Audio Recording
Under Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, institutions of higher education must provide equal access to the institution’s programs, courses and activities. For a variety of reasons, some students are not able to take adequate notes during class. Audio recordings are legitimate auxiliary aids to supplement or substitute note taking for some students with disabilities. Student Accessibility Resources, where appropriate and reasonable, may recommend a student with a documented, qualifying disability be permitted to record class lectures with the use of an audio recording/note-taking app as a form of academic accommodation.
Use of this accommodation is subject to the following conditions:
- The student acknowledges that the recordings are sources, the use of which are governed by rules of Trinity College Academic Integrity policy and applicable state and federal laws.
- Recordings of class lectures are only for the student’s personal use in study and preparation related to the class.
- The student may not share the recordings with any other person at any time, whether or not that person is in his/her class. This excludes the professor, who may ask for copies at any time.
- The student agrees to destroy any recordings when they are no longer needed for academic work, or at the end of the semester, whichever is sooner.
- The student will record only the voice of the lecturer, not the voices of other students, such as in discussion sessions.
- Students in the class should be made aware that the lecture is being recorded.
Students granted permission to audio record class lectures as an accommodation must agree to abide by each of these provisions and sign a pledge to that effect.
Download the Student Pledge Regarding Audio Recording of Class Lectures.
