Does the professor have the right to forbid realtime captioning to deaf/hard-of-hearing students?
The professor does not have the right to refuse the student realtime captions during class. The issue of supplying a transcript of the class lecture is separate from providing captions during class. If the instructor objects to providing the student with a transcript on the basis of discrimination against the hearing students, the transcript could be made available also to hearing students to copy at their expense. In the event that this is not feasible, a notetaker could be provided for the hard-of-hearing student in addition to the realtime captions. Similarly, if a student needs to tape-record lectures as an accommodation (determined by the disability services office), a professor may not deny the student the accommodation unless the professor can demonstrate a compelling rationale. Can a deaf or hard-of-hearing student demand a realtime captioner? If so, can a computer-assisted notetaker suffice for that or would a paid notetaker using pad and pencil be satisfactory? Students can r
