Equality Authority Ruling

Statement from the Dyslexia Association of Ireland on the ruling by the Equality Authority on annotation of examination certificates.

The Dyslexia Association of Ireland welcomes the ruling by the Equality Authority that annotation of the certificates of students with dyslexia who had been given reasonable accommodation in state examinations was discriminatory.

Reasonable accommodation, such as reading assistance, use of a tape recorder or computer or a waiver from the spelling and grammatical components in language subjects, is given to students to reduce the effects of a learning disability. It is not given to confer any extra advantage on such students, merely to lessen the disadvantage such students experience when taking a timed, written exam. The effect of the annotation of certificates, in the absence of any background information, conveys the impression that such a certificate is 'different', or 'inferior'. The presence of annotation therefore is a negative statement. A prospective employer seeing such an endorsement on a certificate, may not be fully aware of its implications and may well discriminate against a job applicant on the basis of incomplete information.

The Dyslexia Association calls on the Department of Education and Science to look again at how the state examinations are structured, so that the skills of all students, including those with specific learning difficulties can be more appropriately evaluated. Continuous assessment, alternative examination formats, project and oral work evaluation, would contribute to a more equitable examination system for students with dyslexia.

Anne Hughes, Director
Dyslexia Association of Ireland
November 22, 2006

For further information visit the Equality Authority website: www.equality.ie