The organisation has informed educational institutions that qualifying visually impaired Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate students would receive digital copies of their exam papers this year.

Candidates may enlarge and zoom in on any part of the paper as needed thanks to this provision.

Following a successful court challenge by a 14-year-old Junior Cycle candidate with a significant vision impairment, the scheme has been enlarged.

In October of last year, the child and her family asked the SEC to send digital exam papers so she could take the tests with her peers.

Candidates for the Leaving Certificate were the only ones with access to digital papers at the time.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) helped the candidate file a case of handicap discrimination with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) when the SEC declined to extend the provision.

The SEC agreed to extend its current plan to include this student and all other qualifying visually impaired Junior Cycle candidates in the 2024 examinations, as part of the settlement of that lawsuit that took place before a hearing.