Mum 'super proud' of teen who passed GCSEs using eyes
BBCThe mum of a teenager with cerebral palsy who passed his GCSEs by using eye-tracking technology has said she is "super proud" of his achievement.
Patrick McCabe, 16, from Cheshire, took seven GCSE exams between February and June and got the grades he needed to go on to sixth form and study A-levels.
His mum Jo praised his "patience and willpower", adding the exams were difficult enough to do, but "having to do them with his eyes is an even bigger challenge".
Patrick said when he opened his results he "thought they mixed me up with someone else", but after double checking his name at the top he "felt relieved that all the work I did prior to my exams paid off".
He said his most difficult subject was maths, "because I had to do the workings out in my head".
"I found it frustrating that I couldn't just write on to the paper," he told BBC Breakfast.
"I had to describe where to put each number before I even got to work out the answer.
"I found this really exhausting."
Patrick was supported in doing his exams by the organisation, CandLE, which helps students who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Assistive Technology to access education across the UK.
He will go on to take A-levels in French, Media and Business.
Patrick said that his "ultimate dream" was to "travel around the world and report on sporting events" and the accessibility of sporting venues.
In a video message congratulating Patrick on his "phenomenal" results, sports presenter Clare Balding said she had been "very inspired" by his story and "impressed with your diligence, your aptitude, your resilience".
She said he had "all the qualities necessary to be a brilliant sports reporter".
Jo said her son, a student at The Fallibroome Academy in Macclesfield, "had to, almost, devise his own way of revising, which he did and with the assistance of CandLE he managed to get through a really difficult few months of revision".
She said it was "a testament to his patience and willpower that we're sat here today and he's able to go on to sixth form and study the subjects that he really wants to do".
Using traditional revision techniques such as making notes and highlighting textbooks was not an option for Patrick, she said.
Jo said Patrick had "always had such a can do attitude which has really stood him in great stead for the exams and barriers don't get in the way of what he wants to achieve so... it's been great".
Laura Baggley from CandLE said Patrick had "absolutely smashed those exams" but added that the exam process was "not designed for younger people who do have challenges like Patrick".
Patrick said another ambition was to learn to drive when he turned 17 next year "but I appreciate how difficult this might be".
"I'd love to be able to drive to McDonald's with my mates," he said.
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