Student Volunteer Notetakers

Become a Volunteer Note Taker for a Student with a Disability

Do you take detailed, well-organized notes? If so, you could make a positive impact at SIUE by becoming a Volunteer Notetaker! Volunteer notetakers provide an important service by ensuring students with a disability have full access to the material and information presented in class. Being a volunteer note taker requires a minimal amount of time & effort-  all you need to do is share the notes you are already taking in class!

Taking notes in class provides access for students with a variety of disabilities including, but not limited to:

• ADHD 
• Autism
• Deaf/Hard of Hearing
• Learning Disabilities
• Medical Disabilities  
• Psychological Disabilities
• PTSD
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Visual Disabilities

Most students with a disability are able to attend class regularly, however their disability may interfere their ability to take notes. The student with a disability may be physically unable to take notes, may need to focus only on what the instructor is saying, or may be unable to decipher writing due to a reading disability. Often a student’s disability is invisible.

Some students with a disability may miss class sometimes due to illness, hospitalizations, or to attend therapy or medical appointments.

Being a volunteer notetaker requires consistent class attendance and a willingness to share your notes with a student with a disability who needs them. If your services are needed you will be eligible for service hours for the time you spend taking notes. ACCESS will provide verification of service hours at the end of the semester.

Interested? Here are your next steps!

Complete the Volunteer Notetaker Application. You will be asked which classes you are available to provide notes for. (You must be registered for the course as a student in order to be a volunteer notetaker for that class).

Once your application has been reviewed you will receive an email from ACCESS verifying your status as a volunteer notetaker. At that point you will begin uploading your notes after every class. You will be asked to upload your notes to Accommodate so students can view your notes and download as needed. While typed notes in Word documents are preferred, you can also take pictures of handwritten notes and upload the notes as photos or come into the ACCESS office to scan a copy of your notes. 

 If you are unable to serve as a notetaker for any reason you are asked to notify ACCESS immediately so another notetaker can be assigned.

Guidelines and Tips for Note Takers

• Maintain consistent class attendance and determine how to handle note-taking in the event of your absence.
• Determine and follow a system of taking and submitting notes (e.g., typed, photographed, or scanned copies).
• Provide legible, concise, and appropriate notes. If handwriting notes, use a blue or black pen (more legible when making copies)
• Put the date & course (i.e. 3/15/20, BIOL 201) on the first page.
• Listen carefully for explicit clues from the instructor such as, “this will be on the test. . .,”
  or“remember this . . . .“
• Copy down anything the instructor writes on the board.
• Don’t include your personal opinions or biases in your notes.
• Write down any assignment information, due dates, special events, review sessions, and other pertinent information discussed in class.
• Include questions asked by other students and the answers provided.
• Explain all abbreviations when using them for the first time. If using symbols, provide the definition. 
• If you have a gap in your notes for any reason, meet with the instructor to complete your notes, both for you and the student relying on your notes.
• If you are aware of the name of the student or students you are providing notes for, keep this information confidential. Anyone with a disability has the legal right to confidentiality.
• Notes should be submitted/uploaded to Accommodate within 24 hours of the class meeting. If there were no notes taken, please upload a document stating why there were no notes.
• Don't wait until a test is coming to upload several class lectures. Again, please always upload notes within 24 hours of the lecture.

Thanks for helping to make SIUE an accessible and inclusive environment for students with disabilities!