IWBU but by how much?-waiting in a disabled space?

[CrohnicallyAnxious]

Mitigating circumstances:
Waiting for a family member who has recently had serious surgery and can't walk far, or stand for long and isn't supposed to be out in the cold/wet to come out of the doctors
I knew she was on her way out so would only be there a few minutes at most
The only other available spaces were on the other side of the car park
There is no designated waiting or pick up area, and narrow lanes/one way round the car park meant nowhere to pull over and wait without blocking any other drivers
There was more than one disabled space so I wasn't depriving anyone of the ability to park
I waited in the car and would have seen if the other spaces became in use and would have moved to allow a bb holder to park in mine if need be

I pulled into the BB space as it seemed the most sensible thing to do at the time, but in the maybe 2 or 3 minutes I was there (same song was still playing on the radio) 3 people came past and gave me dirty looks. So how unreasonable was I to have used the BB space to pick up my family member?

It isn't mandatory to be patronising just because I disagree with you dawndonna.

Speak to the doctors surgery ... Ask them if you can wait due to you relative. Otherwise park elsewhere and when you see them drive up and pick them up. I have a disabled parent and there is nothing worse than there not being a place as someone do waiting to pick someone up (nog a dig at you OP but it is a regular occurrence)

NO BB
NO PARKING IN A BB SPACE

The only vying for the status of most disabled I see is people with a temporary injury making excuses why they are just as disabled if not more so than people who are long term disabled. Now that's unnecessary.

oh do grow up
anyone who can compare a temporary disability with a life long one needs to grow up.
yes you need help and support during this time.
but surely your temp glimpse at disability should make you realise how hard it is.
unless your talking bo......

The only vying for the status of most disabled I see is people with a temporary injury making excuses why they are just as disabled if not more so than people who are long term disabled. Now that's unnecessary.

^^That! Exactly that!

YABVU
My mum had a blue badge and I took her out every weekend. I would see people pull into a disabled space and sit there. One day I parked in another space- 100m or so further away and by the time I got the. wheelchair out, my mum into it and pushed her up to the supermarket entrance in the rain he was sitting smoking in his car. I left her under the shelteredroof and went and knocked on the window and asked him if he had a disabled badge. He said no, he was waiting for his wife who worked in the store.
I pointed out- politely- that I had had to push my very frail mother in the rain 100m because he had taken up a disabled space near the door and he told me to fuck off. Not being very rational I was as rude to him. He was about late 50s, hugely fat and the car stank when he opened the window. I got told off by my mum when I went back to her. She said I should just have let him get on with it but itmade me so angry. He was just a lazy lump making my poor mum's life even more difficult.

"Vying for status of most disabled"?!

I have reported that comment.

but surely your temp glimpse at disability should make you realise how hard it is

That works both ways.

You can have a lifelong disability, or a temporary one. Mine was for about a year, and hugely affected my life at the time. In every way, in everything I did. It affected my dh and dc's lives too, massively. It was awful.

Yes, I only had it for a year, and I am massively thankful that I recovered. But the lack of compassion from people who claim to know how difficult disability is, the scoffing at anyone who doesn't have a permanent condition, even though for the period they are affected they may well be 'just as' disabled as them, is really unpleasant.

Think you could do with a read of this

www.gov.uk/definition-of-disability-under-equality-act-2010

Why Beyond?

You're the one that started the 'vying' IMO with your ridiculous 'There's a nice wheelchair person' speech.

substantial’ is more than minor or trivial - eg it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task like getting dressed

‘long-term’ means 12 months or more - eg a breathing condition that develops as a result of a lung infection

Thanks for that Beyond. So I qualify on both counts - does that validate me? Am I allowed to post now?

Because the definition of disability states that it is a long lasting condition, i'm not making it up nor scoffing at anyone, thats just how it is.

Can you not understand that?

This thread has been about people who use the spaces but don't/didn't have a blue badge. That's what disabled people get cross about it. You said you had a blue badge Walking so you wouldn't fall into that category so I don't understand why you're getting the hump and thinking people are expecting you to just struggle on.

You would have qualified to apply for a blue badge yes, no one has ever said otherwise.

Gosh, Walking, that post really looks like you're vying to be considered one of the most disabled on this thread.

But without that badge, you dont park there. I managed until mine came through (and I'm not the first person to say that here either), so no reason everyone else cant do the same.

But without that badge, you dont park there. I managed until mine came through (and I'm not the first person to say that here either), so no reason everyone else cant do the same.

o0, perhaps we should make a crown and we can all vote for who wins the prize of person most hard done by in the whole world?

I'm meant to be ogling Karl Urban right now but keep posting sarcastic shit instead. Goddamn you MN.

I'll set up a spreadsheet right now, Beyond. There may even be graphs and pie charts. The winner gets a gold plated BB.

Very good o0. Clever of you, that.

But without that badge, you dont park there. I managed until mine came through (and I'm not the first person to say that here either), so no reason everyone else cant do the same

Generally, that's a bit short sighted. There may be people who have a worse disability than you and would struggle to 'just manage' without a BB. If you can cope without one, well done...that doesn't mean everyone can.

This is really interesting to me. A family member is disabled but he usually says he gives not a shiny shit where the space is, after all, he's in a wheel chair and capable of covering the distance. The biggest problem he had apparently is the depth of the spaces... His vehicle is very long and many bb spaces are just a bit wider but same length. Really is true, that not just any old bb space will do, some people do need a specific one.

This is not something I would have thought about before his disability, but I wouldn't have parked in a bb space beforehand anyway. Nowadays I tend to think that I have functional legs, its bloody entitled of me not to use them.