What is a Notetaker?

A notetaker is a specialist professional who makes a comprehensive typed or hand-written record of the content of your lectures, workshops/practical sessions, discussions, off-campus events, group work and tutorials. The notes they create should be provided to you in accordance with your access requirements.

Notetaker support is there to ensure you do not miss out on any course content taught in live sessions, whether they take place virtually or in-person.

How Can They Support You?

Notetaker support can be in different forms including manual, electronic, or a specialist notetaker.

Manual notetakers produce a manual, legible and accurate set of notes from your lectures or seminars in your preferred style and format. These can also be transcribed into an electronic format where appropriate.

Electronic notetaker support is speech-to-text specialist communication support provided by a qualified electronic note-taker. A live, real-time summary of what is being said is typed by the notetaker in your lectures, seminars, or one-off university sessions. The notetaker will link these notes to a second screen for you to read them from live, which can include braille displays. After the session, these notes are sent to you in your style and format preference, within a set timeframe.

How Do You Access Their Support?

A notetaker can be provided by your university or through your Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) support package.

It is a good idea to discuss notetaker support with your DSA needs assessor and disability adviser to explore the options and establish what support is appropriate for you during your studies.