To use disabled parking bays when on crutches?

[Glamgwen]

Boring parking question. I’m currently on crutches following on operation. I need to park in a multi-storey car park today (no other options) that doesn’t have a lift. I can’t manage stairs or slopes, so can only park on the ground floor but these spaces are all disabled. Would it be acceptable for me to park in one & leave a note in the window explaining the situation & giving my mobile number in case anyone with a blue badge needs the space? I should add that there are loads of disabled spaces & I’ve never known them all to be in use.

I applied for a BB for my Foster Son who has severe learning disabilities and is on higher rate PIP and higher rate mobility allowance but turned down as he can physically walk 20 meters. It means I have to park about 400 meters away from his college, pay to park up to 2 hours, walk with him across the road and around the building to the front doors, watch him go in and be met by staff, then go back across the road to the car. Much easier if I could park in a disabled spot and walk up steps with him to the back entrance. What I have to do takes 20 mins what I'd like to do would take 1 minute. He has absolutely no road awareness and can't go out unaccompanied. Council declined his application.

He gets 12 points for PIP mobility too.

@caringcarer I think the qualification criteria are different for each LA. Can you ask the LA to assess him (as per a pp some LAs do OT assessments)?

We did an online application which is what we were told to do by council, and one question asked 'can person walk 20 metres'. I had to put yes, because he can. His application was declined even though he has 12 points on mobility criteria and a mobility car.

Maybe phone them? Yes he can walk 20 metres, but he can't do safely in a car park.

mychildhasautism.co.uk/2021/07/15/blue-parking-badge-for-autistic-children-part-2/

Does this help @caringcarer ?

Is he over 16 and therefore I receipt of PIP?
As I know the criteria is different which is bizarre my son is under 16 and still.received DLA, so.is automatically entitled to a blue badge due to.receiving high rate mobility under the Severe mental impairment rules.

Same situation for my dd who had autism and severe learning disabilities. He gets 12 points for mobility on pip but the application for a bb was rejected.

Yes he is 16.

But he's not autistic. He has severe learning disabilities due to his birth mother drinking alcohol and taking cocaine and heroin throughout her pregnancy. His IQ is under 75.

I didn't mean he was autistic. I thought you could use the example given and apply it to his situation and challenges.

@caringcarer "We did an online application which is what we were told to do by council, and one question asked 'can person walk 20 metres'. I had to put yes, because he can. His application was declined even though he has 12 points on mobility criteria and a mobility car."

The wording on the application is deliberately misleading. They do not include the word safely but that is part of the criteria.

safely – in a manner unlikely to cause harm to themselves or to another person, either during or after completion of the activity. to an acceptable standard. repeatedly – as often as is reasonably required.

Based on the above definition you should be answering that question as No - and explain the safety aspect of why it cannot be done by themselves and without the adjustment of the blue badge in place.

If he sees a cat or dog, because he loves them he just pulls free from me and rushes after them. He is so strong at 16. He almost pulls my arm out of its socket when he just suddenly pulls and I'm not expecting it. He doesn't do it all the time, just sometimes, which actually makes it harder as it's unpredictable. I'm terrified he will run out on the road and get hurt by a car. It's much better when DH is with us because we can hold onto one hand/arm each. I might try again because he gets a mobility car and it would be so useful if I could park and go up back steps with him at college. I need a blue card to get into the car park at the back of college as it is strictly staff and blue badge holders. It would be so much safer.

@caringcarer please do try again, my daughter has severe learning difficulties and while she can walk, she has no road safety awareness and her behaviour can be unpredictable and she may refuse to walk. She has had a blue badge for over 15 years.

The most valuable thing I have learned from this site, as a person without disabilities.:

If you want my blue badge, you can have my disability

I don't care why people need to park in a disabled space (previous a and e thread apart) you are lucky to be able bodied which is what you are and you have no right to use these spaces. Get a taxi or someone to drop you off or shop elsewhere. I think even considering this shows us what a massive issue there is in the UK with attitude and culture. When we lived in Qatar, my friend parked in an unmarked space (sign had fallen down) and was sent to apologise to the Police Captain who gave a presentation on the reasons the law is enforced to protect people who, only a few generations ago would have been housebound due to attitudes. He was also fined 1000 pounds. There's no excuse.

If I was a supermarket chain, I would create 'convenience spaces' right by the door, extra wide and in a secure location. Pay and display £2 an hour. I would be very happy to pay when in a hurry and do have a big car and am lazy and can afford it, like most of the law breakers who use blue badge spaces. Use the money to increase the number of disabled spaces and improve accessibility. Everyone's happy. And if you call them premium spaces, you could probably charge a fiver.

If I was a supermarket chain, I would create 'convenience spaces' right by the door, extra wide and in a secure location.

Many years ago, I visited an ASDA where they had designed the car park so the disabled bays were right at the end - you had to drive though the entire car park to get to them. A chat with the security guard revealed he couldn't remember them being abused (i.e. all cars displayed badges).

Around about the same time my local council scrapped free parking for blue badges in their car parks and on street. Abuse fell immediately.

So I've never really felt able to change my view that people who abuse blue badge spaces are lazy tightfisted cunts. (I would say to a man, but that would be inaccurate).

I totally agree. I also feel like some people act like blue badge holders are seen as entitled and when they dare to challenge someone, aggressive. I will admit to having a relative with a 7 year old who is obsessed with people parking in HER parent and child spaces, she says she uses a disabled space if a non child carrying car parks in her space. I think it's a mindset as well as lazy. I think blue badges should come with some sort of non fatal weapon, maybe a paint gun to label these assholes.

So did disabled people have to walk right across the car park to get to the shop? That would be terrible for my DH as every step hurts him but he does want to go into shops sometimes.

No, the BB bays were right next door to the entrance. It's just you had to drive past every other space to get there. It was quite an innovative design so presumably from a country which does care about accessibility and disabled rights.

I also remember a car park in Worcester, where to access the disabled bays you needed to take a special route that ended by the attendant.

When you realise you can make the lives of BB holders much easier with how you paint lines on the ground, and then realise at the same time how nobody does, it puts the status of the disabled in the UK into perspective. Below a dog, but above a cat. Just.

That makes more sense, I had visions of the disabled having spaces - hooray - but then having a long walk - boo - which I suppose would be fine for some but not others.

I think we are lucky locally as we rarely see anyone in a disabled space without a badge. The council car parks don't have free disabled parking unless you are local, have a blue badge and pay an annual fee, think it is about £20. We find that good value and are almost guaranteed a space. I bet I've jinxed it now and we won't get a space this afternoon.

@lidlbrownjug I do know about Blue Badge criteria through work. And I know that when I was on crutches in the weeks after a fracture my walking function was significantly less than 75% of the people who are granted badges, the vast majority of whom are not wheelchair users. So did the staff at the Covid vaccination centre who insisted my DP park in a disabled space to collect me as they realised they would otherwise probably be calling an ambulance.