Is it right that disabled people should get free parking??

[SleepyJess]

Discuss.. (please)

I am having this discussion elsewhere and amazed at some of the views. Just wanted to see what the general concesuss was on here.. without spouting my own views!

SJ x

misdee - you're going to get a headache with all this head banging

Know how Misdee feels tho QofQ. I don't think everyone has to agree with me.. but I despair at the minority who can't get the point. JimJams puts it well.. so we get to park free in most places.. so the non-disabled population/families get a much easier/less expensive life! I wouldn't part with my special boy for all the tea in China.. but if someone gave me the option of paying MORE than the average person in order to park my car.. and in exchange for DS to be able to walk and talk properly.. and not have fits.. I would bit their hand off.

Soooo we'd rather spend the money (probably more) on administrators to weed out the disabled people who are high earners so they they can pay more than able bodied etc to park.

Hmmmmmm

Soooo hubby is reltively high earner. I can't work because of ds1. It costs us more to go anywhere with ds1. For exampe for a year and a hlaf ds1 would not walk on a beach- but we kept trying- at the time we did not get mobility DLA- so we would go to the beach- pay our fiver for parking. Get out of car, walk to beach ds1 would scream, run back to car and we would all drive home. Meanwhile happy advert families are off carrying buckets and spades and picnics to spend their day on their beach. But because we can afford to eat despite wasting a fiver each time we go to the beach that's OK?

I think most people who object have this idea that disabo.ity + whhelcahirs. INstall a few ramps and hey presto everyone can go to work blah blah blah. I don't think you really understand what disability is.

already have one. i am fed up with trying to justify the 'perks' of being disabled. does my bleedin nut in.

do any of you realise the actual finicial strain having a disabled person in the family places you under (if they are not a high court judge). most diosabled people has regular hospital appointements etc, that is time off work, which is lost earnings, thats parking fees to pay for if you dont qualify for a blue badge. a simple cold can leave someone with a underlying condition laid up for weeks. mieows ds and dd1 have cerebal palsy , they get very ill as there bodies cant cope with illness the same way we do. its just neverending.

Message withdrawn

Think you have to live it/live with it to truly understand it. I don't think I ever did before. I am ashamed to admit that disabled children used to make me feel quite alarmed altho I used to hide it. These days even the most disabled-of-adults leaves me unfazed. I will have one in my care one day.

i'm not bothered by disabled people at all anymore. used to be a bit uncomfortable (not the right word really, but its hard to explain) in case i did somethign to offend the, i remember offer to pack a mans in a wheelchairs bags for him (i used to work in safeway), and he laughed and said no. i soon learnt he was pretty independant. I also used to escorta ladt round the shop if her carer wasnt about, as she had severe epilepsy, and needed someone with her just in case.

Wrote a lengthy response but decided not to post it. I would rather not resort to cutting remarks and mud slinging.

Suffice to say, I do not believe ALL disabled people should receive free parking, however of course they should be exempt from some parking restrictions and receive priority parking, high court judge or otherwise.

where on earth are the cutting remarks? I don;t believe you understand what disability is- that's not cutting- I've just seen it time and time again. People think wheelchairs=disability. They don't understand that it is far far more than that.

cutting remarks, mud slinging?

ah well, might as well nail a foot to the floor as we are going round in circles jimjams.

Hmmm, I don't know what disability is....

I have bene a support worker for the brain injured, trained as a nurse, worked in numerous residential homes for people with learning disabilities, had a son who died from a chromosomal abnormality, have a son who has a visual impairement. Know about disability, me? No, I haven't a clue....

WCL, would those people have been able to work to a high wage capacity?

WCL, how do you ensure that those disabled people who are frightfully wealthy don't receive free parking?

An army of administrators? Because they'll work for free in donated office space, won't they?

I'm still feeling the financial effects of being unable to work for two years (seven years ago), while I was in receipt of DLA, could park for free and had an orange badge.

Some of them, yes, but not all. For example, one of the patients I cared for had a head injury resulting from a car accident and there injury was far too severe for them to return to any form of payed work (chronic STM/LTM problems amongst other issues), however another patient had a head injury from a horseriding accident and was paralysed but did not suffer any long term cognitive damage) and so did return to her position (was an accountant) with input from OH.

was she paid in full for her time off sick? i bet her finances took a right battering.

Yes, she worked for a large well known organisation so I would imagine thye paid her in full for a while and then gradually her sick pay tailed off until she was on SSP (not 100% sure but thats my best guess. So, yes, I am sure they did Misdee.

KNew I should have listened to my hooter.

Sorry WCL - I don' want to upset people over paying for parking. It's not really important. Sorry if my foot in mouth caused upset.

It is important JimJams and the people who really need it should get it. My thoughts would be that there are people who are disabled but able to hold down fair/well paid jobs and they should have to pay like everyone else and then there would be more in the pot for people who are struggling - but of course that is my 'in a perfect world' theory and as many of you have said, life isn't fair.

In another of the threads about benefits, I mentioned my FIL who is very wealthy and he still gets his winter fuel allowance but he really does not need it. However the flip side is that what amounts to loose change to my FIL would make the world of difference to another pensioner who is struggling.

I know these things cannot be policed or would cost too much to administrate but that doesn't make them right.

Just my opinion.

I suspect we have come across different disabilities. My experience is reinforced every day as ds1 is the last to be picked up by his bus. Not one of the children on that bus will live independely and I don't think any of them can talk. They'll never earn an income. I have met a wheelchair user who was otherwise completely able, she obviously could, although was a SAHM.

There was an interesting piece on Jeremy Vine about winter fuel payments. I can't remember the details but I remember thinking that there was an argument for funding everyone (including pensioners in Spain!)

I suppose my financial view on parking is that the bit that entitles you to free parking (in our borough anyway) is DLA. DLA isn;t means tested- it's a recognition of the extra costs in being disabled, higher rate mobility recognises the extra costs if you are nt freely mobile and isn;t means tested, so why make the parking ticket means tested iyswim.

But on the other hand I don't really care than much about it to upset people, or really to argue about it for 2 weeks! Sorry again for any upset.;

I'm not upset but I had to defend my own honour as I am not a heartless bitch!

I don't think I called you that!

neither did i.