Disability Services | American Jewish University

American Jewish University is proud to welcome a diverse student body, and seeks to provide a safe, rewarding, and respectful classroom environment for all. The University’s Section 504 Coordinator is here to facilitate accommodations request submitted by students with physical or mental disabilities. AJU’s Director of Equity, Compliance, and Title IX, May Zhang, serves as the University’s Section 504 Coordinator, and any and all accommodations inquiries should be directed to may.zhang@aju.edu.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 mandate equal opportunities for students with disabilities to participate in or benefit from services offered by a place of public access, including private universities.

These acts define a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Moreover, a student with a qualified disability must meet the academic and technical standards required for admission or participation in an educational program or activity. AJU does not waive academic requirements for degrees or alter admissions criteria for any student, but the University makes every effort to provide reasonable accommodations when presented with appropriate, compliant documentation.

Please see AJU’s Policy on Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities for more information. This Policy includes AJU’s policy on service and emotional support animals. Please see AJU’s Procedures on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities for more information on how students could request for disability-based accommodations, and any other issues related to the accommodations review process at AJU.

Requesting Accomodations
To be considered for accommodations, students must provide official documentation to the Director of Equity, Compliance, and Title IX, May Zhang, (may.zhang@aju.edu). Whenever possible, accommodations requests should be submitted prior to the start of each semester. The request must include a medical evaluation, completed within the last three years, containing:
- An identification of the disability, including the diagnosis, history of onset, and methodologies used to determine the diagnosis
- The current functional impact of the condition as well as a description of the current functional limitations as they relate to the major life activity impacted by said diagnosis
- Recommended accommodations with the rationale for each recommended accommodation. Such accommodation recommendations should be appropriate for an institute of higher education
The evaluation must be on official letterhead including the printed name, signature, title, professional credentials and license number of the evaluator along with the address, telephone, and (if applicable) fax number(s).

Documentation must be provided by a licensed, credentialed, and qualified medical healthcare professional who has no prior personal or familial relationship with the individual being evaluated.

The evaluator must be the “subject matter expert” in the area for which they are providing an evaluation/recommending accommodations.

Institutions of higher education do not accept IEPs utilized in primary (K-12) education.

Please note that some recommended accommodations may not be offered as AJU is not bound to implement all recommendations made.

The cost of obtaining an evaluation is borne by the student.
Privacy

All information, including the request and supplementary materials, will be stored with the University’s Section 504 Coordinator. We will not share this information with any other parties without your permission. The Section 504 Coordinator will work with you to convey your accommodations request to your individual professors.

If you have any questions or concerns about AJU’s disability/accommodations processes, please write to the Director of Equity, Compliance, and Title IX, May Zhang (may.zhang@aju.edu).
Web Accessibility

American Jewish University (AJU) is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website for students, prospective students, and members of the community with disabilities. All pages on the AJU website will conform to the W3C WAI’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA conformance, or updated equivalents of these guidelines.

With regard to the AJU website and any official AJU web presence which is developed by, maintained by, or offered through third party vendors and open sources, AJU is committed to compliance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 so that students, prospective students, and members of the public with disabilities are able to independently acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same benefits and services within the same timeframe as those without disabilities, with substantially equivalent ease of use; and that they are not excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to discrimination in any AJU programs, services, and activities delivered online.

Reporting Discrimination, Harassment, or Retaliation (DHR)

A student, prospective student, or member of the public who wishes to report or complain about potential discrimination, harassment, or retaliation (DHR) based on protected status (e.g. disability, race, age), may contact AJU’s Office of Equity, Compliance, and Title IX. Individuals could also use the online reporting form on the University’s Equity, Compliance, and Title IX webpage to make a report or complaint, including anonymous reports.

Office of Equity, Compliance, and Title IX

15600 Mulholland Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90077

Phone: 310-440-1571

Email: titleix@aju.edu

Reporting Accessibility Issues

A student, prospective student, or member of the public who wishes to submit a complaint or grievance regarding issues related to the accessibility of any official AJU web presence that is developed by, maintained by, or offered through AJU third party vendors and/or open sources may complain directly to a school administrator, or the school webmaster. The initial complaint or grievance should be made using Website Accessibility Complaint/Request Form, however, a verbal complaint or grievance may be made. When a school administrator or webmaster receives the information, they shall immediately inform AJU’s Communications Department.

Complaints about accessibility issues should be submitted in writing, via email, or by completing the website complaint form. Written complaints may be submitted to:

American Jewish University
Webmaster/Communications Department
15600 Mulholland Drive
Bel Air, CA 90077

communications@aju.edu

Accessibility complaints may also be submitted utilizing the online form. Once AJU has been notified of inaccessible content, effective communication shall be provided as soon as possible to the reporting party to provide access to the information. The Complainant should not have to wait for the adjudication of the accessibility or DHR complaint to be concluded before receiving the information that he/she was unsuccessful in accessing.