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Personal Evacuation Guidelines for Students with Mobility, Auditory and Visual Disabilities

All members of the University community should understand their roles and responsibilities when responding to emergency situations. The University recognizes that individuals with mobility, auditory or visual disabilities may require assistance in emergency situations, especially with accessing alerts, evacuating, and sheltering.

The University, therefore, asks all individuals who may need assistance in an emergency to self-identify to the University. This means that students and employees of the University should contact the Office of Equity and Diversity elizabeth.garcia2@scranton.edu  or diana.collinsgilmore@scranton.edu  or by calling 570-941-6645.

The University shall work with self-identified individuals to develop a Personal Evacuation Plan that includes a means of communication in the event of an emergency and specific procedures for evacuation and sheltering.

The University will not assume that a student or employee requires a Personal Evacuation Plan.

Guidelines

The following segments outline procedures for alerting, evacuating or sheltering persons with disabilities located on The Â鶹´«Ã½ campus grounds and buildings during an emergency. Persons with disabilities must take responsibility for their personal safety and have a Personal Evacuation Plan in place before an emergency occurs. In addition, during an actual emergency it is the student’s, faculty/staff member’s responsibility to contact emergency response personnel to activate their Personal Evacuation Plan.   

All members of the University community also have a responsibility to facilitate the safe evacuation and sheltering of persons with disabilities by adhering to the following guidelines. While this policy applies to permanent disabilities, an evacuation plan may be appropriate in instances of temporary mobility, auditory or visual disabilities on a case-by-case basis.

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  1. Complete a confidential Self-Identification Emergency Evacuation Form for Students. All students requiring evacuation assistance during an emergency must complete and submit this form. Students should upload the completed Emergency Evacuation Form to Accommodate or return via email to non-academic-accom@scranton.edu.
  2. Login to Accommodate (You also can do this through the my.scranton portal by going to the Student tab, then click Accommodate.) Once in Accommodate, create your accommodation request.
  3. Upload your completed form.
  4. Watch your email for contact from the Office of Equity and Diversity via the University Non-academic Accommodations email address.

After a student self-identifies by submitting an Emergency Evacuation form, the Office of Equity and Diversity (“OED”) will work with the student and the University’s Health and Safety Officer (and, if necessary, the Director of Residence Life) to develop a Personal Evacuation Plan that includes specific evacuation procedures, sheltering procedures, and means of communication in the event of an emergency specific to the student.

University Police will NOT track a student’s class or residential location at the time of an emergency. Students must contact emergency response personnel in accordance with their Personal Evacuation Plan.

For the Personal Evacuation Plan to be implemented, OED and the University’s Health and Safety Officer will meet with the student to finalize the contents of the Plan and to review the expectations and responsibilities in the Plan for the student.

  1. Lastly, all individuals including the student or staff/faculty member and the University’s Health and Safety Officer must sign off on the Plan.

Please note that the University is required by law to keep all medical information confidential; however, emergency safety personnel, and other University representatives may be informed if an individual with a disability might require help with alerting, evacuating, or sheltering during an emergency. The information shared with such individuals shall be limited to information necessary to help alert, evacuate, or shelter the applicant during an emergency.

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Equity and Diversity at 570-941-6645 or email non-academic-accom@scranton.edu.

If you are experiencing an emergency, contact University Police at (570) 941-7777 -or- 9-1-1.

Visit The Â鶹´«Ã½ Campus Wide Emergency Response Plan for more information.  Personal evacuation plans for students, faculty/staff with mobility, auditory and visual disabilities are informed by the University’s over all plan.

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