Some students may require assistance obtaining materials presented in class because of limitations resulting from their disability.
Notetaking Support Options
For most students with disabilities notetaking accommodations are meant to supplement the student’s own notes such as being allowed access to the course presentation materials (copies of powerpoints/overheads), the use of a personal audio recording device or being able to take pictures of the board/display. Examples of students that may require supplemental notetaking accommodations are students with learning disabilities, ADHD or mild physical impairments.
Peer Notetakers & Notetaking Volunteers
Disability Resources may also approve the additional accommodation of a peer notetaker. This accommodation is typically reserved for students who are unable to take their own notes such as students with significant physical impairments and students that are Deaf/hard of hearing that completely rely on note takers since they are unable to watch their Sign Language interpreter / transcriptionist and take notes at the same time.
Making a Request for a Peer Notetaker
Once a student has been approved for a peer notetaker and they have requested their accommodation letters for specific classes, their classes will be added to the queue for the Notetaking Coordinator to process. Once classes begin, students will receive an email asking them to confirm if they do need or do not need a peer notetaker for each of their classes if they have not yet confirmed their request(s). This process is completed within the AIM Student Portal. Be on the lookout for the confirmation emails, as this will be how the request will begin being processed and where the notes will be shared.
Contact the Notetaking Coordinator at notecoordinator@tamu.edu if you have any questions or concerns about requesting a peer notetaker.
If a peer notetaker cannot be identified, the student should work with their Access Coordinator and the course instructor to identify alternative notetaking support options.
Volunteering to Serve as a Peer Notetaker
As notetaker requests are received the Notetaking Coordinator will reach out to the students currently enrolled for the course(s) requested to recruit Peer Notetakers. Peer Notetakers are expected to attend class, take lecture notes, and upload their notes to a designated website within a few days of each class. Notetakers will earn volunteer hours based on the number of hours spent in class (generally ~37 hours per semester for a 3 credit class or ~13 hours for a 1 credit class) and will be provided verification of volunteer service at the end of the semester. Notes can be uploaded as Word documents, PDFs, or photos of handwritten notes.
If you received a recruitment email to serve as peer notetaker in one of your classes, please sign up through the AIM Portal using the link provided in the recruitment email. If you are assigned to be a peer notetaker for your class, you will receive a confirmation email and instructions on how to upload your notes.