WHEREAS, Institutions of higher education are committed to maintaining an inclusive and safe environment for all members of the campus community, including individuals who are dDeaf, Hard of Hearing (HoH), or dDeaf+, who may be unable to hear traditional auditory emergency alerts;
WHEREAS, Accessible emergency communication is essential to the safety and well-being of all students, faculty, staff, and visitors, particularly individuals who rely on visual cues during emergency situations;
WHEREAS, Multiple colleges and universities such as Cuesta College [1] and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln [2], which utilizes the Alertus Beacon system [3] have successfully implemented color-coded visual emergency alert systems to enhance preparedness and campus-wide accessibility; and
WHEREAS, Many institutions primarily rely on auditory alarms and announcements, do not include a dedicated, campus-wide, multi color-coded-emergency indicating lighting system or wall mounted message alert boxes that are installed in classrooms, offices, common areas, and entrances which do not fully address the accessibility needs of dDeaf, HoH, and dDeaf+ individuals and may limit equitable access to critical emergency information; Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate of California Community Colleges encourage California community colleges safety and emergency management bodies collaborate with relevant departments, accessibility services, and representatives from the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf+ communities to review, adopt, install, and implement a multi–color-coded visual emergency light system as part of campus emergency protocols utilizing an approach similar to that implemented at Cuesta College while incorporating a broader array of color indicators comparable to the A1-Medical Integration Over Door/Patient Status [4] wall unit, the 4-LED Dome Lamp (TC400—Non-Sup) [5], and the Alertus Beacon used throughout classrooms, offices, common areas, and building entrances at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in order to enhance accessibility, improve clarity of emergency communication, and remain consistent with campus safety and emergency preparedness protocols;
RESOLVED, That Student Senate of California Community Colleges encourage California community colleges develop and distribute training and informational materials to ensure that all campus members understand the meaning of each emergency light color, know appropriate response actions, and that the system be evaluated regularly and updated as needed for continued effectiveness; and
RESOLVED, That Student Senate of California Community Colleges advocate that the California Community Colleges Board of Governors and the Chancellor’s Office develop and implement comprehensive strategies to address and implement these new inclusive emergency alerts amongst all California Community Colleges and be forwarded to the institution’s safety committees, facilities committees, emergency management leadership, and student services leadership for review and action.
Citations:
[1] https://www.cuesta.edu/community/publicsafety/emergency/lights.html
[2] Service - Desktop Emergency Alerts - ...
[3] https://www.alertus.com/alertbeacon
[4] https://a1props.com/product/over-door-patient-status-light-rainbow/