Disabled Persons Freedom Pass eligibility criteria

There are seven categories of eligibility for a Disabled Persons Freedom Pass, as outlined by the Department for Transport guidance and legislation. 

Automatic criteria

People with these criteria will be eligible without needing further assessment.

(a) A person who is blind or partially sighted

Evidence required: Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI) signed by a consultant opthalmologist, BD8 form or registration with Local Authority.

(b) A person who is profoundly or severely deaf

Evidence required: Audiological report, report from an aural specialist or registration with Local Authority. People are generally regarded as having a severe hearing loss if it reaches 70-95 dBHL and a profound hearing loss if it reaches 95+ dBHL.

(c) A person who is without speech

Evidence Required: Medical report, such as audiological report. People in this category are unable to communicate orally in any language. They will be unable to make clear basic oral requests. This does not include people who are able to communicate orally but whose speech is slow or difficult to understand, for example because of a severe stammer.

(d) A person who has a disability, or has suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long-term adverse affect on their ability to walk*

Evidence required:

• Award letter from the Department for Work and Pensions stating that you are in receipt of the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA); OR
• Award letter from the Department for Work and Pensions stating indicating that you score 8 points or more under the ‘Moving Around’ section of Personal Independence Payments (PIP); OR
• Award letter from the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) that states that you receive the War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement

If you receive DLA or PIP the award letter must be dated within the last 12 months. If you do not have an award letter dated within the last 12 months you can get one from the Department for Work and Pensions on 08457 123456 (DLA) or 0345 850 3322 (PIP).

If you receive the War Pensions Mobility Supplement you can order a replacement letter from the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) on 0800 169 2277.

If you do not receive any of the above benefits, but you have severe difficulty in walking, you may still be eligible under the assessed criteria.

(e) A person who does not have arms or has long term loss of the use of both arms

Evidence Required: Medical evidence such as medical report, or letter from a consultant. This includes people with a limb reduction deficiency or both arms, bilateral upper limb amputation, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, motor neurone disease or a condition of comparable severity. It also covers people with deformity of both arms, or who have both arms, if in either case they are unable to use them to carry out day-to-day tasks such as paying coins into a fare machine.

(f) A person who has a learning disability, (that is, a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning)

Evidence required:

• Registration with the Council’s Learning Disability Service
• Medical evidence such as a cognitive assessment; report from a clinical or educational psychologist, and/or other health professional
• Award letter from the Department for Work and Pensions stating that you receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP). If you do not have an award letter dated within the last 12 months you can order one from the Department for Work and Pensions on 08457 123456 (DLA) 0345 850 3322 (PIP)
• Statement of Special Educational Needs (if relevant)

Assessment for people applying under this category will be undertaken by our Learning Disability Service. The more pieces of evidence you can provide, the faster the assessment may be.

A learning disability is different from a learning difficulty in that a learning disability describes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning acquired before adulthood, and a learning difficulty is associated with difficulties in acquiring specific academic skills despite normal intellectual/cognitive functioning.

(g) A person who would, if they applied for the grant of a licence to drive a motor vehicle under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, have their application refused pursuant to section 92 of the Act (physical fitness) otherwise than on the ground of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol

Evidence required:

• Confirmation from the DVLA of the reasons for which your driving licence has or would be refused or why it has or would be withdrawn
• Medical evidence such as medical report, or letter from GP or consultant

It is suggested that people applying under this criteria should include as many of the above pieces of evidence as possible in order to establish eligibility more quickly.

See ‘Notes for Medical Professionals on Driving Licence Eligibility’ within the application form for a summary of some of the medical conditions which may qualify a person applying under this criteria. View the complete list of DVLA guidelines for medical fitness to drive.

Assessed eligibility

These criteria will be subject to further assessment.

Severe Mobility Impairment

To qualify under this category, a person would have to have a long term and substantial disability that means you cannot walk or which makes walking very difficult. People with temporary disabilities e.g. a broken leg, will not qualify. The carrying of bags or parcels is not considered.

Passes will only be issued to people who experience excessive labour when walking, or walk at an extremely slow pace, or with excessive pain. Other factors are also considered such as distance, length of time for which you can walk, manner in which you walk.

The following statements outline the levels of disability we would expect to see in someone who qualifies for a Disabled Persons Freedom Pass:

1) The applicant cannot walk

• Being unable to walk means that they cannot take a single step
• The applicant needs to show that, because of their permanent and substantial disability, they cannot put one foot in front of the other
• Walking involves always having one foot on the ground

2) The applicant is virtually unable to walk

The applicant will need to show that they are unable to walk very far without experiencing severe discomfort. Discomfort can mean either pain or breathlessness. Extreme fatigue and stress may also be taken into account. It has been accepted that discomfort is subjective and that some people have higher pain thresholds than others.

The following factors are considered in determining this:

• The distance over which they can walk without experiencing severe discomfort
• The speed at which they can walk
• The length of time for which they can walk
• The manner in which they can walk

It does not matter whether the severe discomfort occurs at the time of their walk or later. What counts is that the discomfort is a direct result of their attempt to walk.

3) The exertion required to walk would 'constitute a danger to their life or would be likely to lead to a serious deterioration in their health.'

The applicant needs to show that they should not walk very far because of the danger to their health. This element is intended for people with serious chest, lung or heart conditions. Some people with haemophilia may also qualify.

The serious deterioration does not need to be permanent but it should require medical intervention for them to recover. They will need to show that any danger to their health is a direct result of the effort required to walk.

People with epilepsy will need to show that any fits were brought about by the effort required to walk.

Discretionary Disabled Persons Freedom Pass

If you are applying because of a mental health difficulty but are not eligible under any of the criteria listed, you may still be eligible for a Discretionary Disabled Persons Freedom Pass if you are a client of one of the boroughs Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT’s). Please contact your care manager at the CMHT for further information.