Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Smyth is correct in stating the diagnosis is joint hypermobility syndrome. It is simply a matter of meeting the criteria demanded and required of this application process. The original application stated that her handwriting was good, for example. There was an element about her experiencing tiredness and issues in respect of carrying her school bag. If the criteria specifically relating to the physical or communicative disability are outlined with recommendations from a professional assessment, including the fact that the school cannot provide the technology the applicant badly needs, the appeal should be successful. Obviously, I cannot guarantee that but the appeal will be fully reviewed, once the criteria are set out in that application. At the end of the day, we want to support children with additional needs who have difficulty assessing knowledge and learning adequately and who require the assistive technology to do that.

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