The General Directorate of Traffic, in line with the work it has been carrying out for some time with the aim of making theoretical exams more accessible to people with reading comprehension difficulties, has recently incorporated two new measures that will contribute to this end.
On the one hand, there is the possibility of taking the common test with texts and images adapted to simple language, in accordance with the guidelines and recommendations contained in the UNE 153101 Easy Reading standard and, on the other, the possibility of requesting the help of audio in the theoretical test carried out by computer.
Regarding the questions with texts and images adapted to the UNE 153101:2018 Easy Reading standard, in 2020 the General Directorate of Traffic adapted a first set of questions with the aim of carrying out pilot tests with people with intellectual disabilities who were interested in obtaining a class B driving license.
After these tests, in 2023 the DGT put out to public tender the adaptation to the aforementioned UNE standard of the questions used in the knowledge control tests to obtain the class B driving license and, despite the fact that the first year from the date of formalization of the contract, the theoretical test to obtain the B permit is now available in simple language, having already adapted a sufficient and important number of the questions used in this test, as well as their images.
This adaptation also includes the images so that they not only meet the requirements of the UNE 153101:2018 standard, but are also accessible to those people who have difficulty in color vision, as is the case of people with color blindness. .
In addition, the General Directorate of Traffic has incorporated into the module intended to show what a theoretical exam is like on its website, ((https://www.dgt.es/nuestros-servicios/permisos-de-conducir/obtener-un-nuevo-permiso-de-conducir/requisitos-preparacion-y-presentacion-a-examen/) three models of questionnaires with questions adapted to Easy Reading. These questionnaires have been developed with the double objective that, on the one hand, trainers can guide their students on the type of test they are going to encounter and thus be able to adapt their teaching appropriately; and on the other hand, that the applicants know the type of questionnaire they will face when they appear in the computerized examination room.
The project also includes the edition of an illustrated dictionary in Easy Reading that will collect all those terms that may be difficult to understand for those to whom the UNE 153101:2018 standard is directed but, since they are technical terms or do not have any appropriate meaning, in a simpler vocabulary, they will appear in the questions adapted to the requirements and recommendations of said standard. This dictionary, which is included in the 2024 Ministry of the Interior Editorial Program, will be edited in accordance with the requirements and recommendations of the UNE 153101:2018 standard and will be available before the end of the year, free of charge, on the website of the General Directorate of Traffic.
The theoretical test in Easy Reading will only be available in the computerized exam centers, that is, both in the exam centers of the General Directorate of Traffic, as well as in the displaced exam centers of Calatayud (Zaragoza) and Tomelloso (City Real).
It will be necessary for the applicant to previously request the completion of the test adapted to Easy Reading, either through their driving school, who will submit the application for the adapted exam through the DGT computer application, or through their Headquarters or Office of Traffic in case of appearing independently.
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On the other hand, the General Directorate of Traffic has carried out the adaptation of its computerized Exam Management system in such a way that those groups that have reading comprehension difficulties can request the help of headphones that will allow applicants to hear the questions they ask. They make up the exam questionnaire, both the statements and their answers.
To this end, Headquarters and Traffic Offices will provide headphones, with built-in volume control, to those applicants who need them and have previously requested them.
In the first phase, the audio will only be available in tests carried out in Spanish, although it is planned to extend it to all languages in the near future.
Applicants can request both adaptations separately or together, since they are compatible with each other.
Finally, and in the exercise of positive action to compensate for the disadvantages that people with a non-disabling disability may encounter in obtaining a driving permit or license, Annex VI.B).2 of Royal Decree 818/ 2009, of May 8, which approves the General Regulations for Drivers, expressly contemplates the extension of the time to complete the theoretical test for special, duly justified cases. It is understood that those people who have duly justified reading comprehension difficulties may have, upon request, this additional time, to ensure that what is evaluated is their knowledge and not their ability to understand the texts. It is the Provincial Headquarters that must evaluate and, where appropriate, approve or deny the request, on an individualized and objective basis.
All these measures are added to the first Basic Manual for obtaining the B permit prepared following the UNE 153101 EX Easy Reading Standard, which is available for consultation and download in interactive digital format from the end of 2023 on the Agency’s website, both In the accessibility section, https://www.dgt.es/nuestros-servicios/permisos-de-conducir/accesibilidad/as in the section intended for driving schools, https://www.dgt.es/nuestros-servicios/para-colaboradores-y-empresas/autoescuelas/as well as in the Electronic Headquarters of the Government of Spain, in the section dedicated to driving licenses, https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/permisos-de-conducir/.
