Why do people question blue badge holders?

[TeenLifeMum]

I’ve seen comments over the years about people being challenged for not looking disabled. But they’re not easy to get - in fact they seem ridiculously challenging and dad might be dead by the time he bloody gets one. Medical records and consultant’s letter isn’t enough, he needs an interview… but they keep arranging the interview for when he’s having cancer treatment (every day so I appreciate it’s hard to schedule).

Just needed to vent.

People think that only wheelchair users or those with poor mobility should have a blue badge

This. And it is so hardwired into such a large portion of the population, it is going to take time for attitudes to change.

Can someone explain what physically invisible conditions would qualify for a blue badge? If you can get out of a car normally and walk normally for a normal distance, how would you qualify? Maybe I'm lucky I walk like a drunken sailor 😆

Well my son is 15 but cognitively around 2 or 3 he qualifies under severe mental impairment, because although he has no physical disabilities, he would walk straight into a moving car ,he will just stop and spin in circles wherever he chooses even if it's in the middle of a busy carpark ,or throw off his shoes etc ,so we park in the disabled spaces nearest the shop or if the parent and child are closer we use them ,it's not always about space.

My friend has photophobia, and needs to minimise her time out in the sun. A BB enables her to park close to the buildings she needs.

It doesn't help that there is a big wheelchair painted on to the floor of BB spaces too.

Dementia for my mum, she walked fairly normally

My BIL drives his dad’s car and his dad has a blue badge. BIL not disabled, but he uses it at every opportunity. I would never confront anyone about it because 9 times out of 10 they are disabled, whether it’s visible or not. But it would annoy me if someone used a badge when they didn’t need one.

I had a privilege like a blue badge I’d certainly be happy to be politely questioned on it. I wouldn’t see that as an affront.

Yep it's such a privilege to be disabled.

I doubt you'd be happy to be 'politely' questioned on your disability by random members of the public.

People really do talk shit sometimes.

I have a blue badge, I do get a lot of looks as I look fit and healthy. But the amount of folk who park in these spaces without badges is just shocking. Why would you? Lazy and ignorant

I agree with this actually. It is about time that they updated the BB symbol. Why can it not just be Blue, but with a prominent letter D, for disabled, or BB, for Blue Badge space. Other suggestions are welcome😄.

I bet they loved Covid.

He uses the car or the badge, ?He's allowed use the mobility car we have one for my sin ,my son will never be able to drive ,so my dh,drives it
He obviously can't use the badge.

They are widely abused in some areas, especially to park on yellow lines. I personally know a mum who has a blue badge for her kid but uses it when they are at school (not allowed, free car park with space is only 100m away), the only reason I know her situation is she regularly blocks my car in, laziness in her case more than full on fraud but I’m this close to reporting her and told her never to block the drive again.

I don’t think obtaining them fraudulently is the problem, just borrowing one. As to the ease in getting one, I was offered one for dd but turned it down because she can walk fine, she has seizures but physically capable (if not in seizure!) the council offered one if you qualify for a disabled bus pass, that was signed off by the autism specialist nurse

Both. The car and the badge.

He can drive the car as a named driver
But obviously he's using the badge illegally.

He is not allowed to use the BB without the holder being in the car AND them getting out the car once parked up.
His behaviour could mean a fine for the BB holder.

There are at least three cars in my road that use relatives BB to avoid paying residents parking, and I know the BB holders live elsewhere.

If I was a BB holder, I wouldn't mind being challenged as I appreciate why so many people suspect it's being mis-used.

As I said I wish there was a better system, but I can't think of one.

But it is not up to the public to challenge BB holders.... and it is not right that a BB holder should have to explain their disabilities to a stranger who has no right to know.

Yes but your not are you,
It's fairly obvious my son although physically able is disabled as he s non verbal but makes load shrieking noises
But I can imagine it must be pretty frustrating if you don't immediately look disabled to be randomly questioned by strangers about why you have a blue badge

I find the faux confusion on this thread odd. You know exactly why people are challenged when using their blue badges and this is because there are so many people abusing the system. Does this give every Tom, Dick and Harry the right to challenge a BB holder? Of course not, but let's not pretend that people are doing this for no reason or because they hate disabled people. People hate liars and cheats and they know that the BB system is regularly abused by these people as many posters on this thread have attested to.

If I was a BB holder, I wouldn't mind being challenged as I appreciate why so many people suspect it's being mis-used.

You might not be feeling so charitable, if you were in chronic pain, had struggled to leave your home, just to run a simple errand, that ended up using every bit of energy you could muster, only to have some nosy person, deciding that you did not fit their idea of someone needing a BB. Imagine it is not just a one off, and happens to you frequently. If you are that person, and still do not mind, I take my hat off to you!

But they challenge people who do have BB, and they are doing so from the misguided belief that young people/children can't have a BB, or anyone not in wheelchair can'thave a BB.
Or anyone in a van or sporty car can't have a BB.
In any case, they are not parking attendants or the police.

So what should people do if they suspect someone is misusing a BB or a Disable Space, just jog on and mind their own business?

It's easy enough to say, " Yes, thanks for asking I do have BB, my son is disabled and in the back of the car".

Maybe, but why should disabled people have to run the gauntlet, by people who think that they are entitled to question people, just because some people may not be acting honestly? They are not helping anybody, and indeed are causing some disabled people harm, with their unwelcome conduct.

We have one for my DS, who has very profound special needs. My car has tinted rear windows so I get challenged quite a lot when I pull up to a parking space and they just see me getting out. My response is always “ohhhh you’re going to be so embarrassed when I open the back door and get my child out”. They always, always say a variation of “well how was I to know” etc. If you don’t know, then mind your own bloody business!!

I actually also have a disability, for which I have had a number of abdominal surgeries leaving extensive scarring, so if they are really obnoxious sometimes I go with “WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MY SCARS!” as loudly as I can manage.