Frankie Talbot: Deaf people need accessible alerting methods in emergencies

If I were to describe my first BSL lesson, it would probably resonate with many of my fellow learners.

I was excited but nervous, eager to meet my teacher and start learning. The teacher introduced himself and started the usual admin- lesson times, homework, and then, what to do in the event of a fire alarm.

He asked us to alert him to any fire alarms which may occur during our lessons, because he had no way of knowing when it was going off.

My Deaf teacher was completely reliant on his class to help him in the case of an emergency.

Hearing a fire alarm is one of the many things that hearing people like myself take for granted.

I live in a world that’s designed for people like me, and I couldn’t imagine anything else. When I heard my teacher’s request I immediately felt uneasy, but I got on with the course.

When I passed level one and moved onto level 2, my new teacher made the same request; could we please tell her when the fire alarm was going off.

I started to feel angry. Why should teachers depend on their students for their personal safety? Were there no systems in place to notify the teachers, or did the existing systems not work?

As I began my level 3 course, my new teachers once again asked the class to tell them when the fire alarm was going off. The third time was the charm; I felt that I had to say something and find out what was going on for myself.

I contacted my mayor and MP, both of whom were very helpful and genuinely interested in the cause.

They advised me to contact the institutions involved, which I did. A few weeks later two letters appeared from my MP; they were responses from the institutions.

The first one, where I studied for level 1 and 2 BSL, stated that evacuation plans were set out for every person who might need it, usually involving a ‘buddy’ system. One teacher confirmed that this was not the case.

The second letter came from the place where I am currently studying for level 3 BSL. They stated that fire pagers are available, but I knew that my teachers did not have them.

I was disappointed by both of these responses, and so far I have not responded in return.

Deaf people not only have a right to safety, but also a right to independence, and in my opinion a buddy system, or reliance on fire marshals, are the exact systems which disable people.

Finding appropriate alerting methods for Deaf students and staff, in which they do not have to rely on other people, should not be difficult.

I’m writing this article because I want to know how widespread this problem is, and which alert methods are best for Deaf people who are studying or working in spaces which aren’t designed for them.

Do you have a good system, a bad system, no system? Does the system leave you reliant on hearing people in an emergency, or does it allow you to be independent?

Frankie Talbot is a postgraduate student at the University of Bristol.  She is also studying for her BSL level 3 certificate.  She’s a bit star struck at being featured on the Limping Chicken, one of her favourite websites.