Requesting Note-Taking Assistance

Guidelines

  1. Note-taking assistance may be provided to students who are registered with SDS and have been approved for this accommodation.
  2. Students requesting note-taking assistance must be enrolled in the course for which the notes are being requested.
  3. Requests for note-taking assistance must be submitted for every semester a student would like accommodations and after the student has assessed the need for each class.
  4. Students are expected to attend class on a regular basis and to take notes to the best of their ability. Notes (provided by an instructor or peer) are supplemental and do not take the place of attendance. Active note-taking supports learning and retention of material.
  5. Students must respond to all SDS email correspondence regarding note-taking assistance. Failure to respond can delay services.
  6. Peer notes are for student‘s use only. They are not to be duplicated and distributed to others.
  7. Students with peer notes as an accommodation should notify SDS immediately if:
    1. The student or faculty member has recruited his/her own note-taker;
    2. The student has determined that note-taking assistance is not needed for a particular course, or if the student has withdrawn from a course for which notes were requested; or
    3. The student has not received notes in the online portal in a reasonable amount of time.

Request Procedure

  1. Complete the registration process with SDS. Request note-taking as an accommodation based on disability limitations.
  2. Once the accommodation has been approved, attend class, review the syllabus and meet with the instructor to determine whether and what kind of note-taking assistance is needed for the course. We recommend assistive technology (AT) for note-taking to many SDS students. In some cases, peer notes may be needed. Peer notes are typically not needed when:
    1. The class is online;
    2. Notes are available online; or
    3. Notes are provided by the instructor.
  3. If note-taking assistance is needed, the student must submit a Semester Accommodation Request, indicating for each class desired. Please view our instructions on how to submit a Semester Accommodation Request.
  4. If peer notes are found to be needed in discussion with a disability specialist, SDS will reach out to the class roster. The amount of time to process each request will vary depending on the date of receipt of the form.
  5. The student must notify SDS at sdsnotetaking@umbc.edu immediately if s/he recruits his/her own note-taker.
  6. The student must also contact SDS if:
    1. Notes are no longer needed;
    2. Notes are not being received; or
    3. There are changes to the class(es) (i.e. added/dropped a class).

Additional Information

Please keep the following in mind as you prepare to discuss your needs with a disability specialist.

Class absences

Since note-taking is an approved disability-related accommodation, notes can only be provided for absences that are related to a student’s disability. Students who miss class for reasons that are not disability-related should obtain notes from a classmate, just as any other student in class would.

Remaining anonymous/confidentiality

Students do not usually report problems using assistive technology (AT) for note-taking in the classroom, so most confidentiality concerns relate to recruitment of peer note-takers. Peer note-takers are recruited matched within the Accommodate system and are not introduced to the student(s) for whom they are taking notes. They are not given information about the student requesting notes and are instructed to keep any knowledge they may have regarding the student with a disability confidential. Students who wish to contact their note-taker should speak with SDS.

Digital notes delivery system

Students with an accommodation involving peer notes will access copies of course notes digitally through the Accommodate system. Please see our instructions on accessing your notes in Accommodate.

N.B. Peer notes must be downloaded after each class. If you are not accessing your notes, we will assume you do not need them and will contact you to discuss cancelling the note-taker. Peer notes are also not stored indefinitely and will no longer available after the semester ends.