Who pays?

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you will not usually be required to pay for communication support.  Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), it is the responsibility of the service provider to provide and pay for any 'reasonable adjustments' you require.  Below are some of the different funding streams you can access to pay for Electronic Notetakers in employment and education:

 

Does the Electronic Notetaker work to professional standards?

Electronic Notetakers who are registered with The National Register for Communication Professionals Working with Deaf and Deafblind People (formerly CACDP) or The Association of Notetaking Professionals (ANP) adhere to a strict Code of Practice.  This means they cannot take part in the meeting and everything that is said must remain confidential. 

The NRCDP Code of Practice for Electronic Notetakers can be downloaded here..

The ANP Code of Practice and Ethics can be downloaded here

If you are booking an Electronic Notetaker freelance or through an agency, it is your right to ask the booker whether the assigned Notetaker is registered with NRCDP or ANP.     

Who provides the equipment?

Electronic notetaking is a portable system and easy to use. The Electronic Notetaker will provide two laptop computers, and two electrical leads. The client or venue must provide the notetaker with a power supply, a table to sit at and, where necessary, a data projector/screen. 

 

How many Electronic Notetakers should I book?

Where an assignment is expected to last longer than two hours, more than one operator should be booked.

An operator should not be expected to work for longer than one hour without a break. Where the client is unable to pay for more than one operator, more breaks will need to be negotiated. 

 

What do I need to do before the meeting?

Ideally, the operator should have sight of presentation or teaching materials before the assignment so they can enter abbreviations for unfamiliar terminology into their computer.