Effective date: August 1, 2005
Revised: June 20, 2007

Policy

Notetaking assistance is an academic accommodation that may be granted to a student with a disability who meets one or more of the qualifying criteria listed below.  It is not granted based solely on a student’s status as a person with a disability. 

In order to be considered for notetaking assistance, a disability-related need must exist which:

• Limits a student’s ability to take in-class notes due to a documented disability (physical, learning, medical, etc.)
• Presents constraints due to poor /limited fine motor skills
• Imposes restrictions due to fatigue, medication side effects, or sustained concentration verified by physician or medical report

Procedure

Requesting Student’s Responsibility

1. A student must first establish their status as a person with a disability by submitting documentation (medical, neuropsychological, psychoeducational, etc.) to the Disability Support Services office (DSS) located in the Center for Academic Development. 
   
   
2. Documentation must be submitted to DSS in a timely fashion in order for it to be evaluated by the DSS staff, who will then determine which accommodations, if any, are reasonable and appropriate.
   
   
3. A requesting student’s documentation must also directly indicate the need for a notetaker or indirectly indicate the need for a notetaker (i.e. test scores, specific diagnosis such as fine motor skill or auditory processing deficits, etc.) as determined by DSS staff
   
   
4. Students may choose to tape-record class lectures.  DSS urges students to inform a professor ahead of time as a professional courtesy.   
   
   
5. If a student wishes to be considered as a candidate to receive notetaking assistance, he/she must first attend the class for at least a week to assess the need.  Then it is his/her responsibility to make the request known to the DSS office by completing the Notetaking Assistance Request form.
   
   
6. Many faculty members post class notes to BlackBoard and use PowerPoint.  In these cases, the requesting student must present a strong written rationale as to why the additional support of a notetaker is required.
   
   
7. The form must be FULLY completed by the requesting student. Name of course, course number, professor’s name, day/time of course MUST ALL be included on the form.  Incomplete forms will not be processed.
   
   
8. The requesting student must return 24 hours after making the initial request to check if a notetaker match was made from the DSS pool of existing notetakers.
   
   
9. If no match was made, then the requesting student MUST submit the request form directly to the course professor.  The professor will then make a general announcement that Disability Support Services is seeking a notetaker in the course. 
   
   
10. Professors may also post the request to Blackboard. A requesting student’s name will not be disclosed in either method the professor uses.
    
    
11. A one to two week period is needed before the accommodation can be completely implemented.  Disability Support Services relies on the professor and the requesting student to assist in helping to locate a suitable notetaker. 
    
    
12. Having a notetaker does not excuse a student from attending class and taking a set of notes to the best of his/her ability.  A notetaker is not obligated to provide notes to a student for an unexcused absence.
    
    
13. Students will attend class and participate in class discussions.  The notes a student receives are designed to serve as a supplementary set, not a primary set of notes. 
    
    
14. The requesting student and the notetaker are responsible for arranging the details of transfer and delivery of the class notes. 
    
    
15. If the requesting student is having difficulty understanding the notes, or if a problem arises with this notetaker arrangement, the requesting student MUST report concerns directly to Disability Support Services.
    
    
16. Requests for notetaking assistance must be submitted to the DSS office each semester for each course.

Notetaker’s responsibility

1. The notetaker must register (complete necessary paperwork, provide an e-mail address, etc.) with Disability Support Services prior to providing the service.  This includes demonstrating notetaking ability by providing sample notes for review in DSS.
   
   
2. The notetaker is authorized to use the Center’s photocopying machine for the exclusive use of copying notes for the requesting student.  Notetakers are not authorized to use the Center’s equipment for personal use. 
   
   
3. Notes are to be directly delivered to the requesting student in a manner which both students agree upon.
   
   
4. Notes are for the exclusive use of the requesting student.  Notes are not intended to be universally copied and shared with other members of the class.  Notetakers are only authorized to provide notes to the student with whom they have been matched.  
   
   
5. Notetakers are expected to report incidences of the requesting student not attending class.  Notetakers are not obligated to supply notes to a student chronically absent or late for class.  DSS wants notetakers to feel comfortable reporting any concerns / unusual circumstances directly to the DSS office.

Faculty’s responsibility

1. Faculty receive the Notetaking Assistance Request form directly from the requesting student
   
   
2. Faculty are asked to identify a strong student in the class who might be interested in being a notetaker and send that student directly to DSS. 
   
   
3. Faculty may also announce the request as follows: with an in-class announcement or
   via Blackboard.  To ensure confidentiality DSS asks that the requesting student’s name
   not be announced.
   
   - In-class announcement – the request form will provide a brief blurb that can be read aloud in class asking for an interested notetaker to please report to Disability Support Services
   
   - Blackboard – the request blurb can also be posted to Blackboard for the full class to review 
   
   
4. The faculty’s role in this process is an important one to ensure the timely delivery of this accommodation.  DSS may need to follow up with faculty if a notetaker does not come forward. 
   
   
5. Faculty should be aware that the requesting student and the notetaker will meet each other and collaborate on the exchange of notes throughout the semester.

Disability Support Services, Center for Academic Development, Roger Williams University