StrategyTube - Access Notetaking

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Access Notetaking
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What is Access Notetaking?
Access Notetaking is performed by Access
Notetakers . They are responsible for providing
access through text interpretation for deaf/hard
of hearing students to ensure they receive the
oral communication between students, teachers,
support staff, parents and others involved in
educational programs and the school community in
compliance with Board policies and procedures.
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Currently the York Region District School board
is the only major school board in Ontario who
offers the Access Notetaking service. Their
program is based out of Alexander Mackenzie High
School in Richmond Hill. This program offers deaf
and hard of hearing students the opportunity to
be integrated into regular classes while
receiving on site support and accommodations.
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• YRDSB Position Summary for Access Notetaker
• MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES
• To provide real time print transcription of
  spoken language by providing a representation of
  the content and intent of what is spoken in the
  classroom to the deaf or hard of hearing
  student.
• To edit and review transcribed notes for student
  use.
• To provide the above note taking services in a
  variety of settings, first and foremost
  facilitating the integration of deaf/hard of
  hearing pupils with their peers in regular
  classes.

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4. To research topics and prepare in advance for
curriculum content and terminology in regular
classrooms and other educational settings. 5.
To liaise between the Teacher of the Deaf and
regular Teachers regarding any issues arising in
regular classes which may impact on student
progress (i.e. student skill development
behaviour, peer interactions, etc.) 6. To attend
meetings as requested. 7. To attend professional
development sessions/training as required. 8.
To perform other duties as assigned.
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LINE OF RESPONSIBILITY Responsible to the
school Principal through the Special Education
Department Head, Regional Hearing Resource
Teacher and/or classroom teacher. EDUCATION,
EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS Secondary School
Graduation Diploma with a minimum of 2 years
post-secondary education is required. Excellent
language and grammar skills are required. Strong
dicta-typing skills are required. Experience in
communicating with deaf or hard of hearing
individuals is an asset. Effective verbal and
written communication and interpersonal skills
are required. A good working knowledge of
computers and other Board approved software is
required. Source https//bww.yrdsb.ca/services/h
rs/Documents/Job20Descriptions20-20CUPE201734/
Access20Notetaker.pdf
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Who is it for?
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing have the
option to receive access notetaking. For
profoundly deaf students who use sign language,
an interpreter is provided along with the
notetaker.
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• Deaf and Hard of Hearing  YRDSB Support
  StaffSign Language Interpreting/Oral
  Interpreting and Access Notetaking services may
  be provided to students with a hearing loss in
  special class placements to facilitate their
  integration.Program Delivery Regional Hearing
  Resource teachers assist in ensuring students
  have equal access to all aspects of school i.e.
  closed captioning, Access Notetaking, Sign
  Language Interpreters with available resources.
• Service Delivery Model Assistive technology is
  integrated to support the curriculum expectations
  and accommodations outlined in the IEP when
  appropriate.
• Source 2012 Special Education Plan
• http//www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/pdfs/w/schools/speced/s
  c-speciaeducationplan.pdf

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Why is it beneficial?

• Gives students a written record of the events of
  the class that they can use for reference while
  studying
• Provides students who use ASL to also receive the
  course content in English
• Allows deaf students to be more involved in their
  classroom
• Ensures that deaf and hard of hearing students
  have access to the same class material and
  dialogue as hearing students
• Promotes equality and equity in the classroom

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What does it entail?

• YRDSB description
• To support students with the auditory information
  during classes
• Notetaker uses a laptop and wireless internet
  connection to send notes to the student laptops
• Notetaking provides deaf and hard of hearing
  students with access to all auditory information
  that occurs within the classroom such as all
  audible conversations, discussions, lectures, PA
  announcements
• Access Notetakers are not Education Assistants
  and are not required to work with the students on
  their assignments, etc.
• Access Notetakers do not provide information or
  advice on working with the students
• Information about the students (i.e. marks,
  behaviour, etc.) should not be shared with the
  Access Notetaker

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Who is involved?

• Access Notetaker
• Regional Hearing Teacher schedules and
  coordinates the students who require access
  notetaking services in schools
• Regional Hearing Coordinator organizes the
  service, provides equipment, and deals with
  enrollment in the program

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What Equipment is Needed?

• 2 laptop computers 1 for notetaker and 1 for
  student
• A power source in the classroom
• If there is no access to wireless internet an
  independent router can be used to establish a
  connection

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What Software is Needed?

• Wireless Internet connection
• NetMeeting Microsoft NetMeeting contains
  technology that enables applications to be shared
  between two or more computers

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Case Study - TDSB
Beginning in October 2009, the Toronto District
School Board began the process of restructuring
their Deaf and Hard of Hearing Programs. Note
Access Notetaking is not currently offered by
this school board Source Report of the Program
Area Review Team Programs for Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Students - http//www.tdsb.on.ca/wwwdocume
nts/schools/area_review_committee/docs/DHH20PART
20Rec.20Report.Oct.28.09.pdf
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Current Situation 868 Deaf and Hard of Hearing
students as of April 2009 160 students - 94
elementary and 66 secondary students - attend
Intensive Support Programs at least part of the
day. The remaining 708 students with hearing
loss attend regular classes (and/or in some cases
Special Education classes for exceptionalities
other than Deaf/Hard of Hearing) and receive
various levels of itinerant support.
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• The Issues
• Frequent transitions for students in Intensive
  Support Programs
• Changing enrolment patterns
• Pathways that cannot meet some student needs
• Lack of peer and community support and
• Lack of consolidated professional support services

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Frequent Transitions On average, elementary
students in Deaf and Hard of Hearing classes may
change schools as many as 4 times before going to
high school. Frequent changes like this make it
difficult for students to make friends. The
transitions do not happen as much in high school,
but they do occur. Changing Enrolment Patterns
Majority of the Intensive programs are located
in the South end - Of the 100 Toronto District
School Board students who travel the furthest to
get to school by bus, 20 are Deaf and Hard of
Hearing. 60 of Deaf and Hard of Hearing
students travel over 10 kilometers each way to
school.
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Lack of Peer and Community Support Because the
exceptionality Deaf and Hard of Hearing is of
lower incidence and because small intensive
support classes are distributed around the city,
it has been difficult for students and staff to
be part of a real community of learners. Since
the Deaf and Hard of Hearing exceptionality is
not common and the locations are spread around
Toronto, educators have stated that forming a
community has been difficult. Lack of
Consolidated Professional Support Services It
is difficult to integrate Deaf and Hard of
hearing students into their local neighborhood
schools because of the logistics of having
trained support staff to provide them the access
they are owed.
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The Program Area Review Team proposed that the
best way to serve Deaf and Hard of Hearing
students would be to have two centralized
locations for their program for Elementary and
Secondary students. The Review Team concluded
that Locating sites for Deaf and Hard of
Hearing students that ensure more peer support
and meaningful integration, provide adequate
space, are accessible, and address real issues of
transportation times for students will be a
challenge in itself.
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Barrier Free Education Initiatives for Deaf and
Hard-of-Hearing Students
The Barrier Free Education Initiatives for Deaf
and Hard-of-Hearing Students, led by the Canadian
Hearing Society (CHS), is intended to assist
school boards in identifying access and
accommodation needs of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing
students who use American Sign Language (ASL) and
Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students who use oral
language as means of communication and use
assistive devices such as cochlear implants,
hearing aid and fm systems. January 2009 -
December 2011 To date, 98 schools from various
boards have participated in the Barrier Free
Project, Accessibility and Accommodation Planning
for Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
attending publicly funded schools. CHS has
been provided 2M for this project. Source
Ministry of Education Special Education Update,
February 2012 http//www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general
/elemsec/speced/SpecialEd_Update2012.pdf
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Sources
York Region District School Board Special
Education Plan 2012. Special Education Plan. York
Region District School Board, 2012. Web. 5 Oct.
2012. lthttp//www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/pdfs/w/schools/s
peced/sc-speciaeducationplan.pdfgt. "Ministry of
Education Special Education Update." N.p., Feb.
2012. Web. 5 Oct. 2012. lthttp//www.edu.gov.on.ca/
eng/general/elemsec/speced/SpecialEd_Update2012.pd
fgt. "Report of the Program Area Review Team
Programs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students."
N.p., 28 Oct. 2009. Web. 5 Oct. 2012.
lthttp//www.tdsb.on.ca/wwwdocuments/schools/area_r
eview_committee/docs/DHH20PART20Rec.20Report.Oc
t.28.09.pdfgt. Programs for Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Students Program Area Review Team
Background Data. Toronto District School Board,
19 Feb. 2009. Web. 5 Oct. 2012.
lthttp//www.tdsb.on.ca/wwwdocuments/schools/area_r
eview_committee/docs/P20090219-DeafHardOfHearingPA
RT-BackgroundData.pdfgt. "Access Notetaker." York
Region District School Board, Oct. 2011. Web. 7
Oct. 2012. lthttps//bww.yrdsb.ca/services/hrs/Docu
ments/Job20Descriptions20-20CUPE201734/Access
20Notetaker.pdfgt.