NOTETAKING SERVICE GUIDELINES

Main Office: A255 Murphy Hall (310) 825-1501 voice, (310) 206-6083 tty, (310) 825-9656 fax
Proctoring Center: A242 Murphy Hall (310) 825-2651
Notetaking Services (310) 825-1501

UCLA's Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) is mandated by Federal and State law and University policy to provide academic support services to regularly enrolled students with documented permanent and temporary disabilities.

Qualifying for Notetaking Service

Students must register with, and provide documentation of their disability to the Office for Students with Disabilities. To register with the OSD, make an appointment with the appropriate OSD Disability Specialist mentioned below. He or she will assist you in completing the OSD Information Sheet, review your documentation, and discuss your eligibility for Notetaking Services.

Students with a learning disability, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, psychological disability or an acquired brain injury must meet with an OSD Learning Disabilities Specialist.

Students with hearing impairments must meet with the Coordinator of the Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students.

Students with physical, visual or health related disabilities must meet with OSD’s Assistant Director or the Notetaker Coordinator.

Should you qualify for notetaking, you will be asked to fill out a Notetaking Request Form and to make an appointment with the Notetaker Coordinator in order to implement the appropriate service approach. Your meeting with the Notetaker Coordinator will consist of discussing the Notetaker Service and how the specific service approach is facilitated. You need to complete a Notetaking Request Form to initiate the Notetaking Service each term.

How the Service Works

ASUCLA Lecture Notes: Associated Students of UCLA (ASUCLA) is an entity on campus which sells subscriptions to class notes for all students. A list of classes covered by ASUCLA is posted both at the ASUCLA Lecture Notes Counter and www.uclaestore.com. The list is also available through the OSD. If your class notes are provided by ASUCLA Lecture Notes and these notes meet your disability-based need, OSD's Notetaker Coordinator will provide you with a voucher to purchase an ASUCLA notetaking subscription. To obtain your notes you need to present your voucher at the ASUCLA Lecture Notes Counter. ASUCLA notes are distributed on a weekly basis. For classes not covered by ASUCLA, the following approaches will be used.

MyUCLA Icon Approach: For each of your classes needing notetaking services an icon indicating that a notetaker is needed will be placed next to the class information on MyUCLA. The OSD will select a notetaker based on the applications generated by the icon.

E-mail to students on class rooster approach: If after two weeks, neither the ASUCLA Lecture Notes nor MyUCLA approach results in a notetaker, the OSD will send an e-mail to the students on the class rooster indicating a Notetaker is needed for that class.

Professor Announcement Approach: The OSD may send an OSD staff member to your class to make a verbal announcement at the beginning of class that a notetaker is needed after other approaches fail to secure a notetaker.

Student Referral Approach: If ASUCLA Lecture Notes are not available for your class, you may arrange for notes by referring a student or teacher's assistant from your class. This person may receive a stipend for their services at the end of the term if they choose to complete the required paperwork. In most cases, the OSD will not have 2 notetakers for the same class.

We realize that receiving your notes in a timely manner is very important. The following are options that have proven successful for some students:

Meet your notetaker after class and come directly to the OSD to make copies of the notes (free of charge).
If you arrange with your notetaker to receive notes that have been revised, rewritten, or if other adjustments need to be made, you may have your notetaker bring a copy of the notes to the next class or leave them in a folder at the OSD. Students who receive their notes in this way can have a folder set up at the OSD.
If the notetaker takes notes on a computer the notes can be emailed to you.

Classroom Assistance: If after consultation with your OSD specialist it is determined you have a disability-based need for one-on-one assistance in the classroom, we can arrange for a Classroom Assistant. Classroom Assistants may or may not be a student in the class. Please note that it may take up to two weeks to arrange to have a service provider in class. It is recommended that students being accommodated by a Classroom Assistant submit their class schedule approximately 2 weeks before school starts in order to have services arranged for the first day of class.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is extended to all students receiving services from the OSD. OSD staff and service providers are required to keep all student- and assignment-related information strictly confidential. If you chose having your notes e-mailed to you, your notetaker may learn who you are.

Student Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the student to complete a Notetaker Request Form as soon as the class schedule is confirmed. If you would like to refer a person from your class to be a notetaker, you have him/her complete a Notetaker Application, available on-line or at the OSD. The Notetaker Coordinator will make the final selection regarding the official notetaker for requested courses. Notetakers are not a substitute for attending classes. Even though you have a notetaker, you are still expected to attend class on a regular basis. In accordance with OSD policy, if you fail to attend class for any reason not related to your disability, your notetaking service may be interrupted or withdrawn. To restore service, you will need to meet with the Notetaker Coordinator to reassess your need for the service.

Communication between you and your notetaker is critical to the success of your notetaking service. Students who have developed a relationship with their notetaker by making arrangements to meet on the phone or in person, have reported greater satisfaction with the notetaking service. They have also identified that solidifying arrangements for receiving the notes is essential to a successful term.

Based upon your disability, arrangements can be made with the Notetaker Coordinator to obtain class notes in an alternative format.

Notetaker Responsibilities

The responsibility of your notetaker is to take notes in class and make them available to you within 24 hours. They should not be asked to perform any other duties. Should you need other kinds of assistance, please contact the OSD. If another student, registered with the OSD, is in your class, your notetaker will also be assigned to provide class notes for him/her. If your notetaker cannot attend class, it is still your notetaker's responsibility to provide you with notes. In addition, your notetaker is expected to attend one notetaking training workshop. In order to receive the stipend the notetaker must complete the required paperwork. Notetakers who do not complete the stipend paperwork will not receive monetary compensation.

Summary

The key to a successful term is for all people to take responsibility for their part in the service. In order to get the quality of notes that you deserve, please communicate with your notetaker on an on-going basis to let him/her know what your needs are. If there are any problems or concerns contact the Notetaker Coordinator immediately. Remember, communication is the key to success.

How to Resolve Service Delivery Problems

It is fair to say that even with the best efforts of everyone involved with your service delivery at UCLA, a problem may occur. If this should happen, we strongly encourage you to let us know so that we can work together to solve the problem as quickly as possible. Experience has shown us that many times a problem arises because of a misunderstanding or miscommunication; therefore, clarification can be a quick and effective solution. We can help to resolve problems you may have with your service providers, professors, TA's or Departments. It is often best to discuss the issue with the person involved first, and if a satisfactory resolution cannot be reached, to then appeal to the person's supervisor or department chair. However, we can assist you with making this determination and should we be unable to resolve the problem in the OSD, we will refer you to appropriate on-campus resources that can help.

For any issue or problem, you will be treated with respect, receive a timely response to your inquiries, and will have your issues dealt with in a confidential manner (if so requested). Retaliation in any form against persons who file complaints is prohibited by disability-related law and University policy. We encourage you to bring up any issues or problems as soon as possible, give clear and detailed information and be respectful of those people with whom you are working.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires the University to adopt and publish procedures to resolve problems regarding access to the educational program for persons with disabilities. An individual who believes he or she has been discriminated against on the basis of disability should contact UCLA ADA/504 Compliance Officer, Monroe Gorden at (310) 825-1514, or via email at mgorden@saonet.ucla.edu. If you wish to know more about your rights as a disabled person under Federal and State law and University policy, OSD can refer you to the appropriate entity.

If you would like this information in an alternative format, contact the Office for Students with Disabilities at (310) 825-1501, (310) 206-6083 (tty), (310) 825-9656 (fax).