Woman shouted at me for parking in a disabled spot

[AusMumhere]

I parked in a disabled spot at the supermarket today. A woman about four cars away shouted at me and said 'that's a wheelie spot'. I shouted back 'I have a permit'. She then yelled 'where's ya walker?'. I said 'not all disabilities are visible'. I hate confrontation of any kind.
Should I have walked away or should I have responded? I'm still in shock that I shouted.

"protect disabled spaces"? I call BS. You just decided that because they didn't look disabled they couldn't possibly be

It's difficult to find sympathy with you. It gets really annoying when someone looks you up and down and decides you don't meet their criteria of what disabled is

The best way to deal with idiots like this, and also the parent/child spot Gestapo is to ignore them, totally, it really winds them up and they get more and more hysterical, it can be very amusing.

Many LAs have an electronic badge so you dont have to display it.

Oh, I have not heard of this (wanders off to find out more).

As long as you had your permit and it was displayed, she's utterly in the wrong.

These are not common and seem to mainly be for free parking within a residents parking zone, to get around the problem of displayed blue badges being stolen from peoples cars.

The point of the thread though is mainly about challenging those who are displaying a badge, just because you can’t actually see their disability. I actually wouldn’t challenge anyone not displaying a badge either - I’ve done it before and got a load of abuse as a result. I would take a photo of the car in the bay including the reg and the windscreen where the badge should be. Then report it to whatever parking authority operates the car park. Make sure the BB is required before you do this because some disabled bays in private car parks are concessionary and not enforceable.

And your example of how you challenged that couple is a text book example of what not to do. You didn’t even check for a badge and you assumed that because you couldn’t see a disability there wasn’t one. No, the man shouldn’t have manhandled you, but you have no idea how irritating it is to be displaying a valid badge and still be challenged because some busybody either hasn’t seen it, or thinks you’re not disabled enough to warrant it.

Simply put, if someone parks in an enforceable bay without a badge, report it. The parking operator will investigate and fine them if warranted. If someone has a valid badge, mind your own business - they have it because someone much more qualified than a random passer by has decided they need it. Anything else is creating drama for your own gratification - leave the ‘policing’ to those authorised to do it.

This is how l understood it too. It doesn’t do away with the need to display a valid actual badge in places where it’s required. It’s meant for residents so that, as you say, the badge isn’t on display for long periods of time, inviting theft.

Agree. You can ‘protect’ disabled spaces by simply taking a badge number and reporting it to the LA if you suspect misuse, or in the case of a vehicle parked without a badge, by taking a photo incorporating the reg and reporting the time and location to the parking operator. There’s no need for confrontation at all. ‘You don’t look disabled’ warriors take note !!

I’ve had people mutter under their breath as they walk past me and when l don’t respond some have actually turned around and repeated it out loud !! I still ignore them and sometimes the reactions are really funny. They’re just spoiling for an argument.

So I should just allow people to abuse disabled parking spaces, even if it means disabled people can't then park?

My disabled relatives are sick of abuse of these spaces - that's why I challenged this man. My mistake was in not checking first if there was a blue badge on his car. I've never made that mistake again.

I would take a photo of the car in the bay including the reg and the windscreen where the badge should be. Then report it to whatever parking authority operates the car park.

That's what I'll do in future.

Anything else is creating drama for your own gratification

It definitely wasn't done for my own gratification - I hate confrontation, and was very nervous as I walked over to him.

It was the latest in a number of occasions where I'd seen what looked like misuse of a disabled space (mostly when a blue badge wasn't displayed) and I'd never challenged anyone before. On this occasion I'd finally had enough, so I decided to speak to him. It's the only time I've ever done it.

It's difficult to find sympathy with you.

I don't expect any sympathy. I was in the wrong - I should have checked for a badge before saying anything.

You "saw what looked like misuse of a disabled space" with no actual evidence, just because they didn't fit the image in your brain of what disabled people look like.

You weren't being some kind of saviour for disabled people who are fed up of abuse of blue badge spaces; you made an ableist judgment that these people didn't look disabled enough for you and created an incredibly uncomfortable situation for people who've likely encountered attitudes like yours plenty of times before.

No, you should have checked for a badge and said nothing once you’d seen it. If the badge is displayed there’s nothing to say. The key here is that many disabilities are hidden. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

I once had a parent/child Gestapo member almost break her foot kicking my car when I didn't respond to her escalating rant, shortly before my daughter came out of the shop with her newly nappied daughter!

The only circumstance in which you can reasonably challenge is if the vehicle isn’t displaying a badge. Even then l wouldn’t challenge - better to take a photo and report it. Let the parking operator deal with it - they’ll happily fine them if they can. It’s never OK to challenge where a badge is displayed. The reason for issue is not your business.

I’ve gotta say and prepare to be flamed but although I agree not all disabilities are visible, not all disabilities need a disabled parking permit!

This should be as an individual basis like it used to be but unfortunately it no longer is
As a nurse I have seen people claiming for a badge without need. Overweight is one. Another who had stable chrons disease for example. The condition was stable, no hospital admissions, not requiring a regular review or urgent toilet issues but the person has a ‘disability badge’ due to their hidden disability. They didn’t require an urgent toilet If the chrons was not stable and required urgent toilet for example then certainly.

A family member suffered with cancer. Until the last 12 months, you would not think so despite that they an ‘hidden disability’ and they DID NOT need a badge. They didn’t want one either. They obtained one in the late 12 months due to struggling to get out of the car.

I had no idea it was not now down to individual need.

It is? Apart from those who automatically qualify because for example, they scored at least 8 points on pip for moving around, the rest of us had to justify why we need a blue badge. I remember one of the questions on the form is how would a BB help me. I also had to explain my mobility difficulties backed up with evidence

Oh and they will draw the wrong conclusions, my mum has one, and as you know they are NOT easy to get. People frequently scowl at me until I get my small, fragile mum and her walking stick out of the passenger side.

edited to add, it’s usually elderly women nudging their elderly husbands and nodding in my direction which I find very sad.

There is no issue here. You have a permit. End of. Next time just tell someone to jog on.

That's exactly what I'm saying I should have done. If I had checked and seen a badge, I wouldn't have challenged.

I know someone with Crohn's, and she can be fine for a while, and then have a devastating flare up. I would trust that she would know how to use her BB correctly, and was awarded it, because of need, in the first place. As a nurse some of your views are unfortunate tbh.

Actually if you had bothered to read my post properly. I mentioned the word stable. Someone whom can be fine for a while and have a flare up would not be classed as stable would they????
I also mentioned that it should be an assessment on an individual basis!!!