To have been upset have a blue badge?

[Calypso44]

Yes sorry another disabled parking space one. And have nc'd as spoke to a friend about it who I know sometimes uses MN.
I had a GP appt this morning, I parked in a disabled bay. I have a blue badge for my car due to disability and I also struggle to walk long distances due to health condition. As I was pulling in, the man who had just pulled into the next disabled bay before me was pointing aggressively at the 'BLUE BADGE HOLDERS ONLY' sign. I ignored it as I am a blue badge holder.
As he got out of his car he came and knocked on my window and said 'you're parked in a blue badge space' I said yes I know I have a blue badge and pointed to it. He didnt apologise, walked off tutting and saying something about 'youngsters defrauding the system'. I'm 26, so not exactly a 'youngster'.

I get this kind of thing too for my disabled young child. It’s amazing who noarrow minded everyone is. Including fellow disabled people.

I too am a blue badge holder and a mature student studying social work. On my first placement I had a meeting with a social worker and as luck would have it the first disabled bay was free so I pulled into it. I could see the person I was.meeting walking up the hill towards me so waited for her. As soon as she reached my car she snapped at me 'you can't park there its a disabled bay' and was quite aggressive with it. As I opened my car door to show her the badge I said 'I never expected to have to explain hidden disability to a social worker'.
People just make assumptions but bloody put them straight and hopefully they may think twice in future about showing their ignorance.

I saw a "not all disabilities are visible" car sticker this morning. I bet that person's had similar grief.

The defrauding comment I'd expect had utterly no thought behind it, it was most likely a reflex hitting out because you showed him he was wrong. Not that it makes it any better.

How could he have thought you either were or weren't disabled when you were sat in your car seat? He must have been having a right good look at you. Creepy!

He was a bastard and at 26 you are most definitely a youngster. Enjoy it while you can.

Some people are just arseholes. Ignore him.

I know someone with a prosthetic leg who still gets this shit. You can't see it of course with his trousers over it, and he walks well enough, just not great distances. He just raises the leg of his trousers a few inches to show it and the challenger usually stutters, goes bright red and scuttles off.

You've done nothing wrong. You just had the bad luck to encounter a twat.

I'm a blue badge holder too and had the same thing happen to me because I look too young to be disabled, There seems to be a perception, particularly amongst the elderly in my personal experience, that if you are under 70 you must have a badge fraudulently. Odd really, they must know how hard it is to get one these days.

I understand their frustration, there are never enough B.B. bays and in the centre of my town people view them as fair game after 6pm because that's when the traffic wardens clock off so any old lazy twat will park in them & get away with it.

Ignore him OP. He was just grumpy.

We have a ‘not all disabilities are visible’ sticker on the disabled toilets at work. I feel quite proud now that my company are supportive in helping people not judge others.

My mum has a blue badge and part of the main street through town is open only to taxis and blue badge holders as there are half a dozen disabled parking spaces there.

One day a man jumped in front of the car and started ranting that cars weren't allowed in the street and couldn't I read? I was tempted to run him over.

I sympathise with you OP, and I just can't get these people who feel the need to interfere in other people's lives like this. It's really upsetting when it happens, but I try hard not to start justifying myself to them as it's not actually any of their business.

They must lead very sad lives of their own, which is the only comfort I take from being set upon like this.

op....when you get some idiot saying “well ,you don’t look disabled”, tell them “and you don’t look ignorant”.

A bit thick maybe? A bit off track but dh and I once took a taxi to our ds's football match. Was explaining to the taxi driver about the match being for people with sn and ds being autistic. I pointed out our son (adult) feeling proud because he finds crowds so difficult. Driver said "autistic? he doesn't LOOK autistic?" Dh said within earshot of brain of britain driver, "thick as two short planks!" then we walked over to the match. And that's the attitude we take nowadays-Thick. Try it OP, makes you feel a bit better, even if you just say it under your breath.

Unfortunately it is because some people do take the piss, blue badge on your car for an older relative and park in the disabled bay even when they aren't with them. I've been moaned at in a crowed car park for not parking in the disable bay as we have a blue badge for MIL, but she wasn't in the car so of course it would be wrong to use the badge.

Wow I am floored at all the people sharing similar stories. It is just something I've learnt to ignore over time but today stung - not sure why, maybe because i was at the GP surgery, having yet another pointless 'check up' appointment where I will come away in as much pain as before.
isit to be honest I don't care why people might think it. It's wrong to think like that, just because a very tiny minority do abuse it. It doesn't make it any nicer for me and all the others on this thread to be faced with such ignorance on a regular basis.

Falmer yes - don't go there with autism and 'they look normal'. My eldest is autistic and the ignorance that surrounds that is mind boggling. What does an autistic person look like, exactly?!

I've had this too. I managed to retort "disability isn't an age thing!" Before asking where his blue badge was. He didn't have one!

Sorry to hear you were on the receiving end of that unwarranted tirade OP.

In the 8 years my relative - younger than you and no wheelchair or obvious signs - has had one, no-one has said anything.

I think a lot of peoples' misconception of what 'disabled' looks like is to do with the wheelchair logo as a symbol of disability.

I know it must be awful for you to be confronted like that but from another point of view, if he does that to people who park there and don’t have a badge it may stop them from doing so next time and stop disabled spaces getting blocked up by those who don’t have a badge. Or am I being naive?

raspberry I just don't see why people like me should be collateral damage in that though.

No, you’re right, you shouldn’t be and it’s extremely sad that you’ve had this happen to you and it has upset you.

My mother in law didn't look disabled apparently. Until she took off her false leg and waved it. Soon shut them up apparently!

My mum's friend for over 40 years is in end of life care. She is on oxygen tanks so she can't just hop on a bus due to H&S. Her family have just lost mobility & blue badge

thicksocks that is atrocious. Is that an actual decision or beaureacratic error? Appalling treatment, either way and doesn't surprise me under this govt :(

Unfortunately, some people are too thick to realise that they're thick. Couple that with the current trend of people "speaking their mind", partly thanks to social media, and it ends up with the kind of situation you found yourself having to deal with, Calypso.

It seems that despite all the information available on the internet, ignorance is actually increasing. I think BlankTimes makes a good point – simplifying the issue into a basic icon has not done what the originators might have hoped for.

I'm so sorry you had to deal with that ignorant shitty individual.

He was very wrong for that. Sorry that happened to you and just know he’s miserable being himself.