RNID: For deaf and hard of hearing people.

What do notetakers do?

Notetakers are trained to takes notes for deaf people in meetings, on courses, or at other events. Notetakers can be flexible and will write notes in a way that suits you. If they are writing notes by hand, it may take you a bit of time to get used to their handwriting.

It is quite common for someone to have a notetaker as well as another communication service. If you are watching a sign language interpreter or lipspeaker, it is impossible to take notes and follow what is being said at the same time.

Types of notetaking

There are two different kinds of notetaking - electronic and manual.

Electronic notetaking

The electronic notetaker provides a clear account of a lecture or meeting, using laptop computers and special software. They use two laptops; one for the user and one for the operator. The operator types a summary of what is being said into the computer and the text appears on the user's screen. This is not a verbatim (word for word) account but can identify individual speakers, allowing the user to interact with the operator and add their own notes, and the user can take away a hard copy of the notes at the end. It is up to the user, not the notetaker, to edit and decide what is and is not of value.

A young deaf woman follows a lecture through her electronic notetaker

You shouldn't use electronic notetaking if you want a full verbatim (word for word) account of what has been said. If this is what you need then you should use our speech-to-text reporting service.

Manual notetaking

A manual notetaker is trained to take clear notes either in handwritten English or by typing the notes using a laptop computer.

Finding the right notetaker

Notetakers may specialise in a particular field. For example, if you are taking a science degree at university, it's important that your notetaker knows something about the subject.

If you have very specific needs, you may need to spend time finding the right notetaker to support you.

Your notetaker will need regular breaks. You should not expect them to work through lunch and coffee breaks, unless this is necessary and part of the course, in which case you may need to book two notetakers.

More information

If you would like more information please see our factsheets "Working with an electronic notetaker" and "Working with a notetaker."

For more information about becoming a notetaker, see electronic notetaking.

Book a notetaker.