[nabs-l] Recording Lectures... Not allowed?

[T. Joseph Carter]

The department of education says that you have the right to record your 
classes as a blind person.  I don't have the exact portion of the law in 
question handy to cite, but perhaps someone else might.

Joseph

On Fri, Jan 23, 2009 at 01:14:29AM -0500, Jamie Principato wrote:
>Hi there.
>
>I know I spend more time reading this list than I do posting to it, but I
>encountered a little issue in my Psychology class this morning, and I think
>this is the place to find the best input.
>
>I attend a small state college. Student services isn't great here (there are
>other issues that only just got resolved, but not the point here) but they
>get the job done. One accommodation we talked about when I first enrolled
>was recording class lectures. I was told by Student Services that I would be
>allowed to do this in any class that I needed to as long as doing so
>wouldn't disrupt the class (which we determined it wouldn't as I am only
>recording on my laptop as I type notes). One of the main reasons I do this
>is because a lot of the time the professors have diagrams, drawings, visual
>aids, or written information on the board that needs to be copied into
>notes, and I rely on the descriptions given in the lecture to make sure I
>have all the information I need. For me, this is more efficient than a note
>taker because I get the information I need right away and don't have to wait
>on Student Services and end up behind in the class.
>
>Today however, my professor stopped me and asked me if that was a microphone
>plugged into my laptop. I told him it was, and I politely asked if it was
>okay for me to record the class. In retrospect this was bad self advocacy. I
>should have told him just as politely that Student Services arranged for me
>to record my lectures to make up for any visual information I would
>otherwise miss. Anyway, in short he told me no, I could not record any part
>of his class. He was rather intimidating about it, and I'm rather sensitive,
>so again I made a self advocacy error and simply said okay and unplugged the
>little mic. I want to confront him on this because I do feel as though I am
>missing a lot by not recording, and I was already told that it was a
>reasonable accommodation and that I could do it... I'm still a little
>intimidated though and I don't want to confront him if I don't have a leg to
>stand on.
>
>Do I have a leg to stand on? Is there any legal backing for this? Can he do
>this?
>
>Please help,
>
>Thank you,
>
>-Jamie