Irish Stammering Association

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Email to the Irish Stammering Association Board to suggest they email the oral exam department of State Examinations Commission to share their experiences of oral exams, and highlight the inconsistency in access to accommodations for students who stammer in oral exams due to the lack of clarity in the guidelines, as they imply that accommodations are only available to students with both a hearing impairment and a speech impediment, creating confusion and limiting access to eligible students.

Penny emailed local County Councillors and TDs in her region (Co Longford) to raise awareness and highlight that the lack of clarity in the RACE guidelines for students who stammer meant that students were not consistently applying for, or granted, accommodations in oral exams. This action aimed to address the issue by bringing it to the attention of the local council and Minister for Education.

Penny emailed members of the Speech and Language Therapist special interest group in stammering to suggest that any SLTs who had experience of a client navigating RACE applications to email the oral exam department of State Exam Commission in order to share the experiences of their clients who stammer. This feedback aimed to provide real-world evidence of the impact of the unclear guidelines, strengthening the case for action to ensure consistent and fair accommodations for students who stammer.

Sean Mimnagh (Longford County Councillor) and Joe Flaherty (Longford TD) responded to indicate they would support the enquiry into the issue. Penny sent a follow-up email requesting they inform the Minister for Education of the urgent need to provide clarity regarding stammering in the 2025 RACE guidelines. The existing guidelines were ambiguous, suggesting that accommodations for oral exams were only available to students with both a hearing impairment and a speech impediment.

Telephone call between Penny and Andrea Feeney (CEO of State Examinations Commission) to discuss the impact of the ambiguous RACE guidelines for students who stammer, which ISA reported were causing inequitable access to oral exam accommodations. Penny highlighted the confusion caused by the wording referring to hearing impairment as a criteria. The CEO acknowledged the issue and committed to reviewing the guidelines to ensure clarity and fair access in the upcoming revision.

Email Subject: Advocating for Accommodations for Students Who Stammer in Oral ExamsEmail highlighting the current absence of 'stammering' as an additional need in the SEC RACE Guidelines.