Woman shouted at me for parking in a disabled spot

There are very many disabilities which impact on walking ability. And just because you don’t have pain or need an aid to help you walk doesn’t mean you don’t have difficulty in doing so. Many people can only walk short distances because they have a heart condition. My DH has unstable angina - more than a few paces has him gasping for breath. COPD has the same effect. Many people with various forms of cancer are impacted in how far they can walk. There are those who have bone conditions for whom walking would make their condition worse. Those who are unsteady on their feet and a fall risk - especially if they have osteoporosis or a similar condition. Various lung conditions make walkingany distance a problem.

Those with mental health conditions who are unable to appreciate the dangers of traffic would be entitled to a blue badge. Same with autism, ADHD and many other conditions which incorporate learning disabilities. Epilepsy - danger to life from seizures where there is traffic flow. Those who have IBD, Crohn’s disease or other conditions which impact continence or create bowel or bladder urgency may find their ability to walk any distance impacted, or may be issued a badge so they can easily access a toilet - as would anyone with a stoma. Do you want me to go on ? I was a disability outreach worker for many years. Pretty much seen everything and l’m in a wheelchair myself. I can do this all night.

Again, it is just as well that the people who set the criteria for BB think differently. There are so many reasons why someone may need to use a BB space, who neither use an aid, or are in pain, when walking.

Enlighten me?

Then think again. You clearly don’t understand disability.

Here’s a good idea - read the OP properly and you’ll understand that she’s in Australia and is talking about their equivalent of the blue badge scheme. It’s very clear from her post that she was parking legally when she was challenged. Your snotty and superior attitude reflects badly on your reading comprehension.

I got called scum once. I look healthy but having Ehlers-Danlos has me in constant pain and I need a blue badge. Some people simply do not understand hidden disabilities.

If you've got the energy and bandwidth to shout back, do it, and do it loudly every time and make them feel as small as they deserve to feel.

Equally, if you don't have it in you to do that on any given day just ignore and let it roll off your back with just a smile and nod.

I think regardless of if you have a blue badge, if you're able to walk without any pain or without an aid, you shouldn't be in the disabled spot.

A wheelie spot?

How f*ing crass

Not only is it against your code of conduct, it’s against the law. The issue of your permit is between you, your doctors and the issuing authority- no-one elses business. If she persists draw her attention to the Equality Act 2010 and tell her that her behaviour is bullying, ableist and discriminatory. Tell her if it continues you will be seeking legal advice.

Read the full thread before accusing the OP, she says the permit is the Australian equivalent of a blue badge.

What is this “disabled permit” that is the same as a blue badge but is not a blue badge? Sounds to me like you’ve just printed something off the internet.

In short, you don’t have a blue badge and were parking in a blue badge space. You can’t park there, the spaces are for blue badge holders only not people who consider themselves blue badge holders but haven’t got one. If you get one, and if you actually qualify, (and I suspect you don’t otherwise you’d have one already), then you can park there. Otherwise park further away and leave them for the people who actually need them.

I’ve had this said to me a few times when parking in a ‘wheelie spot’. One time I was having a really shitty day when some silly cow just stood staring at me then had the cheek to say ‘you don’t look disabled’ to which my reply was you don’t look like a c*nt but there you go! . it just flew out of my mouth with no warning! 🤦‍♀️

Do you know what you have to do to get a blue badge? It has to be signed off eg by a social worker. You have to prove that you need it. You can be disabled and not qualify for a badge. My daughter has epilepsy but we haven't claimed. So anyone who does have one needs it.

I mean obviously you can't if there is a Bb sign.

This needs to be qualified. All on street disabled bays and those in public car parks are exclusively for the use of blue badge holders. The spaces will have the wheelchair marking on the floor and the signage will include the blue and white wheelchair plate and denote that blue badges are required to be displayed. Some will also specify a time limit and require the display of the clock.

Private car parks sometimes provide concessionary disabled spaces - the difference being that there will be no blue and white wheelchair plate, and/or the signage won’t include an instruction to display the badge. Most supermarket car parks require the badge to be displayed and there’ll be a fine for not doing so. My own feeling is that, just as with parent and child spaces, which are concessionary only, these BB spaces should be left for those who need them as far as possible.

I didn’t actually know that despite having a blue badge for my dad. That is helpful.

Gently and with respect, as a disabled person and wheelchair user, disabled people do have a sense of humour - not being able to laugh at your own situation makes things harder I think. I appreciate it’s a difficult area because what’s offensive to one person may not be to another, but generally speaking I find the idea of non disabled people taking offence on my behalf a bit off. I was actually berated on a thread on MN a while back for referring to myself as wheelchair bound - told in no uncertain terms that was offensive and I am a ‘wheelchair user’. I found it really offensive to be told what language I can and cannot use to refer to myself. Disabled people have enough challenges to face as it is.

@Bashfulclam not all accessible spaces require a blue badge.just for future if you don't see a specific BB sign you can park in a disabled bay.

Also we are applying for my mother who has dementia. She has a few issues with balance but the main thing is to stop her wandering out in front of a car. Also means there is more likely to be parking spaces as you can’t drop her off and park as she’ll wander off. My brother had to circle a hospital car park looking for a space the other day at an appointment for her. There were disabled bays available but nothing else. As I said he can’t just drop her off and go and park as she’ll wander off or get upset.

My father had MS, sometimes he could walk but without any warning his legs might fail. He would end up on the ground. What if the person has something where they can walk with difficulty? What if the passenger if the car was blind and was being led to the gig?

I have just returned to university to study nursing and have a disabled permit. I have been approached as I was going into a tutorial by a fellow classmate, demanding that I explain myself. I said that I have a medical condition. She demanded to know what exactly. I asked if she would like to have this conversation in our Law tutorial instead.... She realised I wasn't going to tolerate this kind of badgering from her and she backed down, but I know she's desperate to find out. I even heard "What if it's contagious?" I'm diarising these comments that I overheard and asking friends to do the same without commenting and I am going to take them to the head of department. This is bullying and it is against the code of conduct. If she wants to be the parking permit police, she can go and join the relevant department and not waste space studying to be a nurse.

Agreed. My Dad has a condition that means that he suffers severe pain in his leg and had to stop walking every 100m or so. The doctors said that any treatment might result in the loss of his leg entirely, so he has chosen to live with the pain and stop regularly.

Despite this, he was not eligible for a blue badge as the walking distance requirement is 50m.

Some good points here. A while ago our local supermarket ran a trial whereby they designated a few spaces nearest the entrance to be specifically reserved for wheelchair users, and invited people to share their thoughts via email. I thought it was batshit and told them so, pointing out much of what you’ve said here - that basically the entrance could be half a mile away and it wouldn’t make any difference to me because l’m in a wheelchair, but would certainly have an impact on anyone whose walking ability was impaired.

Also pointed out that in a car park where disabled parking facilities were limited to begin with, it didn’t make sense to have half a dozen spaces nearest the door standing empty on the off chance a wheelchair user would need them, while other disabled users were struggling to find somewhere to park. I also suggested that if they wanted to be helpful they could provide a couple of larger than standard disabled bays to accommodate those who needed a ramp. A few weeks later things were back to normal so l guess l wasn’t the only one who thought it was mad - still waiting for word on that larger space though !!

I think this demonstrates that unless you have experience of disability, you’re not really best placed to decide what’s helpful and what isn’t, however well intentioned you may be. And I agree with your last point. It’s not the job of the public to police disabled people who are displaying a valid badge. If you think something is amiss then take the badge number and report it - let the authorities deal with it. Disabled people have enough challenges to face without being subjected to arsehole ‘gotcha’ behaviour every time they try to park.

If you think someone shouldn't use a space, either no badge or you truly think they're using someone elses badge - report to the carpark owner or local authority. If you think they are using someone elses badge, take a note of the badge number and report it.

Great, that is what disabled people really need on top of everything else, people deciding whether they 'think' people are using other peoples badges, and reporting people.