Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Acting Chair. Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects about one in ten students, manifesting in a spectrum from mild to severe. As the Minister of State and Senators will be aware, it is legally recognised as a disability under both Irish and EU law. That recognition ensures the right to various accommodations in both education settings and the workplace.

In many countries, students with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions are granted additional time to support them during their formal State exams. For example, these countries include France, where students receive 33% additional time; Italy, where it is 30% additional time; and the UK, where students receive 25% additional time. There is currently no provision for extra time in Ireland despite advocates having raised this for years. I raise this today having been approached by a mother in Galway a number of weeks ago who told me how much stress this was causing and how much her child would benefit from a time allowance similar to that available in other European countries. This is an issue affecting thousands of families in the country every year. They are not looking for special treatment, merely just a level playing field that acknowledges their child's situation.

Dyslexia also impacts on confidence, esteem and relationship building, naturally enough. Students with dyslexia process information differently from students without it. This is in regard to reading text, processing what that information means, understanding it and how to articulate the information, either verbally or as an answer to an exam question on paper. When this is all combined and under time constraint, a person with dyslexia can become stressed, anxious and often freezes.