A Junior Cert student from Dungarvan in Waterford is campaigning for better exam conditions for students who have a disability. Niamh Kilcawley lost her sight due to a brain tumour at the age of nine.
She completed her exams this summer with the help of a 'scribe' and an extra ten minutes for the test. But the 15 year old who wants to be a journalist in the future, believes things could be done better.
She said "I have to tell my scribe what to write, how to write, where to write it and even what pen and colour, so that does take up more time than me thinking of it and doing it on my own. I think every child has their own need and that it should be assessed individually because we all are going to have different needs and I personally think ten minutes is not enough for me and that time is gone in a flash"
Niamh spoke about how hard it is for her in a practical exam. "In other exams where I had my practical where I had to cook a two course meal, I didn't get any extra time at all. I can't see what I'm doing and that also includes me washing the dishes where I don't necessarily know if something is clean so I do have to ask an SNA."
She said that her SNA will tell her what temperature something is at and she can tell her if it's clean but otherwise she can't do anything else for her.
