Really varied exhibit
4
4
Date of visit: October 2025
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: accessing toilets and moving around.
I use or have experience of: disabled toilet, wheelchair
Overall Rating
Good
The Dylan Thomas Centre has an exhibit called ‘Love the Words’ which tells the story of Dylan Thomas’ life and work. It has many details about the inspirations behind his poetry and the things he did during his lifetime. The exhibit is free to enter. The centre also operates as an event space with spaces available for hire.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
The main entrance leads in from a large courtyard with benches. There are two sets of doors, one was propped open and the other was closed. They weren’t automatic doors but as I started to try and enter, a member of staff came from behind the reception desk and helped open the door for me. The exhibit is well-spaced and has many different things to interact with. There are images and text throughout, there are small reconstructions of places important to him such as his childhood home, there are video and audio displays and much more. There is also a separate room for children to play with space to colour and a playden. The exhibits were displayed in lots of different ways so some were too high for me in my wheelchair. But there were also some glass displays with empty space beneath them so I could roll up close and see. Most of the interactive displays were at a height that most people could reach, including children. I also saw one exhibit that was a bit higher and a small stool was kept there to make it easier to reach. I didn’t see any alternative formats in use. I didn't see the spaces that can be hired so I'm not sure what the access to the rest of the building is like. They did seem to have a lift but I'm not sure if this gave access to all the floors in the building.
Accessible facilities: Step-free entrance
Parking & Transport
Average
I travelled to this place by walk or wheel
There is a bus stop just outside the centre on Somerset Place. There is a large pay & display car park just outside the centre. It’s called East Burrows car park and it has accessible parking spaces and EV charging spaces.
Accessible facilities: Electric Vehicle Charging, Public or on street parking
Accessible Toilets
Poor
There was an accessible toilet located close to the main entrance. It was really small and I found it really difficult to manage with my small manual wheelchair and power attachment. The door to the toilet opened outwards with a standard door handle. Inside there was a horizontal grab rail to assist with closing the door. Underneath the door handle was a small twist lock but this couldn’t be operated with a fist or elbow. A mirror was also mounted on the door. The toilet had space for a left-side transfer however; two bins were being stored here so the space was really limited. There was a height-adjustable grab rail, a vertical grab rail and a horizontal grab rail around the toilet. The flush was a lever flush with a rounded end and it was mounted on the cistern. It was placed on the opposite side to the transfer area so you had to reach across the toilet to use it. The sink was just in front of the toilet and it was a small sink with a single tap. The tap was manually operated and had a long handle with a larger end which seemed like it would be able to be operated with a fist or elbow. The tap twisted to control both the temperature and flow of the water. There was a plug that was attached to the sink with a chain. There was one vertical grab rail on the left of the sink, a manual soap dispenser above the sink and an automatic hand dryer to the right. Opposite the sink was a baby-changing table mounted on the wall. I didn’t see any emergency cords or alarms in this toilet.
Facilities: Accessible toilet
Staff
Excellent
There was a member of staff who helped when I entered and let me know where the exhibit was. I didn’t see any other staff members but the space wasn’t too large and it would have been easy to go back to reception if I needed anything. They were really quick to help me with any doors that needed opening.
