Arguably you personally should have been allowed extra reading time as long as the competence standard (proving you knew the stuff) was met. I bet there was nothing of that in the info.
Definitely not. I remember the info being exceptionally unfriendly: you MUST use a computer and you are allowed ONLY so many minutes and etc.etc. It was like the most puny, power-tripping teacher offering a standardized test to schoolchildren.
Case for indirect discrimination against disabled people I wonder?
Wouldn't surprise me. I didn't seek out any adjustments, figuring I could cope (and I did) but I also in a way didn't want to make trouble, didn't want to do anything that might have any negative effects. However slight the possibility is, when you have so much riding on the results of this test, you have every reason to be meek and well-behaved. And I am sure that contributes to people "failing" unfairly, and just paying more and trying again. It's such a sad thought.
But yeah, would they make the case? Even if they wanted to risk causing a fuss, would they know how the system worked, that making the legal case for discrimination was a thing they could do? Having been kept from accessing any benefits (at least if their visa, like mine, had NO RECOURSE TO STATE FUNDS emblazoned on it), how likely are they to know what rights and support they have?
Of course you're right in that there are disadvantages to not being able to speak/read English, but a one-off set of multiple-choice questions two years into your stay in the UK is not the way to encourage a functional understanding of the language. As you say, put that towards ESOL programs and such, ffs.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
baggyeyes
(no subject)
Date: 2012-07-08 02:04 pm (UTC)Definitely not. I remember the info being exceptionally unfriendly: you MUST use a computer and you are allowed ONLY so many minutes and etc.etc. It was like the most puny, power-tripping teacher offering a standardized test to schoolchildren.
Case for indirect discrimination against disabled people I wonder?
Wouldn't surprise me. I didn't seek out any adjustments, figuring I could cope (and I did) but I also in a way didn't want to make trouble, didn't want to do anything that might have any negative effects. However slight the possibility is, when you have so much riding on the results of this test, you have every reason to be meek and well-behaved. And I am sure that contributes to people "failing" unfairly, and just paying more and trying again. It's such a sad thought.
But yeah, would they make the case? Even if they wanted to risk causing a fuss, would they know how the system worked, that making the legal case for discrimination was a thing they could do? Having been kept from accessing any benefits (at least if their visa, like mine, had NO RECOURSE TO STATE FUNDS emblazoned on it), how likely are they to know what rights and support they have?
Of course you're right in that there are disadvantages to not being able to speak/read English, but a one-off set of multiple-choice questions two years into your stay in the UK is not the way to encourage a functional understanding of the language. As you say, put that towards ESOL programs and such, ffs.