Guidelines for Student Disability Support Services
Purpose
1. The founder of Keio University, Yukichi Fukuzawa, once wrote, "Heaven, it is said, does not create one person above or below another" in the opening to his book An Encouragement of Learning. In line with those values, since its inception, Keio University has worked to cultivate a spirit that respects the freedom, equality, and rights of every individual as one of its core educational principles. Striving to live up to this school philosophy, Keio has committed to working toward the adequate provision of reasonable accommodations, ensuring that students with disabilities can receive the support they need when they need it. These efforts have roots in anti-discriminatory legislation and educational policy, including the Basic Act for Persons with Disabilities; the Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities; the Guidelines for the Elimination of Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Business Fields under the Jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT); and the Report on Educational Support for Students with Disabilities (First and Second Summary) distributed by MEXT. To continue such efforts, the university shall establish these guidelines to create an equitable learning environment for all students at Keio University.
Support Policy
2. Keio University established the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion on April 1, 2018 to carry out the objective of building an environment conducive to staff, faculty members, and students of all ages cooperating and coexisting in a spirit of mutual respect and acceptance for one another's individual personalities and various values, and to facilitate prompt responses to issues relating to welcoming diversity. As a unit office of the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the Office of Accessible Education was created, which plays a multifaceted role in providing system-level support for students with disabilities at Keio University. Simultaneously, students' undergraduate faculty and graduate school academic advisors, as well as the staff at the Office of Student Services and the Office of Correspondence Courses, will work directly and independently to support students. For mental health services, the Student Counseling Room and Center for Physical and Mental Wellness at SFC provide an avenue for students seeking such assistance.
Eligibility for Support Services and Accommodations Protection of Personal Information Petitions for Revising Accommodations Scope of Guidelines Revision or Abolition of Guidelines
3. All students enrolled in an undergraduate faculty or graduate school at Keio University are eligible for support. The support that Keio offers varies depending on the nature of each student's disability. The specifics of the support (provision of reasonable accommodation) are determined based on what each student requests and will be determined after a constructive discussion that finds overlap between the support a student needs and what specific mechanisms the university is able to provide. In making these decisions, Keio University will bear in mind the following three principles.
i) Considerations for reasonable accommodation begin with requests from students themselves.
ii) When determining the specifics of reasonable accommodation, the university will consider the wishes of each student and refrain from making unilateral decisions.
iii) As what constitutes reasonable accommodation may vary depending on individual course content and the disabilities that students face, Keio will regularly review the provisions of accommodations made.
4. All parties engaged in the support of students with disabilities at Keio University shall comply with the "Keio University Rules to Protect Personal Information," and handle the personal information of students with disabilities appropriately.
5. A mediation committee (hereinafter referred to as the "Committee") will process petitions for alterations to the support offered by Keio University for students with disabilities. The Committee will investigate and mediate to redress the issues presented in petitions. The Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the secretariat office for the Committee, will serve as point of contact when petitioning for further accommodations.
6. These guidelines will also be adjusted and applied as necessary to visitors at Keio University.
7. The contents and standards for these guidelines shall be reviewed in a timely manner when the concept of "reasonable accommodation" shifts due to technological advancements or societal developments. In doing so, Keio will take stock of accumulated concrete examples of impropriety and discriminatory treatment, reasonable accommodation, as well as international trends and changes in relevant laws and corresponding guidelines. The President of Keio University will grant final approval following deliberation by the Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.