In my state, it is illegal to record people without their permission. Is there an exception for students with disabilities who need to record class lectures for education purposes?
Many students with disabilities have difficulty with listening, focus, processing, note-taking, etc. Recording a class would be a reasonable accommodation for these students.
If you are a high school student with a disability who has an IEP, the IEP Team is required to consider your unique needs and challenges and write any necessary accommodations in the IEP.
IDEA 2004 also requires that the IEP team consider a student’s need for assistive technology.
Many students use assistive technology in class when they need accommodations for listening and note-taking. The LiveScribe pen (a digital recording device) is commonly used for this purpose.
You’ll find more information about this in the blog post Assistive Technology for the Struggling Notetaker at http://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/?p=3298.
For post secondary students with disabilities, Section 504 covers your right to reasonable accommodations to ensure full participation in educational programs and activities.
Your state and/or your school may have specific guidelines for recording class lectures. If you are in post-secondary education, contact the Disability Services office at your school for more information or assistance.
Tags: Accommodations · Livescribe Pulse Pen · tape recording2 Comments
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I know for many parents, with kids in the upper grades, that a teacher’s refusal to accommodate is frustrating and very problematic. Yet, I learned how to truly understand the role of union politics, school culture and climate in the upper grades. Parents have to understand who the power players are in a school culture. Many special education administrators and teachers can do little if a teacher refuses to have a child use AT. I have seen this first hand. It breaks my heart. Yet, Wrightslaw has taught me how to navigate through the system with savvy. By doing so, my child is getting FAPE. I am not a political person but when it comes to my child it has been well worth it for me to understand and make myself known to the change agents in my child’s school district. Indeed, it is a tiring process but worth it.
My son is dyslexic and taking college prep classes. He uses AT for homework. He has IEP goals for notetaking, organization and self-advocacy. Our district has repeatedly refused to include a smartpen in his IEP because some teachers stated they would not allow it. Instead the IEP offers a behavior aide as notetaker. Many staff members assume my son is receiving behavior intervention. My son cannot independently read the aides’ notes, and the aides have not utilized the funded time to review their notes with him. My son has made no progress on his goals for notetaking or organization. In April I signed the IEP, which had SMART goals, but reporting has been vague and untimely. I want to persuade the special ed director to remove the aide, add the smartpen and AT specialist support for my son’s goals. Please advise on strategy.