Peer Notetakers

A peer notetaker is a classmate who volunteers to provide a set of notes to a student with a disability. The student with a disability may either purchase non-carbon (NCR) paper from the bookstore and provide this to the notetaker, or photocopy the student’s notes in the ARC.

Students with disabilities are encouraged to continue to try to take notes as a supplement to the notetaker’s copy. In addition, the student with a disability may want to meet with faculty to discuss whether the notes are adequate.

If the student with a disability has difficulty obtaining a voluntary peer notetaker, faculty may be asked to help find one. If this proves unfruitful, the student with a disability needs to contact the ARC.

Recording Lectures

Tape-recording lectures is an accommodation available to students with disabilities who wish to use this as a form of notetaking. The lectures recorded will only be used as reference during the class and should be destroyed after the class has ended. The recordings are to be used for academic purposes only. Abuse of this service should be reported to the ARC.

Wheelchair/Accessible Rooms

Wheelchair/Accessible rooms are available. Entire classes may need to be moved to these rooms in order to provide equal access to students with disabilities. An instance where this may occur would involve a student with a mobility impairment who could not navigate the stairs to evacuate a higher-floor classroom in case of an emergency.

To improve classroom accessibility, alternative chairs and/or tables (e.g. larger tables, chairs without arms, adjustable chairs) will be placed in assigned rooms designated by the ARC upon request.

Interpreters/Real-time Captioning

The use of interpreters and/or real-time captioning is provided as an accommodation to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The ARC will alert faculty as soon as possible if this service will be used in their classes.

Textbooks in Alternative Format

Textbooks in alternative formats (e.g. audio, electronic, Braille) are available through the ARC to students whose documented disabilities require them. As much notice as possible for this service needs to be given, since it can take weeks or months to completely transform a textbook into another format. If a qualified student requests this service for a given course, the ARC may ask the student or the instructor to provide advance information about the textbook(s) and/or reading materials to be used in the course. For more information about this service, please contact Cindy Yamnitz at cynthiayamnitz36@webster.edu or call her at 314-246-4245.

Tutoring Services

Webster provides tutoring for students with disabilities through its Peer Tutoring Program at the St. Louis campus.  The University does not offer professional tutoring services as part of its accommodations process, but the ARC is happy to suggest resources for students or families wishing to hire professional tutors.

Personal Equipment and Storage

The University does not provide personal equipment (e.g. wheelchairs, hearing aids, etc.), nor can it take it responsibility for their maintenance or storage.

Personal Care

The University does not provide personal care services for students with disabilities.