mr. Khizar Zaki (DSA) Mr. Ahmed Bashir Khan (Rep. of the Student Body) |
Admissions
The university will ensure that all prospective students declaring a disability in online admission form are separately consulted, fully guided about the programmes and available accommodations in the university, along with dedicatedly facilitated at the time of application submission, entrance test and interviews.
Once the student has secured admission in the university, the student is asked to submit a filled disability assessment form (provided at the website) by a registered medical health professional to assess their needs and accommodation for the university to best support them.
As per the directives of HEC, we will provide age relaxation for up to 10 years to the student with disabilities, however each student will be individually assessed and evaluated on their respective medical history (provided by registered medical practitioner).
Financial Aid
The university has aligned a dedicated financial support programme for students with disabilities, upon proper evaluation process, the students were awarded up to 100% scholarship. The decision for provisioning financial aid is reserved to the standing Accessibility Committee, on a case by case basis.
Examinations
Considering the Standard Practices for the conduct of examination and the nature of disability of students, the university will place adjustment and accommodation on a case by case basis, which may includes, but not limited to:
- Extensions of time (25-100 percent extra time depending on the student’s need)
- Use of assistive technology
- A separate room if needed
- Use of reader, scribe or computer where necessary
- Alternative formatting of exam papers
- Negotiation of an alternative assessment
The university has aligned a dedicated financial support programme for students with disabilities, upon proper evaluation process, the students were awarded up to 100% scholarship. The decision for provisioning financial aid is reserved to the standing Accessibility Committee, on a case by case basis.
Services Available On-Campus for Students with Disabilities
- The university infrastructure is inclusive with large open areas, numerous recreational spaces, libraries, loads of greenery and well-maintained, clean sanitary areas. Along with this, we have handrails, wheelchair ramps, kerb ramps and proper signages across the corridors at all entry exit points, as well as, dedicated lifts for students with disabilities. In addition to existing structural accommodation, we have also made some recent changes in our buildings, which includes following:
- Widened doorways to allow wheelchairs to pass through.
- Increase the number of ramps for the ease of entry and exit.
- The light switches and door handles are re-located at a level for accessibility for everyone.
- Adding dedicated elevators for people with disabilities
- Based on the results of the assessment, the reasonable and appropriate learning aids will be provided best suited for the defined nature of disability, which may include but not limited to Books-Scanning, speakers, tape recorders, class printed notes, wheelchairs accessibility software, headphones, speakers, video cameras and as per requirements of the students.
- The university will also ensure that the textbooks are available in large print versions, e-books, or media with closed captioning, audio versions and/or as per the required format. Similarly, the Library will also consist of standard textbooks in alternate formats that may be more accessible for students with disabilities.
- We will ensure that the faculty, staff and members of the Accessibility Committee are provided with regular awareness and training sessions to best support the student with
- Provisioning dedicated medical and non-medical support, primarily including on campus Medical Facility, Mental Health Support and Academic Counseling to reduce all kinds of barriers towards their academic progression.
Student with Disabilities Grievances
Iqra University strongly condemns any kind of discriminatory practices within the university premises and is liable to take strict action against such individuals. In order to register complaints and/or any related issue pertaining to a student’s disability, the university has a dedicated complaints management system within IULMS where students can write complaints and/or any other related issue.
You can write your complaints at IULMS by following this procedure:
Go to iulms.edu.pk → Login with your credentials → Go to General Application → New
Applications → Mention Disability in the Subject Line → Write an Application with all relevant
details → Attach any evidence if available → Hit Submit. Your Complaint will then be routed to
the Accessibility Coordinator (mentioned above). The coordinators will respond to your query and/or complaints within 3 working days of your submission. You can check the response on your application by going back to General Applications → Previous Applications → Click on the Application that you want to view the response of.
Convocation
The University will make every effort to ensure that students with disabilities are able to fully participate in convocations and enjoy their day along with all their fellow graduates.