PSTCC > SSWD > Services > Scribe

What is a scribe?

A scribe for a student with a disability is the person's "official writer", or amanuensis. Having a scribe is an accommodation for persons who need assistance with the life skill of writing in order to have equal access to education under the law. In a sense, scribes are the "hands" of the person who has a disability that affects writing.

Scribes are professional.

Scribes are employees of the college and need to project a professional demeanor. This means they arrive on time for the class, stay for the entire class, and perform their job responsibilities in a professional manner. Scribes follow the classroom professor's rules, i.e. regarding eating/drinking in the classroom, safety, proper attire (especially in science labs), etc.

Scribes are impartial.

Scribes write only what the person with a disability tells them to write (answers to questions on a quiz or test, the steps to a math problem, etc.). Scribes are not tutors; they are not to assist the person with a disability in doing the work itself or to effect the outcome of an assignment or test in any way other than writing what the student dictates. Scribes cannot be enrolled in the same course as the student with a disability.

Scribes do not elaborate.

Scribes are not allowed to elaborate on what is being written. They are not allowed to answer or explain anything to the student on assignments, tests, or quizzes. They are not allowed to define vocabulary words or give "hints" of any type. Students should be directed to their professors if they have questions.

Scribes are unobtrusive.

This means that in the classroom and other settings, scribes should be as "invisible" as possible. They should not participate in classroom discussions or engage in extraneous conversation with the student with a disability or others in the classroom. They should not be a distraction to anyone in the classroom.

Scribes maintain confidentiality.

The contents of tests and quizzes are confidential, as is information regarding the student and his/her disability or personal information. No information should be shared with anyone outside the "scribing" situation. If either testing or student confidentiality are thought to be compromised, Pellissippi State reserves the right to discontinue a scribe's services.