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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what disability a person could have

378 replies

Margomyhero · 13/03/2018 17:22

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 ).

OP posts:
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6
Lifeaback · 13/03/2018 18:41

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. I agree. Whatever his disability may be, if he is fit to run on a treadmill for half an hour that day, surely the space nearest the door should be kept for someone who is less able that day?

I understand invisible illnesses and the trouble sufferers go to when people are ignorant. OP, by asking on this thread I think you have done something good to enlighten yourself and others who may not understand and judge him immediately, thinking the badge isn't his etc.

Akire · 13/03/2018 18:42

I’ wasn’t being goady I have a B.B. myself. Just wanted to know how you square it with your condition. But from what you said you are not like the OP mentions as you say you can hardly walk after a hard work out so you would be walking slowly in pain or with difficult. So you won’t be one of the people that seen skipping back ro their m car with no trouble. Which is why OP started the thread.

whampiece · 13/03/2018 18:43

Actually I think I agree with lljkk there. If I had a blue badge but was having a day where I knew that I could run for 30mins on a treadmill, I don't think I would want to take a space from someone who might struggle to walk to the door

Another poster with no B.B. experience who thinks BB holders should only park in a space on a bad day.

FFS living with a disability is hard enough. Getting a B.B. is not easy. Once a disabled person has a BB they should no longer be expected to justify where they park. Ever.

WhoWants2Know · 13/03/2018 18:46

I've worked with many adults with autism, epilepsy and brain injuries which wouldn't necessarily be easy to observe. They all had blue badges and some would have been able to run on a treadmill. In a lot of cases, we used the disabled parking areas to make it easy to get back to the car in the event of a seizure or meltdown, and easier for someone to find the car if they have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing.

Submariner · 13/03/2018 18:46

So you won’t be one of the people that seen skipping back ro their m car with no trouble. Which is why OP started the thread.

OP didn't mention how the man got back to his car to be fair.

Spikeyball · 13/03/2018 18:56

With some disabilities a good day can very quickly turn into a bad day.

lljkk · 13/03/2018 19:01

hard to get...
the same can be said of MPs (very hard to become an MP), but no slack cut in expenses scandal (almost all entirely allowed in the rules, but many people were outraged), or an elite athlete (very hard to become) and their TUEs (some argue many TUEs cross an unacceptable ethical line).

"it's hard to get" isn't a good enough excuse in other realms to use something fully allowed in rules.

I will hide thread b/c I'll only be yelled at. I'm the only person in UK who thought MP scandal was ridiculously unfair to MPs & don't mind what was taken if it had TUE slapped on it. I don't understand how other people set alternative "acceptable" boundaries at all. I wonder what are some similar situations. How does one make sense of them.

I park in the first space I see (that I'm allowed to park in). Will struggle to ever break that habit.

FranticallyPeaceful · 13/03/2018 19:08

Arm disabilities pass for a blue badge, and wouldn’t stop you running. It’s importanf for people with disabilities to keep their lungs healthy anyway as they may not be able to do things for long periods of time, so getting in some quick cardio is a good idea

PurpleDaisies · 13/03/2018 19:11

In a lot of cases, we used the disabled parking areas to make it easy to get back to the car in the event of a seizure or meltdown, and easier for someone to find the car if they have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing.

Presumably the badge was for them as passengers not drivers?

NataliaOsipova · 13/03/2018 19:12

I thought you only got a blue badge (which I think are very hard to get) if your disability meant that your mobility was compromised. So, for example, a learning disability wouldn't qualify you for a blue badge. But someone correct me if I'm wrong?

Ollivander84 · 13/03/2018 19:13

My friend has a blue badge but is also a qualified personal trainer, she could run on a treadmill

PickAChew · 13/03/2018 19:15

So you watched him park up and watched him run for 30 minutes?

whampiece · 13/03/2018 19:18

I thought you only got a blue badge (which I think are very hard to get) if your disability meant that your mobility was compromised. So, for example, a learning disability wouldn't qualify you for a blue badge. But someone correct me if I'm wrong?

You are wrong.

HTH.

BlueLightPanda · 13/03/2018 19:18

Someone with sickle cell could have a blue badge and also go to the gym and work out.

abbsisspartacus · 13/03/2018 19:25

She didn't watch him he ran on the treadmill next to her FFS can we not do anything these days

Yogagirl123 · 13/03/2018 19:27

Dangerous territory OP, so many people living with hidden disabilities. I have MS and feel totally crap most of the time, whilst my mobility isn’t great, I don’t look “ill” but if anyone would take my MS for my blue badge I would be delighted, I don’t expect people would be queuing up do you? Keep your nose out, would be my advice.

Skatingfastonthinice · 13/03/2018 19:29

I have a friend with a BB, she's got a doctorate in some mathematical gubbins, earns enough to live comfortably in central London and is also HFA. Terrified of birds, dogs, sudden noises and movements...to the point of fuge and meltdown. She needs to move from safe space to safe space, usually with headphones. She can also run at speed for miles.

SofiaAmes · 13/03/2018 19:31

My ds has the US equivalent of a blue badge. There are definitely some days where he could run for 30 minutes. But there are some days when he can't even walk. We had 5 weeks of that 2 years ago which is when they gave him the badge. He has had days where he was blind for several days and days when he is too exhausted to walk to the dining room for dinner. In between he looks and sometimes even acts completely normal and healthy. I tend to not use the blue badge parking spaces when we don't need them, although here in Los Angeles there is an overabundance so I'm rarely feeling like we're taking the space from someone who needs it more.

FranticallyPeaceful · 13/03/2018 19:32

Good point about MS, my grandma had it and my cousin has just been diagnosed with it - she’s been told exercise is good for her (of course it’s incredibly rare for her to pluck up the energy even on a good day).
Something my doctor wants me to be tested for due to various things but I’m doing okay right now and it’s apparently not hereditary so I’m not concerned, but you bet your arse i would be down at the gym if I had it and having a good day and was told that it would help my symptoms.

ShastaBeast · 13/03/2018 19:34

I don’t have a blue badge and doubt I’d qualify, but I can imagine hoping out of the car and walking around a shop or whatever, but by the end I’m in agony and really struggling. I have to massively limit my life due to this. A blue badge or free travel could make a huge difference and mean I don’t have such a struggle and might be in less pain and look less disabled. I wouldn’t begrudge anyone of their badge etc, and I go to the gym but am not able to run.

MaggieFS · 13/03/2018 19:34

I don't know why OP is getting a hard time for the question. I've found it really educational reading the myriad of things which mean one qualifies for a blue badge which I would never have thought of. The more people are aware of these, the less they will assume it's a misuse.

Spikeyball · 13/03/2018 19:36

"So, for example, a learning disability wouldn't qualify you for a blue badge"

A learning disability is likely to affect mobility.

lalalalyra · 13/03/2018 19:37

My DD has a blue badge. She has narcolepsy. She has the badge because she gets cataplexy. When she's not asleep or hitting the deck with no control over her body (and therefore her safety) you'd have no idea she had any kind of disability. Not all narcoleptics lose their driving license depending on if they have cataplexy/how well controlled their condition is.

mymatemax · 13/03/2018 19:40

Blue badges are linked to an assessment if mobility & not just having a disability. So you could have someone who has a learning disability but no sense of danger and can't walk without support from someone giving guidance and keeping them safe who would qualify for a blue badge.
You can also have someone who although has a physical disability can walk a reasonable distance without support, pain or discomfort and therefore would not qualify for a blue badge. I know someone with hemiplegia cp who doesn't qualify and a below knee amputee who also doesn't qualify.
Under today's assessment regime it would be difficult for someone with the level of mobility the op describes qualifying for a blue badge

AlonsosLeftPinky · 13/03/2018 19:40

My partner has a chronic lung condition. Part of the management of it includes exercise at as high an intensity as he can manage. I see him afterwards and he just wouldn't be capable of getting potentially to the other side of a car park to drive.