Bad wheelchair access and signage
0.5
0.5
Date of visit: November 2019
I have experience of challenges around: a hidden impairment and moving around.
Overall Rating
Bad
Signage for access was bad and even finding the way into building was a task. Once inside I had to fathom how to reach the gallery, signage was terrible. The answer? Through the cafe, which has the heaviest door known to man. Not possible to open from a wheelchair. Signs inside the building for finding the galleries with a step free path are non existent. As a result I realised when I got home I missed an entire exhibition. For everyone else there is a bridge to the Henry Moore Foundation, if you need step free access you must go outside, round the corner and locate a plain wooden door that's that doesn't look like an entrance for visitors and press a button for entry. A map showing step free routes would have been very helpful and saved a lot of faffing about. The cafe you must pass through is very narrow and especially difficult when busy.
Disabled Access In and Around
Bad
Very bad signage, step free routes totally unmarked. I ended up missing an entire gallery as a result. To get to the Henry Moore everyone else can simply walk across a footbridge while those needing level access must go outside and around the corner to a door that doesn't look like a gallery entrance. Having to go all the way around outside in the cold and wet like that was particularly unfair on helper with hidden impairment. Extremely heavy doors make Leeds City Art Gallery totally inaccesible without a helper or reliance on friendly strangers.
Parking & Transport
Bad
We arrived on a coach. We had difficulty finding the gallery from the sat nav instructions and ended up driving around in a circle until locating it, bad signage. The coach ended up having to drop us in a side street which was had uneven paving some wheelchair users may struggle with.
Accessible Toilets
Excellent
Clean and tidy standard disabled toilet with a radar lock.
Staff
Good
Knowledgeable about the artworks and gave good directions on how to access the Henry Moore building.
