‘We’re not a statistic’: HSC exams are hard – but for students with disabilities it can be even more challenging

Caitlin Blanch, an HSC student in Tamworth, NSW: ‘The current system is not allowing people with disability to be competitive.’ Photograph: Simon Scott/The Guardian

Caitlin Blanch is used to standing up for herself – she’s been doing it all her life. But navigating the higher school certificate with a disability has been the 18-year-old’s hardest battle yet.

“The current system is not allowing people with disability to be competitive, just allowing them to participate,” she says.