Comments on: Disablism and parking, they go hand in hand http://caughtya.org/2007/05/01/disablism-and-parking-they-go-hand-in-hand/ A "hall of shame" to expose people parking illegally in disability or mobility parking spaces. Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:18:01 -0500 hourly 1 By: Webmaster http://caughtya.org/2007/05/01/disablism-and-parking-they-go-hand-in-hand/comment-page-1/#comment-10231 Webmaster Fri, 07 Sep 2007 21:43:03 +0000 http://caughtya.org/drive-by/2007/05/disablism-and-parking-they-go-hand-in-hand.html#comment-10231 hello Kooldaze, You are one of the reasons caughtya.org *insists* on focusing only on whether or not a parking permit is displayed. We well realise that there is no way to tell if someone has a disability just by looking at them. If you need one, then get one. And if someone approaches you and gives you crap, give them your doctor's phone number :) Seriously, people must understand that disability parking spaces are not just for people who are using wheelchairs. hello Kooldaze,

You are one of the reasons caughtya.org *insists* on focusing only on whether or not a parking permit is displayed. We well realise that there is no way to tell if someone has a disability just by looking at them.

If you need one, then get one. And if someone approaches you and gives you crap, give them your doctor's phone number :)

Seriously, people must understand that disability parking spaces are not just for people who are using wheelchairs.

]]> By: kooldaze777 http://caughtya.org/2007/05/01/disablism-and-parking-they-go-hand-in-hand/comment-page-1/#comment-10225 kooldaze777 Fri, 07 Sep 2007 18:23:15 +0000 http://caughtya.org/drive-by/2007/05/disablism-and-parking-they-go-hand-in-hand.html#comment-10225 After spending about 12 hours in an emergency room recently, I was told I have Progressive COPD. About ten years ago I noticed I was having shortness of breath issues when walking very far and doing some household chores. Now, some days it's all I can do to make from the car to a seat just inside the store. I catch my breath and move on. Do my shopping holding on to a cart and huff it back to the car where most often I just sit there a while and try to breathe before driving home. I feel embaressed most times at how I must look gasping for air. I drive home and strugle to finish unpacking the car. Put things away if I can and then just flop down and rest for a long while. I used to be very healthy and independent. Thank goodness I have a loving and understanding husband. When he is with me he drops me off at the door then parks where he can. When finished shopping I wait at the front of the store for him to bring the car to me. I was thinking about applying for a handicap parking permit but, after reading some of the comments here I'm having second thoughts. There are just some days that would be made just a little bit easier if I had that permit to use. I'm just not sure how I would react if someone confronted me about parking where they think I shouldn't because they can't see anything wrong. After spending about 12 hours in an emergency room recently, I was told I have Progressive COPD. About ten years ago I noticed I was having shortness of breath issues when walking very far and doing some household chores. Now, some days it's all I can do to make from the car to a seat just inside the store. I catch my breath and move on. Do my shopping holding on to a cart and huff it back to the car where most often I just sit there a while and try to breathe before driving home. I feel embaressed most times at how I must look gasping for air. I drive home and strugle to finish unpacking the car. Put things away if I can and then just flop down and rest for a long while. I used to be very healthy and independent. Thank goodness I have a loving and understanding husband. When he is with me he drops me off at the door then parks where he can. When finished shopping I wait at the front of the store for him to bring the car to me. I was thinking about applying for a handicap parking permit but, after reading some of the comments here I'm having second thoughts. There are just some days that would be made just a little bit easier if I had that permit to use. I'm just not sure how I would react if someone confronted me about parking where they think I shouldn't because they can't see anything wrong.

]]> By: Heather! http://caughtya.org/2007/05/01/disablism-and-parking-they-go-hand-in-hand/comment-page-1/#comment-10059 Heather! Mon, 03 Sep 2007 19:09:02 +0000 http://caughtya.org/drive-by/2007/05/disablism-and-parking-they-go-hand-in-hand.html#comment-10059 This has happened to me on more than one occasion; the most recent incident was only a week and a half ago. My office is in a building that has several office suites for a number of nonprofit agencies. The attached parking lot has no specified parking spots dedicated to those with disabled parking permits. This ordinarily isn't a big problem because there is another parking area that does have the spots and the spaces in the attached lot are quite wide. I don't park in the dedicated spots because I work there and am parked all day. I want to leave the spaces for other people who need them. But a few days ago the attached lot was unusually full. I parked there anyway because the spaces are generally wide enough that nobody parks too close to me. I had to visit several schools on this particular day (I drive a lot for my job), but when I came out to my car I saw that somebody had parked too close to it. I am a paraplegic and use a relatively small manual wheelchair. I could get close enough to unlock my door, but couldn't open the door wide enough to get into my car, let alone to flip my chair over and take off the wheels. I had no idea who had parked beside me, or what agency they were visiting, so I couldn't ask them to move. ****Please note that the car parked next to mine was NOT illegally parked! I am only using the example to illustrate the problem.**** What to do? The only thing I've ever been able to do in a situation like this is to rely on the kindness of strangers. I asked a man who was in a nearby parking lot to take my car keys, get into my car and back it out of my parking spot. this requires a great deal of trust; he could have stolen my car! At best it is a HUGE inconvenience; at worst...well, a lot of things could happen in worst-case scenarios. I do sometimes put my placard up in my driver's side window in the chance that the person who might park to my left will look over and see it and understand that I need a wider area for breaking down or setting up my wheelchair. gt80drider provides a great example of the ignorance in the greater population about the actual need for disabled parking spots. I don't mind parking far away from an entrance; for me, the issue is clearance and the actual size of a parking spot. I do know that the permits are handed out much too readily (in my opinion). Please don't assume you understand the situation, though, unless you are in it. gt80drider and Nate, maybe you should ask a couple of questions before you make any judgments. It's a good way to avoid looking stupid and uninformed, and a better way to be taken seriously. This has happened to me on more than one occasion; the most recent incident was only a week and a half ago. My office is in a building that has several office suites for a number of nonprofit agencies. The attached parking lot has no specified parking spots dedicated to those with disabled parking permits. This ordinarily isn't a big problem because there is another parking area that does have the spots and the spaces in the attached lot are quite wide. I don't park in the dedicated spots because I work there and am parked all day. I want to leave the spaces for other people who need them. But a few days ago the attached lot was unusually full. I parked there anyway because the spaces are generally wide enough that nobody parks too close to me. I had to visit several schools on this particular day (I drive a lot for my job), but when I came out to my car I saw that somebody had parked too close to it. I am a paraplegic and use a relatively small manual wheelchair. I could get close enough to unlock my door, but couldn't open the door wide enough to get into my car, let alone to flip my chair over and take off the wheels. I had no idea who had parked beside me, or what agency they were visiting, so I couldn't ask them to move.

****Please note that the car parked next to mine was NOT illegally parked! I am only using the example to illustrate the problem.****

What to do? The only thing I've ever been able to do in a situation like this is to rely on the kindness of strangers. I asked a man who was in a nearby parking lot to take my car keys, get into my car and back it out of my parking spot. this requires a great deal of trust; he could have stolen my car! At best it is a HUGE inconvenience; at worst...well, a lot of things could happen in worst-case scenarios.

I do sometimes put my placard up in my driver's side window in the chance that the person who might park to my left will look over and see it and understand that I need a wider area for breaking down or setting up my wheelchair.

gt80drider provides a great example of the ignorance in the greater population about the actual need for disabled parking spots. I don't mind parking far away from an entrance; for me, the issue is clearance and the actual size of a parking spot. I do know that the permits are handed out much too readily (in my opinion). Please don't assume you understand the situation, though, unless you are in it. gt80drider and Nate, maybe you should ask a couple of questions before you make any judgments. It's a good way to avoid looking stupid and uninformed, and a better way to be taken seriously.

]]> By: Dot http://caughtya.org/2007/05/01/disablism-and-parking-they-go-hand-in-hand/comment-page-1/#comment-9590 Dot Tue, 21 Aug 2007 03:40:50 +0000 http://caughtya.org/drive-by/2007/05/disablism-and-parking-they-go-hand-in-hand.html#comment-9590 This is a response to gt80rdider: First of all, unless you're disabled yourself or know someone who is disabled, you're certainly in no position to judge regarding disabled parking. Have you heard of invisible disabilities, such as COPD or rheumatoid arthritis? Secondly, regular parking spots aren't as big as disabled parking spots, so disabled people who use wheelchairs, walkers, scooters, etc. have a much harder time getting out of their cars. I myself don't use these devices but my sister does. She uses both a manual and electric wheelchair. We don't have our own vehicle but we rent from time to time, and she has a legal disabled parking permit. She doesn't use the disabled parking spots all the time but she's certainly entitled to use one. She has spina bifida and is unable to walk. A disabled parking spot gives her much more room to get into her wheelchair from the passenger seat. Try doing that in a regular parking spot, when another car's parked beside you. It's quite impossible to do that. Put yourself in someone else's position before even trying to judge any further. This is a response to gt80rdider:

First of all, unless you're disabled yourself or know someone who is disabled, you're certainly in no position to judge regarding disabled parking. Have you heard of invisible disabilities, such as COPD or rheumatoid arthritis?

Secondly, regular parking spots aren't as big as disabled parking spots, so disabled people who use wheelchairs, walkers, scooters, etc. have a much harder time getting out of their cars. I myself don't use these devices but my sister does. She uses both a manual and electric wheelchair. We don't have our own vehicle but we rent from time to time, and she has a legal disabled parking permit. She doesn't use the disabled parking spots all the time but she's certainly entitled to use one. She has spina bifida and is unable to walk. A disabled parking spot gives her much more room to get into her wheelchair from the passenger seat. Try doing that in a regular parking spot, when another car's parked beside you. It's quite impossible to do that. Put yourself in someone else's position before even trying to judge any further.

]]> By: gt80rdider http://caughtya.org/2007/05/01/disablism-and-parking-they-go-hand-in-hand/comment-page-1/#comment-9313 gt80rdider Wed, 15 Aug 2007 14:49:26 +0000 http://caughtya.org/drive-by/2007/05/disablism-and-parking-they-go-hand-in-hand.html#comment-9313 this is how i feel about disabled parking.... 1. if you are so disabled that a few feet make all the difference in the world whether you can actually make it into a store, than you are obviously so disabled that you should be bed ridden.... 2. if you aren't so disabled that you should be bed ridden..... then the extra exercise provided by parking further away is actually good for you (gasp!!)... making you stronger and healthier!! any doctor who tells you that walking 100 more feet a day is bad for you, is a just a bad doctor... i've never seen someone coming out of a store huffing and puffing acting like they just barely made it and the extra 100 foot saved by parking up front was the only reason they could have accomplished their shopping... 3. 95% of the people i see hopping out of a disabled spot with disabled license plates are healthier than i am... doctors give out disabled plates like candy... heck, i'm in reasonable health, and i'm sure if i'ld just ask, i'ld have a disabled parking plate no problem!!... what's the point if 95% of the people legally using the spots now simply shouldn't be using them?? this is how i feel about disabled parking....

1. if you are so disabled that a few feet make all the difference in the world whether you can actually make it into a store, than you are obviously so disabled that you should be bed ridden....

2. if you aren't so disabled that you should be bed ridden..... then the extra exercise provided by parking further away is actually good for you (gasp!!)... making you stronger and healthier!! any doctor who tells you that walking 100 more feet a day is bad for you, is a just a bad doctor... i've never seen someone coming out of a store huffing and puffing acting like they just barely made it and the extra 100 foot saved by parking up front was the only reason they could have accomplished their shopping...

3. 95% of the people i see hopping out of a disabled spot with disabled license plates are healthier than i am... doctors give out disabled plates like candy... heck, i'm in reasonable health, and i'm sure if i'ld just ask, i'ld have a disabled parking plate no problem!!... what's the point if 95% of the people legally using the spots now simply shouldn't be using them??

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