Audio Recording Accommodations

Audio Recording Accommodation FAQ - Students

All accommodations are approved on an individual basis to remove disability-related barriers in the classroom. If you’re already active with the DAC, contact your access manager to discuss whether audio recording is appropriate for you. 

If you’d like to apply for accommodations, contact the Front Desk at 360-650-3083 or email DRSFrontDesk@wwu.edu for an Access Planning Meeting. 

Audio recording accommodations help disabled students address classroom barriers like audio processing differences, information processing speed, barriers related to writing and reading, and others. 

In addressing such barriers, audio recording accommodations provide disabled students an equal chance to access and process the visual and audio information presented in class.

Some courses involve personal self-disclosure, personal reflection, or the sharing of information otherwise deemed confidential.  In that case, the professor may make a general announcement to the class asking all students to stop note-taking and turn off any accommodated recording devices.

No. Students approved for audio recording accommodations sign an agreement stipulating that recordings are for personal educational use only, will not be shared, and will be deleted at the end of the quarter.  

No.  For more information, view the Registrar’s decision tree on FERPA and the ADA.

When a class session is held in-person, the student should create their own audio recording using their own device.  Students may use DAC-provided Glean, laptops, smartphones, or an ATUS recorder.  Students should work with faculty to ensure seating near the main speaker. 

When a class session is held in Zoom, class recordings should be created by faculty

When a class is held outdoors or in the field, students should work with the DAC and/or faculty to find the best solution on a case-by-case basis.