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Keiser University (KU) is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of ability or means of access. Please be aware that our efforts to provide an accessible Website are ongoing. If you do encounter an accessibility issue, please be sure to specify the web page at issue in your email or communication to us and we will take reasonable efforts to address your concern. Keiser University is committed to making its website accessible for everyone.
Please also notify Jacqueline Boneri, Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Services, who can provide accommodations and services for students with disabilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. To understand how to request assistance, identify KU policies, or follow instructions to file a formal complaint under Section 504 download a copy of our ADA Accessibility Guide.
Students with disabilities at KU have a right to:
Students with disabilities at KU have the responsibility to:
Keiser University (KU) is committed to promoting access for students with disabilities through a supportive academic and social environment. Faculty, administration, and students work together in partnership to determine students’ needs and attempt to see that those needs are met. A student who self-identifies as a person with a disability requiring auxiliary aids/academic adjustments to any staff or faculty member at any time during the student’s tenure at Keiser University will be referred to the campus president or dean for assistance. Adherence to this procedure will ensure they obtain the appropriate information; and, if desired by the applicant/student, initiate the formal process for receipt of auxiliary aids and academic adjustments. The auxiliary aids and academic adjustments will be provided at no cost to qualified students with a documented disability.
Keiser University complies with Title III of the ADA requiring that no qualified person with disabilities will be excluded from participating in or being denied the benefits of the services or activities of Keiser University due to the nature of a disability. For physically challenged students, Keiser University campuses are either located on ground level or have appropriate elevator service with ramps and designated parking to facilitate easy entry. Restrooms are equipped with wide doorways and bars to ensure wheelchair accessibility.
The following individual is Keiser University’s Section 504 Disability Services Coordinator (DSC):
Jacqueline Boneri
Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Services
Keiser University Office of the Chancellor
1900 W. Commercial Boulevard, Suite 180
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33309
Tel: (954) 776‐4476
[email protected]
Applicant students who have been deemed ineligible for reasonable adjustments/accommodations under Section 504 have the right to appeal the decision with Keiser University by filing a written appeal to the campus president who will share it with DSC located in the Chancellor’s Office.
Qualified students with disabilities who also feel that they have not been treated appropriately under Keiser University’s stated federal policies has the right to file a written complaint. Either a written complaint or a written appeal should be submitted to the president of the campus. These procedures apply only to complaints or appeals received in writing.
Applicants wishing to avail themselves of special adjustments/accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act are encouraged to disclose special needs at the time of enrollment but are not required to do so. In other words, an individual could start the process for requesting accommodations at any point in their course of study at Keiser University; however, it is recommended that this process is started early as possible as accommodations cannot be implemented retroactively. Once informed, the university has an obligation to assess the merit of the applicant’s request and to verify the authenticity of the stated disability[1].
Keiser University expects an individual with disabilities to take an active role in communicating their needs to the campus president and/or dean to receive the proper ADA information and this guide. In addition, such individuals should consult with the campus president and local program chair to discuss any unique prescriptive qualifications, i.e., the program’s Technical Standards and/or other academic and essential requirements via the interactive process.
Furthermore, applicants who are not yet enrolled as students, or the public requesting accommodations while on campus, will be referred to the campus president. Applicants requesting more time to take the entrance exam will be required to provide supporting documentation for this request.
[1] Reviewing documentation and arranging for appropriate adjustments/ accommodations takes time, and a delay in following through can result in a delay in receipt of adjustments/accommodations. Thus, it is important that applicants/students disclose to the university their need for accommodations as soon as possible in order to allow enough time to make necessary arrangements.
Documentation is critical in determining suitable adjustment(s)/ accommodation(s). It is a student’s responsibility to identify themselves as a person with a disability and to provide the university with adequate documentation of the disability from an appropriately licensed professional. This professional should be familiar with you, your disability, and its current functional impact. The documentation must 1) demonstrate how the disability limits your ability to participate in an academic setting, 2) clearly outline the accommodation or academic adjustment requested, 3) be included as part of the application, and 4) be submitted to the campus president for procedural verification. This documentation is provided to the Disability Services Coordinator (DSC) before an adjustment/accommodation is provided. For the detailed outline of specific documentation required by Keiser University, please see the “CRITERIA FOR DISABILITY DOCUMENTATION” section of this guide.
Below are acceptable sources of documentation for substantiating a student’s disability and request for accommodations:
Student’s Self-Report
The student is a vital source of information regarding how he or she may be “limited by impairment.” A student’s narrative of his or her experience of disability, barriers, and effective and ineffective accommodations is an important tool, along with the information from external or third parties listed below for establishing a disability and a need for accommodation. The narrative may accompany observations and interview notes deliberated through the interactive process with campus-based personnel, such as dean and/or campus president or the DSC.
AND
Information from External or Third Parties
Diagnostic documentation of the disability from an appropriately licensed professional. The documentation should demonstrate how the learning disability limits the student’s ability to participate in an academic setting, must clearly outline the accommodation or academic adjustment requested, and submitted to the campus president.
The Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Services serves as Keiser University’s Disability Services Coordinator (DSC) and chairs the Accommodations Review Committee (ARC). Membership includes campus Dean of Academic Affairs, Associate Deans, and may include other members of the University deemed appropriate by the DSC. Ex Officio members of the ARC include the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs. The ARC members will have access to all the documentation pertaining to the student’s request for adjustments/accommodations. The ARC will meet within 15 business days of receipt of the student’s signed and dated forms requesting accommodation(s) or adjustment(s). However, it is the student’s responsibility to follow-up with the campus ADA Coordinator regarding the accommodation status.
The DSC engages in an interactive process with the student through the campus ADA Coordinator. The campus ADA Coordinator, with guidance from the DSC, in cooperation with the ARC, will help applicants/students regarding their accommodation application.
If approved, the student will receive the accommodation(s) or adjustment(s) as soon as possible, but no later than 30 business days of the dated Academic Access Letter[1]. This established procedure is to ensure proper and timely disbursement of auxiliary aids and/or academic adjustments to students with disabilities.
[1] Students are provided the approved accommodation or adjustment following the dated Academic Access Letter, unless specialized accommodation(s)/adjustment(s)/equipment needs to be ordered and received by the student or University, not to exceed 30 business days. In the interim, the University will provide alternative reasonable supplemental or substitute accommodations to the student pending receipt of the specialized accommodations or equipment. Every effort will be made to provide the approved accommodation(s) or adjustment(s) as expeditiously as possible.
Keiser University is committed to ensuring that all disability information regarding a student is maintained as confidential as required or permitted by law. In most instances, the university will not inform faculty members as to the nature of a student’s disability unless it is necessary for providing appropriate adjustments/ accommodations or to protect the health and safety of the student and/or others. Faculty is informed of necessary or appropriate adjustments/ accommodations needed to meet a student’s disability-related needs. A student may give written authorization for the release of diagnostic documentation if he or she wishes to share it with others.
In addition to the usual adjustments/accommodations provided by faculty, the university reserves the right to release supplementary information should there be a need to know. Some common need-to-know scenarios include, but are not limited to the following circumstances:
Completed Accommodation Request Forms and any documentation of disability are confidential and are stored in a locked file or other secure location under the control of the dean of academic affairs and/or campus president that is separate from the student’s permanent student record.
