What are the pros and cons of paid notetakers vs. volunteer notetakers?
Volunteer notetakers, according to some disability support services staff, sometimes lack commitment. They may not take a great deal of responsibility upon themselves to provide quality notetaking. However, there are always exceptions. Some volunteer notetakers are very committed to providing high quality notes, and they are often students in the class themselves, sharing notes they are already taking for themselves. Often, the student for whom the notes are being taken has a say in the quality of the notetaking when the notetaker is being compensated for his/her work. Again, though, this depends on the situation and the institution. At St. Petersburg College in Florida, for example, the students using volunteer notetakers can and do complain when the quality of the notes they receive is questionable. If a complaint is made, the staff from the disability support office will check with the instructor to see if the notes are actually incomplete. If the notes are consistently poor, then t
