Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Assistive Technology Scheme is provided by the Department of Education to supplement the overall approach to providing funding to schools for digital technology and equipment to support children for education purposes. All equipment provided under this scheme supports children with more complex disabilities who, in order to access the school curriculum, require essential specialist equipment.

Before making an application, it must be clear that the existing I.T. equipment in the school is insufficient to meet the child's needs. Where necessary, schools may also purchase new/additional equipment or software for students from normal school resources or funds.

Where children with more complex disabilities require essential specialist equipment to access the school curriculum (which they do not already have or which cannot be provided for them through the schools' existing provisions), schools may make an application for such equipment to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) under the terms of this scheme.

The NCSE, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports. The SENO, on behalf of the NCSE, operates within the Department’s criteria and make recommendations to the Department where assistive technology/specialised equipment is required.

In order to qualify for equipment under the Assistive Technology Scheme, a student must have been diagnosed with a physical or communicative disability and must also have a recommendation in a professional assessment that the equipment is essential in order to allow the student to access the curriculum.

On making an application directly to the SENO, the school provides details of the student’s special educational needs or disability, including details of the approach taken by the school in making relevant interventions.

SENOs will review the application and professional reports provided in support of same in order to establish whether the criteria of the scheme have been met. They will then make a recommendation to the Department as to whether or not assistive technology is required. Based on this recommendation, the Department will decide on the level of grant, if any, to be provided.

The type of equipment provided under the Assistive Technology Scheme is varied, and includes audiological supports for students with hearing impairment, braille equipment for children with visual impairment, and computer equipment with associated modified software for students with physical or severe communicative disabilities.

Communication devices or medical or therapy related devices which are not specific educational interventions or equipment specifically required as essential for school educational access, and which have a general application outside of school, are not provided for under the Assistive Technology scheme, however. Such equipment is normally provided for children with disabilities by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

In relation to the use of assistive technology for the purpose of state examinations, the following information relates to the State Examinations Commission (SEC) and their Scheme of Reasonable Accommodations at the Certificate Examinations (RACE).

The SEC facilitates access to the certificate examinations by candidates who would have difficulty in accessing the examination or communicating what they know to an examiner because of a physical disability, including visual and hearing impairments, a medical or other condition, including sensory and mental health conditions, or a learning difficulty. The access scheme is referred to as the Scheme of Reasonable Accommodations at the Certificate Examinations or RACE Scheme.

The RACE Scheme

Some of the main features of the scheme are;

• The access arrangements made for the examination should be reflective of the arrangements normally made by the school to support learning for students with an identified need.
• Assessment of eligibility for reasonable accommodations is based on appropriate evidence of need and not on a diagnosis of any specific condition. For some accommodations evidence of need requires school-based testing to be undertaken.
• The application process is school based and the expectation is that applications for reasonable accommodations will be made by schools on behalf of candidates whose special needs have already been identified and who are being provided with appropriate learning interventions as part of a continuum of support in the school.
• Schools have devolved authority to recommend to the SEC the supports, from among those available within the RACE scheme, that should be put in place at Junior Cycle and at Leaving Certificate.
• In general, the SEC will accept the recommendation of the school.
• Accommodations granted at Junior Cycle can be reactivated at Leaving Certificate subject to confirmation by the school of an ongoing need.
• This model of decision making gives certainty, from an early stage of a student’s post primary education, about the supports that they will have in the state examinations.
• In cases where a school, candidate or parent are unhappy with the decision to refuse an accommodation, they may access the RACE Independent Appeals Committee (IAC). All members of the IAC are drawn from outside the SEC.
• The Ombudsman or, in the case of students under 18 years of age, the Ombudsman for Children also have a role in reviewing decision of the SEC in relation to the RACE Scheme.

RACE applications are made on one of four grounds as follows:

(1) Learning Difficulty

(2) Hearing Difficulty

(3) Visual Difficulty

(4) Physical Difficulty** this category is taken to include medical, sensory, mental health and behavioural difficulties as well as physical difficulties.

Details of the scheme are contained in the annually issued RACE Instructions for Schools which the handbook on the RACE Scheme. A companion Student Guide is also available. The RACE application process is school based. School authorities have discretion to apply to the SEC for supports to be provided to candidates whom they deem eligible, based on appropriate evidence of need, in line with the range of available supports, the criteria which apply to those supports; and other conditions of eligibility. Access arrangements made for the examinations should be reflective of the arrangements necessarily made by the school to support learning for students with an identified need. Generally, the SEC will accept the school’s recommendation.

Assistive Technology in the Examinations

Within the RACE Scheme, the main assistive technology options available for candidates are the use of a word processing device (a laptop or a tablet); use of a recording device; or the use of exam reading pens. To qualify for the use of assistive technology in the certificate examinations candidates must, in the first instance, be eligible for the accommodation as evidenced by the qualifying criteria set out in Section 9 of the “Instruction for schools”. The candidate must also be using the assistive technology for day to day schooling and in-house examinations.

In terms of the use of Assistive Technology in the RACE scheme, when approving word processors, the SEC does not recommend any particular device; once the candidate is eligible and the device can be restricted in order to preserve integrity then it can be used in the exam. Similarly, with tablets, which can also be approved for use, we do not recommend any particular device; the candidate must be eligible for reasonable accommodations; the device must be capable of being restricted from the internet and other information sources; and the examination content must be capable of being printed from the device and provided on removable media from the device.

Schools do not have delegated authority to recommend any accommodations not listed among the range of available accommodations. However, the SEC will consider applications for use of other forms of assistive technology (other than those named in the scheme) in the examinations as set out in the Instructions for Schools . The SEC is open to considering use of non-standard assistive technologies in the examinations provided the assistive technology:

• is already being used by the candidate
• does not give rise to any examinations’ integrity concerns;
• does not require any development work to be done by the SEC in respect of its examination papers.

Such applications will be decided upon by the SEC in light of the constraints listed above; the overhead of providing individual examination centres to meet the needs of candidates using assistive technology and the principles and requirements of the scheme.

Rest Breaks

Detailed information on rest breaks and the rules that apply to rest breaks can be found in section 5.3.3 of the RACE 2024 “Instructions for Schools”. Briefly. to provide for emergency situations and to provide for a candidate’s medical needs, schools have discretion to grant rest breaks or rest periods, not exceeding 20 minutes per examination, to candidates with significant physical and/or medical conditions. It is important to note that rest breaks do not represent additional time in which to complete the examination.