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king Abdulaziz University’s Efforts to Support Underrepresented Groups:
King Abdulaziz University (KAU) is committed to promoting inclusivity and equal opportunities by supporting underrepresented groups in academic and social domains. Below are the key efforts undertaken by the university:
1. Support Programs for Students with Special Needs
Providing advanced educational and technological services to ensure easy access to academic resources.
Equipping university facilities to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities, such as elevators and dedicated pathways.
Offering specialized support offices to assist and advise students with special needs.
2. Promoting Gender Equality
Empowering women in academic and administrative fields through targeted programs for female students and faculty members.
Increasing opportunities for female students in scientific and engineering disciplines where representation has been historically low.
3. Supporting Students from Socioeconomic Backgrounds
Offering scholarships and financial aid to students from low-income families.
Providing on-campus job opportunities to help reduce their financial burdens.
4. Enhancing Cultural and International Diversity
Attracting international students from diverse nationalities and cultures, contributing to a culturally rich campus environment.
Organizing programs to integrate international students with their local peers through student activities and cultural events.
5. Academic Support Programs
Offering tutoring and supplemental classes for students needing academic improvement in specific subjects.
Providing academic and advisory centers to help students achieve their educational goals.
6. Focus on Social Innovation
Supporting student-led projects and initiatives aimed at empowering underrepresented groups.
Collaborating with local and international organizations to develop programs that address representation gaps in the community.
Through these efforts, King Abdulaziz University aims to create a fair and inclusive educational environment that contributes to societal development and promotes equal opportunities for all.
Access Maps for Academic Buildings at King Abdulaziz University
The "Founder" University celebrates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities
King Abdulaziz University, represented by the Deanship of Student Affairs, organized today the activities to celebrate the "International Day of Persons with Disabilities" under the slogan "Empowerment for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future" at King Fahd Medical Research Center.
The activities witnessed an accompanying exhibition to introduce the services and initiatives provided by the university and related associations to people of determination, and to provide a visual presentation on the development of the services of the Center for Persons with Disabilities between the past and the present, in addition to the success story of a student with disabilities.As part of the activities, a dialogue session was held on the empowerment of persons with disabilities, and the presentation of many educational courses, including a course entitled Introduction to Braille, a course on rehabilitation strategies for people with disabilities and quality of life, a first aid course, a course on etiquette of dealing with people with disabilities, and a course on the basics of sign language.
Mentoring, Counselling & Supporting Programmes for Females
KAU, and as a public university, is in continuous alignment, in terms of its strategies, with the UN SGDs and the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals, for the sake of contributing to SDG10 as well as applying and complimenting what the government is planning and executing in this sense, specifically, enhancing women’s participation in WOMEN's mentoring activities, due to the major effect that females have on their peer females and the society.
KAU has a dedicated Deanship for Female Students which organizes hundreds of Mentoring Schemes, yearly, that are organized, attended and target Female Students.
Supporting female students’ participation in various sports activities and representing the university during official tournaments
King Abdulaziz University Expands Opportunities for Women’s Empowerment by Opening the Female Students’ Agency at the Faculty of Maritime Studies
King Abdulaziz University has opened a branch for female students at the College of Maritime Studies, supporting and empowering Saudi women. This coincides with the International Day of Women in Maritime, observed annually on May 18, and recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to highlight the achievements of women in the maritime sector.
The Females Transportation Service by the Transportation Unit
A Supporting Service for WOMEN
The Unit’s Functions:
Receiving Females' transportation provision requests between the outside sectors and the gates.
Receiving official letters with forms filled with needed data to assure Females' transportation to schools and hospitals visits, courses, and activities.
Assuring small cars to the Females' Campus’ deanships, vice-deanships, and centers.
Availing transportation link between the Females’ Campus and all the inside and outside sectors.
Coordinating to repair the cars found inside the Females’ Campus.
Mentoring Programmes for people with disabilities
KAU, is one of the top universities in the kingdom that continuously strive to run mentoring programs for people with disabilities.
The Counselling Program for Students with Disabilities:
A Mentoring Program at the Beginning of each Semester
King Abdulaziz University published the Academic Guidance Guide for Students, a procedural guide for academic advising policies, in 2013 with annual updates (if necessary) and revisions. This guide contains the policy of the guidance programs to assist new students with special needs. It is a guidance program that deals with all issues and problems of new university students with special needs. These issues relate to students’ adaptation to different university environments and developing their ability to communicate and deal with different groups of university members and other students in order to secure “a life with minimal problems and disturbances” and full of human security. The guidance program tracks for people with special needs are listed below:
The guidance program is offered once at the beginning of each semester to introduce new students with special needs to the available facilities and services, to make them aware of their university rights and to introduce them to the different environments in which they can benefit and practice their activities similar to their normal peers.
The guidance program provides ongoing advisory services to this category, and supervises the implementation of all the requirements they need.
Every semester, a course on the culture of dealing with people with special needs is offered, targeting faculty members and all university affiliates.
A copy of the academic guides printed in Braille will be provided to blind students.
The colleges’ guidance posters, which indicate the location of the paths for students with motor disabilities and the paths designated for them at the entrances and buildings of the various university colleges, are explained.
The Deanship of E-Learning and Distance Education provides a number of support technologies for people with special educational needs.
The Life on Wheels mentoring project educates all members of society that life on a chair is not the end, but rather shows that there are great people, including heads of states and great scholars, who were on chairs. The project also educates society about the need to prepare the environment to be appropriate for their transportation, and aims to educate the community about the rights and lives of these people.
The project goals are:
Spreading awareness among members of society of the obstacles faced by people with special needs during their movement and walking.
Introducing the community to the basic requirements for constructing slopes and views near stairs in all construction conditions.
Converting a center for people with special needs into a consultant expert house to introduce the construction requirements to serve people with special needs according to international standards and the King Salman Center for Disability Research.
Launching the initiative “Pave the Way in front of the Mosques”.
The project also included the establishment of a moving exhibition in a number of locations within the city of Jeddah, the most prominent of which is the exhibition in the cultural park located in the waterfront in Jeddah within the Mecca Cultural Forum under the slogan "How can we become Examples?”
The exhibition consisted of five pavilions, and each pavilion had a different side, as follows:
The exhibition title and purpose: This aspect includes a summary of the exhibition “Life on Wheels” and the Kingdom's 2030 vision that emphasizes the rights of people with special needs.
University efforts in the “Accessibility Project”: King Abdulaziz University is making great efforts to contain students and employees with special needs and the university seeks to be friendly to this category, and this aspect of the exhibition highlights the services provided to them.
Innovations for people with disabilities: This aspect includes a description of the many innovations and modern devices for integrating people with disabilities’ special needs.
How can we become Examples?
Show local, regional and global models of people with disabilities who have defied the difficulties to reach high scientific and leadership degrees.
Innovations for people with disabilities: This aspect includes a description of the many innovations and modern devices for integrating people with disabilities’ special needs.
Sports and its importance in the lives of persons with disabilities: Sport plays an important role in strengthening the health aspect in individuals in general, and persons with disabilities receive a special care in this regard. This aspect of the exhibition displays some of the sports practiced by people with special needs, and the most prominent achievements of university teams with special needs in various sports competitions.
Other Programmes & Workshops
The University also provides many other ad-hoc mentoring programmes. A sample of which are:
On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, King Abdulaziz University, represented by the Faculty of Medicine and the Deanship of Student Affairs, is launching an intensive training course in the fundamentals of bowling and a special tournament for the deaf community.
The Deanship of Student Affairs, in cooperation with the Strategic Planning Center, is holding the second workshop on developing the strategic framework for the Deanship of Student Affairs, with the participation of our male and female students, as we work to amplify their voices and meet their needs towards achieving the future.
King Abdulaziz University, represented by the Faculty of Medicine and the Deanship of Student Affairs, has launched an intensive bowling course specifically for the deaf.
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