Who is eligible for Special Provisions?
Students with a permanent or temporary disability may be entitled to special provisions for formal examinations.
Any HSC student with a disability recognised in the Commonwealth Disability Standards for Education 2005 can apply for disability provisions.
The definition of ‘disability’ in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 includes:
- physical
- intellectual
- psychiatric
- sensory
- neurological, and
- learning disabilities, as well as
- physical disfigurement, and
- the presence in the body of disease-causing organisms.
Disability provisions apply only where the disability needs a practical arrangement to reduce disadvantage in an exam situation.
Disability provisions also apply to temporary and emergency-related disabilities such as where a student breaks their writing arm a week before an exam.
Students who become ill during an examination period may be eligible to make an illness/misadventure application rather than a disability provisions application.
For more information, visit this link.
What kinds of provisions are available?
Disability provisions assist students to read examination questions and write their answers. Provisions include rest breaks and extra time. The use of any provision is not written on the student’s results.
Common special exam provisions sought and received by students are:
· Small group supervision (students with anxiety, ASD, and students who also require rest breaks, etc)
· Rest breaks (common for students with anxiety, hand injuries, etc) Rest breaks must be taken in 5 minute lots.
· Separate supervision (common for students whose disability or needs may cause distraction for other students or discomfort for them)
· Coloured paper (a limited range of specific colours are available for students with diagnosed Irlen Syndrome)
Less common special provisions include:
· a scribe (students with a broken or disabled arm/hand, some diagnosed spelling disabilities, impaired writing speed or legibility due to a diagnosed disability, etc)
· extra time (usually only available for students with scribes to compensate for the dictation process)
· Other provisions required to adjust for a diagnosed disability
These provisions require the extensive gathering of evidence to support the application. If you intend to apply for any of these provisions, please contact us as soon as possible to discuss the requirements.
I want to apply for Special Provisions
Please read the 10 Principles for Examination Modifications and other information about Special Provision that can be found on the NESA site before going on.
If you have accessed and read the above link and would like to apply for Disability Provisions for your HSC examination, you will need to take the following steps.
1. See Mrs Giles, Jo Deshto or Mrs Mattes in the LEC to have your name recorded in the Special Provisions register then move on to Step 2 unless otherwise specified.
I want to apply for Special Provisions for Medical reasons.
Medical reasons include physical and mental conditions that may affect your performance during the examination. (broken writing arm, back injury, anxiety disorder, etc)
2. Either download and print the following forms, or get print copies from the LEC staff.
a. Medical Disability form to be filled out by the medical practitioner who is treating you and is not related to you.
b. The Student Declaration form to be completed by the student
3. Complete these forms and return them to the LEC staff as soon as possible in 2020. (The closing date for non-urgent applications is Week 8 of Term 1, though consideration can be given to later submission due to availability of specialist appointments, later onset of the disability and/or accidents)