Human rights watchdog asks State exams body to review provisions for visually impaired students

'Sitting an examination can be stressful experience in itself, without facing additional challenges,' said Liam Herrick, the IHREC chief commissioner. Picture: Denis Minihane

The State Examinations Commission (SEC) is to review the accommodations it offers visually impaired students in the State exams at the request of the human rights watchdog.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) has used its legal powers to invite the SEC to carry out an equality review of how it administers the Reasonable Accommodations at Certificate Examinations Scheme (the ‘Race’ scheme) for students with a visual impairment.

Specifically, the commission has asked the SEC to look at the provision of accessible modified papers, additional time arrangements, and digital paper delivery to candidates with a visual impairment.

“Sitting an examination can be stressful experience in itself, without facing additional challenges,” said Liam Herrick, the IHREC chief commissioner. 

Success in an exam, which often has significant, sometimes life-defining consequences, should come down to the student’s merit, ability and hard work in their subject, rather than their disability. 

He added: “Equality reviews are an important opportunity for an organisation to reflect on its systems and practices and to assess the level of equality of opportunity within that organisation and identify how it can do better to promote equality of opportunity.” 

As part of the equality review, the commission invited the SEC to:

• Conduct an audit of the level of equality of opportunity that exists for candidates with a visual impairment on the issue of accessibility of State exams;
• Identify all relevant current practices, procedures or other factors that relate to the issue of accessibility of State examinations for candidates with a visual impairment;
• Assess the effectiveness of these and outline any recommendations and findings from the equality review.

The SEC is a statutory body mandated to run State examinations, and in doing so, it provides a service for the purposes of the Equal Status Acts 2000-2018. These acts prohibit discrimination on 10 specific grounds, including disability.

A spokesman for the SEC said the Race scheme had "in the past been subject to both fundamental change and a process of continuous review and improvement".

"In the context of Senior Cycle redevelopment, and in light of increasing complexity in relation to the education of young people with special educational needs, the SEC has commenced work on a comprehensive system wide review of the Race scheme." 

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

Some areas raised by stakeholders include supports for candidates who have processing or cognitive issues; the range of supports appropriate to those who are vision or hearing impaired; the adequacy of additional time, he added.  

"The SEC is committed to improving the Race scheme to best meet the needs of candidates with special needs now and into the future, while ensuring fairness for all candidates." 

Andrea Feeney, chief executive of the SEC, said it welcomed the focus by the IHREC.

The SEC is "improving the RACE scheme to best meet the needs of candidate with special needs now and into the future while ensuring fairness for all candidates", she added. A detailed announcement about the SEC’s RACE Review will be made in the coming weeks.