Theory test support for people with dyslexia to resume in January

A spokesman for the Road Safety Authority said that tests using the assistance of in-person reader recorder can now be booked for tests which will take place on or after January 1.

The reader recorder service for people with dyslexia doing the driver theory test is being resumed.

The service was not available since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 because of Covid-19 health restrictions. A reader recorder service involves a person who can read the questions and answers to an applicant and who then records their answer on a computer.

Since the pandemic outbreak, recorded voiceovers in English were made available to customers who required assistance. Now however, the lifting of government restrictions has resulted in the return of the in-person service from January 1.

A spokesman for the Road Safety Authority said that tests using the assistance of in-person reader recorder can now be booked for tests which will take place on or after January 1.

Chief executive of Dyslexia Association of Ireland, Rosie Bisset, welcomed the return of the service. She said there is a big backlog of people as a result of the discontinuation of the service for so long.

She added that the Dyslexia Association of Ireland has been contacted regularly by people who were affected by the discontinuation of the service.

But she stressed that not everyone with dyslexia requires the reader recorder service. She said: “The specialist reader recorder service would be for a very small number of individuals.” 

Dyslexia affects approximately 10% of the Irish population.

Fine Gael Senator Tim Lombard raised the issue in the Seanad in recent days, saying that it was one of the biggest issues in his office in recent weeks.

He said: “It is unfair, it is discriminatory, it is not appropriate and because of that, people are being disenfranchised of the opportunity to have a driving test.” 

Ms Bissett told the Irish Examiner that the Dyslexia Association is also seeking to establish if there are other ways that the service provided by in-person reader recorders could still be provided in the future if the service as it currently exists could not be used.

According to the Dyslexia Association of Ireland, applicants for the reader recorder service will need to provide a letter of evidence from a professional (e.g. an assessment report, or a letter from a teacher/school) to verify their literacy difficulties and need for assistance during the test. As well as the reader recorder service, people with dyslexia can apply for extra time.

The association also points out that some people with dyslexia may take longer to learn to drive, including remembering left from right. Details regarding applying for the theory test are on www.theorytest.ie.