Blue badge police again

[Rainburstflowers]

Name changes for this as I do every so often.
I have blue badge but my disability is not visible.
For the 3rs time in 2 weeks I have been challenged about not looking disabled and I am fed up of explaining myself

yesterday got out the car and this man came charging towards me shouting “oi you don’t have a blue badge”. I sighed and said “yes I do”. He then said “where did you nick that from?”
I said “I didn’t nick it from anyone I got it off eBay”
He then looked at me and said “oh right and walked off”
as if that was then ok!!!!
or it could be my built like a brick shithouse husband opened his door and got out the drivers seat.

I know I should not have said the eBay comment but I am fed up of explaining myself.

if anyone has any good comebacks please let me know

Apologies if I misread, but I thought OP said the man asked her where her blue badge was. So I assume it wasn’t on display.

I think the bloke didn't check before starting at her, because "where did you nick that from?" suggests he changed his line of attack when he realised the BB was there.

So you think people who have no disabilities at all, and obviously no blue badge, should be allowed to park in disabled spots unchallenged?

I assumed there was no blue badge on display, so he challenged her, and then when she showed it to him, he started behaving like a dick.

Other posters are saying we should never challenge anyone parking in a disabled spot, because they shouldn’t have to display a badge, they should just be trusted. How does that work when a disabled person can’t find nearby parking, because all the places have been taken by non disabled people who weren’t challenged?

I don't think anybody's said we shouldn't have to display the badge? The problem was that he was being a dick! Probably because he didn't like being proved wrong.
And many posters have explained how upsetting it is to be "challenged". If you really want to fight this battle for us (and don't want to just listen to us), you could casually remind people to put their blue badge out if you notice someone without it. And I don't mean in a sanctimonious passive aggressive way, either. If they have one, they'll probably be glad of the reminder to avoid a ticket. If they don't, well you probably won't get any better response than if you "challenge" them.
Again, explaining that people demanding proof or explanations of our disabilities, when we have a blue badge displayed, because they don't believe we're disabled, is not the same as saying "oh it doesn't matter if non-disabled arses park in them, stuff disabled people".

@SalfordQuays Also, I keep my blue badge in the glove box or in my handbag. I can't put it on the dashboard while driving because it slides around and is dangerous. I need a minute when we've stopped to get it out - maybe this was what happened to OP? Or maybe the bloke just didn't stop to check, instead he took one look at OP and decided she didn't look disabled enough for him. But she did look vulnerable enough to bully.

Oh and to the poster who said it's not possible to get a Motability car and Blue Badge "just" for being deaf, I can assure you that it is.

DH's colleague is deaf. He has no other disabilities whatsoever and is fit, healthy, and able bodied. However, he is deaf, so he gets a blue badge, higher rate PIP and a Motability car. If you can't understand why a deaf person shouldn't be walking across a busy car park, then I feel sorry for you.

I’ve been disabled since a child. The amount of grief my mum got off of elderly people when they used to quiz my mum about how she should be parked in the parent and child and not the disabled. I’m now 28 and though no one has quizzed me about parking in the disabled, they do give me looks (I assume because I’m young), until I get out and they can see my visible limp and struggles of walking.

it’s exhausting. But I do see the other side to why people do it. I know of someone who has a blue badge and he will park in a disabled space to go on a hike for 6+ hours of non stop walking. People like that takes away why people need the disabled spaces, I for one if I cannot get a close to where I need to go - I cannot go as I physically can’t manage it. I also know someone who openly admits she’s frauding the system by lying about her mental health. She claims she cannot leave her home due to her anxiety being so severe yet every day she will park in my local town in the blue badge spot (where spaces are limited) and sit in the pub all day… but she gets disability for not being able to leave her home due to her mental health. There are liars who con and genuine people can’t get those spaces. It’s a hard one as I don’t think you should automatically judge but at the same time people meet these people who admit they lie

No I don't think that they should park there without a BB, but as I said, what have you actually achieved? Did the person apologise, and move their car? Have they ever, when you have challenged them? I would leave that to the parking wardens/ traffic enforcers to deal with, personally.

OMFG I am raging at some of the comments that people have had on here. How dare they question you on how disabled you are?!

Becuase it’s embarrassing? And rude?
Because it makes people feel like they have to explain their illness to a total stranger?
Because it doesn’t actually help disabled people.

There are paralympians who have blue badges. My son climbed snowdon the other week and has a blue badge. Mobility issues are not just around physical ability to walk far.

I don’t think they should, but there are some people who don’t care about anyone else. I’ve had a blue badge for a few years, but never been challenged, probably because I’m old. On a bad day I use a stick, on a good day I sometimes park in a non disabled bay. I’m less mobility impaired than many people who really need the extra space and the shorter distance.

I believe that I'm that poster, and you seem to have misunderstood me. I would have no problem at all with a profoundly deaf person having a BB. But I have a profoundly deaf friend who was refused one for this, and everywhere on the internet it's confirmed that deafness alone doesn't qualify. So either your DH's colleague was exceptionally lucky (and I'm glad for him) or there was another factor to his qualification that your DH doesn't know about.

I'm not sure why you're angry with what I posted, but there's no need to feel sorry for me.

I was under the impression that you could get a badge for a limited amount of time but the way people take the Mickey perhaps that's changed.

In your circumstances you'd think the treatment centre (!) would give you a voucher or something like that for your treatment days. Guess it's too hard for them to manage 🙄

@TheOriginalEmu I'm lucky to have no understanding of this so would you mind explaining this to me please? I'm just genuinely curious
My son climbed snowdon the other week and has a blue badge. Mobility issues are not just around physical ability to walk far.
Why would somebody who can do physically challenging things and/or walk far have a blue badge? Is it down to variability or is it more than that?

I've been waiting for someone to challenged me so, after having a stroke in 2023. So far, nobody seems interested but I do notice the huge amount of blue badge bays in the local centre by M&S!

The eBay comment is gold OP.
keep it up!

The question in my mind, @SalfordQuays, is this - would you rather genuine blue badge holders got aggressively challenged and had to explain their medical condition to strangers, or that some people got to abuse the blue badge spaces unchallenged?

It sounds as if the overwhelming opinion of actual blue badge holders on this thread is that they don’t want to be challenged by the Blue Badge Police when they are trying to go about their daily lives.

I have a blue badge, but because I only go out once a week, I rarely get to use it, so haven’t come across the Blue badge police yet - but I would hate to be attacked/challenged for using the badge I need, and to feel I need to justify myself by sharing private medical information with strangers.

Possibly in the ‘ cannot plan and follow a route’ category- as an example Down’s syndrome people who may seem physically able and could possibly climb snowden but have underlying heart conditions and would need to be accompanied at all times.

Yes I asked a woman when she got her medical degree as I loaded up my (rented) huge car . My Mum who was the badge owner came around the corner and the woman did backtrack and say so many people DO misuse them which I do understand.

i do wonder if these people, who yes are rude idiots, but actually are they trying to defend disabled people in their strange way?!

For example you might be able to swim, go to the gym, go on holidays and be active, but have no understanding of traffic or ability to get from A to B by yourself, be easily scared or react to other people in a dangerous way (eg run blindly when you see a dog) or you might have epilepsy that isn’t well controlled and be too heavy for your carer to get back to the car if it’s too far.

Who knows? But it is important to listen to the group who are affected, and time, and time again, some disabled people have explained why it is not helpful, and in some cases actually harmful to be challenged, on what the other person may, or may not perceive them to be entitled to a BB, or space.

Using other people's badges - either those of relatives or stolen. Big crackdown locally a few months ago.