Western has implemented new practices for communicating campus service disruptions.
The objective is to improve customer service to the campus and local communities and meet new accessibility standards under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
A central website (https://accessibility.uwo.ca/disruptions.htm) has been launched where broad public disruptions in physical facilities (such as elevators and buildings), Information Technology web and data services, and Campus Recreation are posted in calendar format.
Also, Physical Plant staff and contractors are now posting standard service interruption signs on facilities they maintain or service.
The notices indicate the reason for the disruption, the anticipated duration, and if another service or facility is available.
To help meet AODA requirements, units are asked to communicate local disruptions (such as a class cancellation or department closure) directly to their own audiences using their own websites, e-mail lists and signage when they know who will be affected.
In addition to local communication, units should request that a disruption notice be posted on the central website if you cannot reach all of those affected directly. This can be done by submitting the form found on the service disruption website at https://accessibility.uwo.ca/disruption_reporting_form.htm
“Making campus more accessible and welcoming for all who work, study or visit is important, and it is our hope that these initiatives will help us achieve that,” says Andrew Fuller, AODA Project Leader and Senior Facilitator in Learning and Development Services.
The Faculty of Engineering is taking service disruption notification a step further to better serve their students, staff and faculty, and will soon start using Twitter to push out all Engineering-specific disruption notices. Various staff members will be responsible for ‘tweeting’ whenever a cancellation or disruption occurs.
“The advantage to using Twitter to push out our messages is that the follower can arrange to have the notices sent directly to their email or cell phone,” says Allison Stevenson, Communications Officer in Engineering.
“That way, they can receive the notice, even when they are out and about for the day.”