Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Following on from Senator Clonan, my Commencement matter deals with a similar theme, namely the inaccessibility of education for people who are visually impaired. I am really glad of the opportunity to highlight issues relating to the rights of people with disabilities, particularly their right to live life on their own terms. I want to extend a really warm welcome to Ms Niamh Kilcawley and her mother, Sinéad, who have travelled here today to hear this Commencement debate. This Commencement matter was inspired by Niamh who is blind and has had to fight for every single accommodation she has received for her junior certificate. It is a critical issue that demands our immediate attention. In fact, it should have been taken care of already. We must ensure that the Department provides adequate accommodations for students who are blind and visually impaired. It is not only a moral obligation; it is an absolute necessity to create an inclusive and equitable learning environment that caters to the needs of every single student, regardless of ability. It is our responsibility to ensure that students have equal access to educational resources and the necessary tools and accommodations to enable them to achieve their full potential.

There are several issues and questions that I would like to speak about in the context of day-to-day education and the practicalities of exams. In terms of day-to-day education, the accessibility of class work, handouts and materials is important. Teachers and SNAs need to be trained in the most up-to-date technology. The importance of training and awareness of the accessibility of information and educational materials cannot be underestimated. It is the difference between getting an education and not getting one. Schools need to be given the capacity to do this. They also need to be given the capacity to mirror during school exams the accommodations given during State exams. There is also the issue of the practicality of timetables. If there is a delayed start, there must be a delayed finish. Is the CAO process accessible? Are higher and ordinary level exam papers available in Braille for students on exam day? Other important issues include rest breaks, exam timing, the time between exams, the role of the scribe and the actual exam papers, as I have mentioned. Rest breaks are particularly important. Students have to dictate all their answers, which causes significant mental fatigue for candidates. They need extra time because they have to mentally retain information as the reader calls out the questions, translate that into thought and then deliver their answers onto an exam paper. French comprehension, for example, is particularly demanding on memory. It should be a prerequisite so that a reader can inform the candidate as to the time, as people cannot see the clock. There are issues in relation to the insufficient time. For example, at present in English and history, ten minutes extra is given to students over the course of the three-hour exam to listen to the exam paper. They may dare to have someone re-read an exam paper. The student has not met the scribe before and the scribe may not understand the student's accent or may need them to speak more slowly. There are so many obstacles in students' way. It is ludicrous to think that for subjects like history and English only ten minutes extra over the course of three hours is given to students. Ms Kilcawley has gone through an awful lot of difficulties in her life. Despite the State constantly putting obstacles in her way, she achieved the highest junior certificate results in her school. No thanks are due to the State for this. It is thanks to Niamh fighting for every single accommodation. Now, 12 months on from her doing the leaving certificate, we are here to try to pre-empt that. We need an awful lot of help to make sure that obstacles are not put in front of students like Niamh.