To ask what disability a person could have

[Margomyhero]

to park outside the gym and run 30 minutes on the treadmill?

I am genuinely curious about this one.

I got out of my car and parked in a car park near the leisure centre. It's a LOT cheaper than the car park in the leisure centre grounds. As I locked up and headed towards the leisure centre I saw a young man park in the disabled space and get out and go the same way as me.

He went on the treadmill and ran for 30 minutes. I know that as I was doing the same.

So - before I judge him unfairly what disability which warrants a blue badge could this man have which would allow him to run for 30 minutes - after sprinting up the 2 flights of stairs to get there?

Was he a genuine recipient of disabled space parking or was he just avoiding paying the charge (which by the way is 5p for the first hour ).

Yes I did.

Which is why I wondered about it.

No wonder people with hidden disabilities get verbally abused then if people hold such ignorant views as yours then!

I didn't know that autism could qualify. Is that mainly for "lower functioning" (excuse the terminology) autistic people?

It would be amazing to avoid some of the anxious meltdowns I get from dh (higher functioning) sometimes. He can't help it but it does affect where and when we drive to. We can both walk just fine though.

I was also thinking about ASD that made you unable to negotiate traffic but presumably in most such cases you’d be unable to drive.
Anyway OP you have your answer. There are indeed such cases, so he could be completely genuine or he could be a CF who habitually uses his granny’s blue badge. You’ll never know.

My cousin has a blue badge and regularly goes to the gym. My sons who are blue badge holders wouldn't be able to run 30 minutes on a treadmill but I'm sure others would.

The answers make this a useful thread for raising awareness of "hidden" disabilities. I wouldn't have thought of some of these reasons.

Deaf, hearing impaired, learning difficulties, etc

Nice that you were getting ready to judge him!

(I know that people who can’t drive can still use blue badges btw, just this particular bloke was a driver)

Disability affecting the use of his arms.

^^that is a specific disability that definitely qualifies. If you can’t use on street parking equipment. If you have lost fingers or thumbs, that qualifies too.

Or if you can’t use them.

Moggle Well academically ds is pretty bright but he has a severe autism diagnosis. He's an adult now but he has had a blue badge since he was five years old when his behaviour was problematic. Nowadays it's more because he is a flight risk because of anxiety, hence my comment about running like the wind. There is less chance of him being spooked and running I can't catch him if we can park near to the doors.

I wouldn't have thought of a few of these reasons.

Which is why I asked.

Why do you need to know? Are you the traffic warden?

My nephew has cerebral palsy and uses the gym to supplement his physio routine. He's not old enough to drive yet but has a blue badge.

Deaf, hearing impaired

You wouldn’t get a blue badge for these reasons unless you’ve also got another reason thaf qualifies.

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/197719/can-i-get-a-blue-badge.pdf

If someone is able to drive then they are not going have intellectual disabilities that effect moving around. So they would qualify on physical distence they can move.

They may have a variable condition but why would they use BB space if running for Half an hour? Which is what a few miles? Why would you refuse to walk an extra few metres and use a normal Space? If is a very bad day of course you should use it but OP is referring to someone who isn’t struggling to walk a few metres and we assume had arms
And fingers that working or she would have seen them trying lock
Door with his feet or mouth.

I’m sorry but I don’t get why you use BB on such a good day and take up space so a Wheelchair user or someone who can’t walk extra few metres can use centre at all. Drive safe me Up the wall.

An awful lot of people with hidden disabilities use a Blue Badge in my local gym car park, where otherwise parking is £3 an hour. Some even work there as personal trainers.

There are invisible disabilities which allow you to drive but preclude you spending time walking in the open: an extreme reaction to cold or sunlight for example.

To get a Blue Badge you do need a disability that affects your mobility in one way or another (including in the case of kids with ASD the ability to be safe, for example)

In the other hand in many London boroughs it is estimated that huge percentages of Blue Badges are used fraudulently. Either stolen, or a relative’s Badge used inappropriately.

This is of huge detriment to disabled people: vacant disabled spaces are hard to find on the streets and in parks. But MN Lore decrees that it is never ever appropriate to suspect that the entire row of cars displaying Blue Badges while their owners play 5 a side out in Dulwich Park for a couple of hours are taking the spaces fraudulently,

“Why do you need to know? Are you the traffic warden?”

It is majorly fucking frustrating when you take your wheelchair-using kid to the park and can’t get the chair out by the car because all the disabled bays are taken by young men working out in the gym and working as personal trainers.

For example.

In my area, they had a crack-down last year on the fraudulent use of blue badges. It does happen. I think mainly people using someone else's car, or using the blue badge of a relative who has died. But that's not to say, of course, that this particular man was fraudulent.

"Crippled" is that a technical term Joy? Or have you just wafted in from the 1950s?

I think if someone can sprint up a flight of stairs and run for 30 minutes on a treadmill then using a disabled spot is a bit questionable. I have a blue badge myself and if I have my wheelchair and my DH with me we often park in the normal spaces because I don't then particularly need a disabled space.

He might have a hidden disability, many are mentioned here already, or he might be using someone else's BB.

(If the former then fine, use the space. If the latter then if he is caught misusing someone else's BB it might mean it gets taken off them because of his actions.)

Many disabilities are 'obvious' one day and not noticeable on other days. My uncle has MS, he has a BB, he used to be able to do everything some days, other days he ended up in a wheelchair. Could be any number of reasons for having a BB which you can't tell just by looking at a person.

Could be Deaf? Being blind wouldn’t stop you running (couldn’t drive, I realise). Outdoor be seriously dyspraxic?

@laguna having a stoma doesn’t get you a blue badge. Just FYI; not being a bitch. I have one but my blue badge is for arthritis and fibro.

Could be Deaf?

Deafness doesn’t qualify for a blue badge on its own.