Note-taking Assistance Information for Faculty

Dear Instructor:

The Office of Student Disability Services, SDS, has approved an accommodation request for note-taking assistance for a student with a disability enrolled in your course. As of Spring 2017, SDS staff contacts students via class rosters to solicit note-takers in advance of the start of class. However, we strongly encourage SDS students to try Sonocent or Glean note-taking software instead of using peer note-takers.

If you provide your own notes to your class, please let SDS know that a note-taker would not be needed. If a student cannot use Sonocent/Glean, or a peer does not volunteer, we may ask for your assistance in making a second announcement to the class.

Please note that you need not be involved in the note-taking process other than making an announcement that a volunteer peer note-taker is needed in the course (sample announcement below). If a note-taker does not come forward to volunteer, we will work with you on how to obtain notes for the student with a disability as required by law.Thank you in advance for working with our office to ensure that all students have equal access to your course and do not hesitate to contact us if questions arise.

The following announcement can be read aloud in class, and/or you may post this announcement via email to your class roster or on your Blackboard site (both a verbal and website announcement are recommended to secure note-takers quickly):

A peer note-taker has been requested for this class. A  note-taker is a volunteer student who provides a copy of his or her own notes for each live class session to another member of the class who has been deemed eligible for this service based on a documented disability. Peer note-takers will be paid a $200 stipend for their service for a full semester of note-taking. Peer note-taking is not a part-time job; it is a volunteer service for which UMBC students enrolled in a course can earn a stipend for sharing the notes they are already taking for themselves for a peer in need. Note-takers will be notified by SDS in email when they have been matched to an SDS student and provided instructions on how to share their notes confidentially and how to get on SDS payroll.

If you are interested in serving in this important role, please visit the Becoming a Note-Taker application page at this link: https://sds.umbc.edu/becoming-a-note-taker