UAC

Congratulations! You have just joined a team of committed and trained volunteers in one of the most rigorous but fun opportunities the University has to offerCyou are a NOTE TAKER for University Accessibility Center (UAC).

Soon you will be given the name of a student with a disability who will be your client. Your assignment will be to take your most professional notes for that client. We want you to be successful and to enjoy yourself. This handbook should help prepare you to have a good experience this semester.

— Who will you be assisting?

Your client will be a student with a disability who has officially registered through the University Accessibility Center office. He or she has met with a counselor who has said that note takers are a Areasonable accommodation@ for that student. This means that without note takers, your client would be disadvantaged in his or her classes.

Your client may experience at least one of many differing disabilities. He or she may be a student who is deaf, has a visual impairment, is learning disabled, has a chronic illness (making note taking painful), or has a mobility impairment. We will give you general guidelines on how to interact best with the student you volunteer to help, according to his or her specific disability.

— OK, so what are the rules? (These rules will keep you from running into too many problems we hope!)

1. Your Responsibility. As a note taker, your assignment is to take excellent notes, legibly and in a form that your client understands. (Yes, you can do this.) You are NOT responsible for tutoring your client, typing papers, giving rides, or being a date for Friday or Saturday night, etc. Incidently, the same rules apply vice versa. The client is not there to fill your social or travel needs either. If the client approaches you for this assistance, please decline respectfully and refer him or her back to the Office.
2. Making Contact. You will start your assignment after your client contacts you. The volunteer coordinators will give your name, number, and date of availability to the student with whom you will work. The client is then responsible for contacting you and arranging your first meeting at his or her classroom.
3. When Client is Ill. Wait outside the classroom for the client. You are never expected to (nor should you) take notes for the client when he or she is not present in the classroom, even if the client is not there due to illness. In times of illness and for other excused absences, the client should make other arrangements through UAC.
4. When Client is Late. You are obligated to wait outside of the classroom for your client seven and one-half minutes for each twenty-five minutes of the class session. This means waiting fifteen minutes for one 50-minute class, thus ensuring that you do not miss the client if he/she is late.
5. Importance of Promptness. Please be punctual to your assignment, preferably 5 to 10 minutes early (especially on the first day of class when you meet prior to class beginning). Remember, the client (and you) are responsible for all of the information given in class, including the information at the beginning and end of lectures.
6. The Name Badge. Please wear your identifying name badge while on assignment. You will be given one by the volunteer coordinator. It will aid your client initially in identifying you as his/her note taker and will remind the instructor and other students that you are not a member of the class (Yippee! No tests or quizzes!). You must return the badge at the end of the semester so that later volunteers can use the badges also.
7. Meeting the Instructor. On the first day of your assignment, you should introduce yourself (while wearing your official name tag) to the instructor of the class. Explain to the instructor that you will be taking notes for your client. If the client has had his/her counselor send letters to the professors explaining the accommodations needed, then the instructor will be expecting you. When you speak with the professor, you may want to request copies of important materials such as overheads, notes, graphs, etc., for upcoming lectures.
8. Information Exchange. Exchange telephone numbers with your client. This will be important to exchange information on class changes, cancellation of class, emergencies which preclude attendance at the class (for either of you), and clarification of notes.
9. Paper and Pen. The client is responsible to provide you with paper to complete your tasks. You need to bring your own pen.
10. Speaking Up in Class. As a note taker, you are not a student in the class; therefore you are not encouraged to counsel, advise, or interject personal opinions in the classroom. For example, you do not answer questions the professor asks the class, not even if you are throbbing with an opinion. If you do, we will make you write a 1,000-page term paper, single spaced! AAAUGGHHHH!!!! On the other hand, if you have a question which relates directly to your note taking, you cannot hear the instructor, or you are having problems following the discussion, go ahead and ask for a repeat or clarification of the information.
11. Confidentiality. Please keep all assignment and client-related information confidential. Some of your clients may be embarrassed to admit having a volunteer note taker.
12. Absences. Remember, the student with the disability is dependent on you for notes. If you need to miss class, there are procedures you must follow. Contact the staff of the UAC office and the student. Then fill out a Report of Absence form. Please report anticipated absences at least 24 hours before the scheduled class unless this is impossible because of an emergency. If the student misses class without notifying you, please let one of the volunteer coordinators at UAC know. We need to keep track of unexcused absences. If the student misses more than three times without telling you, we will suspend their services until they meet with us.
13. ENJOY YOURSELF! This is a great time not only to serve someone else but also to improve your own note-taking skills. You also get the perk of taking notes for a class you otherwise would have gone your entire college career without taking!

1. Solicit feedback. Just do your best. As the semester progresses, you will be able to improve. In order to do this, please solicit feedback from your client on the quality of your notes. Ask him or her specific questions. Yes, I know this can be scary, but it is necessary. Your client can help you meet his/her note-taking needs more fully. On occasion, you also may wish to give the instructor a copy of your notes for his or her feedback.
2. Stay mentally alert in class. STAY AWAKE and AVOID DAYDREAMING. Remember you are providing vital information for your client. If you do not record a piece of information, then for your client it did not happen. Your client cannot study for the test if the information is not in the notes.
3. Listen. Listening is as important to note taking as recording the information. Pay attention to the explicit and implicit information given by the professor. Make sure to listen for important due dates, assignment changes, and implied suggestions about what will appear on tests. Make note of such things.
4. Identify source. When recording information, it is a smart idea to indicate which notes are AInstructor's notes, and which are other class members comments. This is particularly true when you are copying from overheads or the chalkboard.
5. Label properly. Always put the class name, date, and page number on the notes. Use symbols. Work with your client to establish a list of symbols at the top of your page of notes. This should include any abbreviations, codes, stars, circles, or any other markings for key concepts you both decide upon. See the last page of this handbook for a list of possible abbreviations.
6. Emphasize important points. When feasible, the use of colored pencils or highlighters is helpful to point out areas of emphasis or related points of discussion. Ask the client if he or she has a preference for how the notes are organized. Identify spelling problems. If unsure of a word's spelling, write (sp?) above the word. Request feedback from the client on difficult-to-spell words which are important and likely to be repeated.
7. Write legibly and leave room for your client to make notes in the margins.
8. Improve your skills. Go to the note taking workshop in which different methods for note taking are taught. Some of these methods are outlined in this handbook.