The rationale for this bonus system is the very real additional effort required to study some subjects in Irish, since textbooks are often not available in irish and so a load of class time is spent translating English textbooks into Irish.

You are right to highlight the obvious inconsistency though. I wonder if this is a parallel the Equality Authority drew and if not, why not?

you’re effectively calling for the scrapping of all exams and for all students to be automatically given a Pass just for turning up to school

Do you ever actually read what you write or even think about what you write. Seriously? Once you actually make an intelligent point I might reply.

If the court had found against the department then it would in effect have swung the scales so far that the most disadvantaged people would be those unfortunate enough to be born male, white, intelligent and able bodied
Mike you trying to say that dyslexics are stupid? Just for future informations dyslexics tend to have above average intelligence. But keep up with your male white etc etc thing if it make you feel better.

So what if you’re able to call it “discrimination”. Discrimination is a good thing – as long as it’s based on ability (to read or drive or whatever the job entails) and not based on race or whatever. Wheelchair access is an interesting issue – it raises costs on the employer, but at least their performance on the job is not fudged in the way you’re trying to suggest.

If you allow exams to become meaningless random-letter generators, then employers and the like will simply find other ways such as more in-depth interviews to weed out those that cannot read and write to the required standard.

And also, if a blind student is given help with exams you can’t seriously expect them to be able to apply for jobs and hide the disability from prospective employers?

Simon, you could find yourself doing a great disservice to disability rights if you make a scene about “dyslexia” (however it’s defined this week). It doesn’t matter whether it’s caused by genetics or bad parenting or diet or whatever, you’re effectively calling for the scrapping of all exams and for all students to be automatically given a Pass just for turning up to school. All variation in mental capacity is ultimately “caused” by something, and there’s nothing special about “dyslexia”.