The Ross Center for Disability Services

Making Math Accessible to All

The Ross Center is a partner in a new professional development project to enhance the instruction of math using principles of Universal Design. The staff of the Ross Center participated in the development of the successfully funded grant proposal. The project will include creating a training video and conducting a workshop to assist mathematics faculty to meet the learning needs of students who are blind or visually impaired.

Volunteer Note Takers at UMASS Boston
By Zary Amirhosseini

Every semester, the Ross Center for Disability Services recruits volunteer note takers for over 50 courses. Note takers are recruited for students with disabilities who receive this important services as an accommodation.

Volunteers are recruited after letters are given to faculty verifying that they have students with disabilities who need note takers in their classes. The faculty is asked to make an announcement in class and recruit another student who would be interested in volunteering and sharing their notes.

Volunteers are then trained by Ross Center staff on issues such as confidentiality and how be good note taker. They are given the option of copying their notes at the Ross Center or using a carbonless copy paper in class.

Most volunteers find it gratifying to help their classmates with disabilities. Volunteer note takers seldom look at sharing their notes as an extra task; rather, many from previous semesters concur that because another student is relying on legible, consistent notes, they are motivated to attend class regularly and listen to lectures attentively. Those who have volunteered as note takers in the past have given such feedback as, “The class seems more cohesive”, and, “I found a new friend and a study partner”, and, “It’s easy and makes me pay closer attention to class lectures.”

Volunteers can consider note taking as a public service or as an activity they can use as a job reference in the future. Another incentive is that since their instructor is aware of the semester-long effort on their part, the potential for the volunteer note taker to be recognized as interested and dedicated to learning while helping others is great.

Volunteer note takers provide their classmates with a necessary accommodation to ensure equal access to and full participation in the educational process.

Reading Tips for Everyone
It’s OK to skip some words when reading your textbooks.
BUT, the key is to SKIM once rapidly to determine the main idea and identify parts that need more CAREFUL READING.

The key is SELECTIVE READING. But YOU have to select the important parts.
Your reading steps should be:

1. Read title of the chapter.
2. Look carefully at headings and other cues to organization. This includes
   Major headings
        Italicized or bold words and phrases
   Lists of points that are indicated buy numbers or
        Phrases such as “the four most important factor are…..
        Repetition. Most authors repeat key points.

Then, READ AGAIN the important parts that you have selected.

The key is to devote as little time to reading and as much time as possible to testing yourself, organizing, reviewing, and relating concepts, facts and ideas.

Spend your time learning ideas and not reading every word.

Frequent, SHORT REVIEW is better than cramming the night before your exam. Set a goal to review your readings and notes 5 times a week. See if this helps.

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