Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 15 October 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills

Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion

11:00 am

Ms Eithne Walsh:

I would like to start on that because it is very close to my heart. First, it is very ad hoc. That is one of the things we are bringing to this meeting. There is a digital strategy in schools but it does not connect at all with our children. It seems to be managed by giving them education - the teachers are told to upskill and then it is left at that. How well a student does, as I outlined earlier, is dependent on intervention.

The Deputy's other point is so pertinent because you can have a student going through school who accesses everything digitally, which is what most of us aim for, because that gives you the true independence. When it comes to State examinations, up until two years ago, you could not even get a digital paper. You could be getting multiples or your paper could be 40 pages long. That has changed, but the change has been very slow. We engage with the State Examinations Commission the whole time. Our experience is that we have been waiting for a meeting since last January on-----

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.