Staff made everything go smoothly
4.5
4.5
Date of visit: February 2022
I have experience of challenges around: hearing and moving around.
Overall Rating
Excellent
Excellent, clean and peaceful facilities and the staff were very helpful. It made a nerve-racking experience go very smoothly. Do note that only the candidate taking the test is allowed into the building so if you need any kind of interpreter or carer within the test centre you will need to organise that with the DVSA ahead of time.
Disabled Access In and Around
Excellent
Everything was excellent, everything was all on the one floor. There is a small waiting area with seats and lockers where you will need to put all personal belongings before entering the testing area. When signing in you are asked if you are happy to read the questions or if you would like headphones to listen to them or they could be interpreted to BSL on the screen to watch. Despite not contacting the DVSA prior to my test, I was provided with a private room area that had a lot more space and a height-adjustable table. It is advised that if you require this that you book ahead to ensure it is available, but I knew I would be able to manage at a normal height desk in the main room, but it was very much appreciated. Also, you are not allowed any food or water with you so if you have a medical need that means you can't go without for the ~90 minutes the test lasts then you should make the DVSA aware prior to your test date. The only potential difficulties I encountered was at the main entrance there was an intercom system which is difficult when you are deaf but I had someone with me who could help me with that. The door isn't automatic and is quite heavy but you could ask for help through the intercom if needed and when exiting a member of staff assisted me.
Parking & Transport
Average
Virtually no parking immediately outside as it is on the high street. Some street parking is available, but I didn't see any disabled parking on the street. There are a few public car parks nearby with excellent disabled spaces.
Accessible Toilets
Average
It was clean and tidy, with enough space for me to manoeuvre very comfortably. However, I have a fairly compact manual chair, so I think someone in a larger or powerchair might find it a bit tight. The door is very light, the doorway large, and all usual grab rails were present, as was a red cord dangling freely to the floor.
Staff
Excellent
Excellent, everyone I met was very helpful and friendly and did everything they could to make my experience as smooth as possible. They were happy to lower their masks so I could lipread and provided any important information to me in written form to make sure I could fully understand.
