Ms Andrea Feeney:

The Cathaoirleach asked whether we agree that additional time would address the issues that have been raised by the Dyslexia Association of Ireland. It is complicated. We have the two existing accommodations of additional time in four subjects with a heavy writing demand and the spelling and grammar waiver. To our knowledge, this waiver does not exist in any other jurisdiction. It is designed to address the absence of additional time. The concern is that if we add additional time without considering the two existing accommodations we could potentially have a situation not only where students would be advantaged if they have special educational needs but that there would be a fairness issue if it was seen to be attractive to other candidates who did not have special educational needs to be provided with certain accommodations such as additional time. This was the net issue the expert advisory group alluded to in its report in 2000. It is very difficult to distinguish who needs additional time and how to make that decision, and not only this but the quantum of additional time that students would have.

I will explain the scheme as it stands now. Reform of the scheme in 2016 and 2017 was not diagnosis led. In providing accommodations to students we are not looking for them to have a diagnosis of dyslexia. We are looking for them to have identified special educational needs in the school and be provided with learning supports in the school. This is their access to the scheme of reasonable accommodations rather than any particular diagnosis of dyslexia. Prior to the scheme change in 2016 and 2017, there was an equity issue in that in order to gain access to the scheme at leaving certificate people needed to have either a private psychological report, another type of a professional report or to have been seen by a NEPS psychologist.

For reasons of equity, in collaboration with NEPS, we moved to this needs-based approach of providing access to the scheme. One of the reasons the numbers of students within the scheme is growing, year on year, is because it is needs rather than diagnostics based.