Disabled Freedom Pass or Older Persons Freedom Pass

This refers to someone whose sight is so impaired they could be registered as blind or partially sighted. Registration is voluntary, so if you are not registered you will need to provide evidence to show that you could be registered.

A BD8 Certificate or Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI) is proof that you could be registered and is given to you by your Consultant Ophthalmologist. We will need to see the original certificate.

Loss of sight in one eye does not always mean a person can be registered partially sighted. We do not accept letters from GPs or Dispensing Opticians regarding loss of sight.

This refers to someone who has a severe hearing loss if the average hearing loss reaches 70-95 dBHL and a profound hearing loss if the average hearing loss reaches 95+ dBHL.

This hearing loss must apply to both ears.

Registration is voluntary, so if you are not registered, you will need to provide evidence to show that you could be registered. You will need to provide an original copy of your Audiogram or Audiology Report for us to assess.

Someone registered as ‘hard of hearing’ will not qualify.

We do not accept letters from GPs regarding hearing loss.

This refers to someone who is unable to communicate orally in any language.

This means someone who cannot make a clear, basic oral request and/or ask questions to clarify instructions.

This does not include people who are able to speak but whose speech may be slow or difficult to understand. This does not apply to someone whose speech is limited because English is not their first language or if they have a stammer.

If you are not registered as ‘Deaf without Speech’, you will need to provide a copy of your award of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) with a score of 8 points or more for ‘Communicating Verbally’ or a report from your GP/Speech Therapist for us to assess.

This refers to someone who is unable to walk, virtually unable to walk or the exertion required to walk would constitute a danger to your life.

You will need to provide your Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Award Letter showing the Higher Rate of Mobility or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Award Letter showing 8 points or more for the ‘Moving Around’ element of Mobility. (This does not include any points awarded for ‘Daily Living’ or ‘Planning and Following a Journey’).

Otherwise, you need to provide detailed, recent (dated within the past three months) medical evidence from your GP or Consultant stating the nature of your disability. The medical evidence must confirm and clearly state how your condition affects your mobility. We do not accept hospital appointment letters, discharge summaries or sick certificates.

This refers to those without arms, those with a deformity of both arms or those who have both arms but are unable to use them to carry out day-to-day tasks. You will need to provide a detailed, recent (dated within the past three months) medical report from your GP or Consultant for us to assess.

This refers to someone who has a learning disability (not a learning difficulty), that is, a state of ‘arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning’.

This means that the person would have significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information and to learn new skills (significantly impaired social functioning). The learning disability must have started before adulthood and have a lasting effect on development.

A learning difficulty is not the same as a learning disability.

Some examples of what is not considered to be a learning difficulty are: ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other ‘specific learning difficulties’ as defined by education, brain damage sustained after the age of 18, Asperger’s Syndrome and Global Development Delay or autistic spectrum disorder without an associated learning disability.

You will need to be registered with the Havering Community Learning Disability Team (CLDT).

If you are not currently on the register you should submit a self-referral form for an assessment.

Alternatively you will need to provide us with a doctors letter stating that you have been diagnosed with a learning disability. 

This refers to someone who has a disability or condition that would prevent them from being legally considered medically fit to drive as outlined by the DVLA Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive. This must be on grounds other than persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol.

Epilepsy

A person with epilepsy can be granted a driving licence if the following criteria are met:

• They have not had an epileptic attach whilst awake for a year or more
• They have had an attack whilst asleep over three years before without any attacks whilst awake in between, even though attacks whilst asleep may continue to occur

Severe mental disorder

Being diagnosed with a mental disorder does not automatically prevent someone holding a driving licence in accordance with the DVLA Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive. A Disabled Freedom Pass can only be awarded in this category if the person would be refused a driving licence because of their mental health condition and other than on the grounds of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol.

If you have not recently had your driving licence refused or revoked by the DVLA, we will accept a written report from your Psychiatrist, Community Psychiatric Nurse or similar mental health worker for us to assess whether you are:

• liable to sudden attacks of giddiness or fainting (cardiac or neurological disorder)
• unable to read a registration plate in good light at 20.5 metres (with corrective lenses if worn)
• suffer from any other condition(s) which were you to drive a vehicle would be likely to be a source of danger to the public.

Please visit Gov.UK for more information