How do I secure a notetaker?
If your accommodation letter has the “Notetaker” box checked, your professors will know that you may request a notetaker. However, they are waiting for you to tell them you need one. Before you ask your teacher to make a notetaking announcement, you may want to think about the following:
* Do I want to know my notetaker? We recommend that you meet your notetaker and exchange notes personally. This way, if you have questions about the notes, you can ask your notetaker directly.
* Would I rather remain anonymous? If you are uncomfortable with the notetaker knowing your identity, please inform your teacher that you would like to remain anonymous. This means that the notetaker will deliver the completed notes to your instructor, who will then hold them for you to pick up from him/her.
* Do I have a friend in this class who takes good notes? If so, you may wish to bypass the instructor altogether and simply ask your friend to take notes for you.
* Do I have notetaking paper to give to the volunteer? Remember to stop by DREAM and pick up notetaking paper. We have either spiral bound or loose three hole NCR paper. The notetaker simply takes notes on the double paper then removes the copy to give to you (or your instructor if you wish to remain anonymous).
Now that you have prepared, do the following to secure your notetaker:
Approach your professor after class or during office hours and inform him/her that you would like a notetaking announcement to be made.
* Remind your instructor that a sample announcement is located in the Faculty Resources section of the DREAM website (www.gonzaga.edu/disabilityresources). Here is the announcement if you would like to print it out and give it to your teacher:
* “I am looking for someone to volunteer to take notes for a student with a disability in this class. We have special notebooks that allow you to take notes and then simply tear out the page behind to give to the student that requires this academic adjustment. This is a great service for a Gonzaga student and the Gonzaga community that you can put on a resume or graduate school application. One of the best features of your assistance is that you can do volunteer service with no extra work – you are already taking your own notes. So, would anyone like to volunteer? (hopefully, someone will raise their hand at this point.)
Thank you. Could you stop by my office to get the paper, connect with the student you will be working with and work out the details after class?”
* Remind your teacher not to mention your name or single you out when making the announcement. If a notetaker is not obtained or you are not receiving satisfactory notes, please call DREAM at x4134.
I seem to only need notetakers in some of my classes. Is that ok?
Yes. Disabilities vary in type and scope. While your disability may affect you in one subject, you may have no trouble in another. Curriculum design has a great influence on the need for notetakers. Handing out outlines of the class lecture or posting notes or outlines on Blackboard often eliminates the need for a notetaker; teaching style is often a factor, as well. As you develop relationships with your peers, you may ask a friend to take notes for you, thus eliminating the need for an announcement to the class. Sometimes it is hard to ask for a notetaker for the first time. If you do not have a notetaker because you do not feel comfortable asking for one, please call Angela at x4134 to discuss.