A Basic Education in Handicapped Parking Zones

I never really thought a great deal about handicapped zones until a member of my family needed to use one. I never parked in them, but I was unaware of the complexities that surround their use until we needed to rely on them for parking purposes. These days I am well aware of the variables that factor into a handicapped parking space because of my newly found experience with them.

Etiquette is a big factor in the equation because able-bodied people should never use these spaces unless they are directly involved with the transportation of a disabled person. ”I’m just waiting for somebody” is a tired and hollow excuse employed by thoughtless people who use them and actually believe they are not out of line with their choice.

The immediate problem is their choice may force legitimately handicapped people to get out of their vehicles simply to address the situation with the offenders. They may have trouble exiting their vehicles to tell the person they need the space and then they will have to get back in their vehicles to do it all over again when they get the space. I learned from my own family experience how an able-bodied person’s choice to park in a handicapped zone can make life very difficult for disabled people.

I have also begun to wonder whether we have granted handicapped privileges to people who may not have a pressing need for them. I believe the concept of what constitutes a disability has been made too broad in many cases and actually works against the recipient. We need exercise to hold onto our mobility and sometimes people use their parking pass as a convenience when they really need more exercise to regain better health. “Use it or lose it” is definitely not a cliché in these circumstances where an overly generous handicapped pass program eventually causes an actual need for a pass due to atrophied muscles.

My assessment may sound a little harsh to some, but my own family experience with mobility issues has taught me about what is important about handicapped parking spots. Our situation involves a neurological condition where the symptoms vary and we face situations when we urgently need the parking spaces. On other occasions, we choose to park further away when we encounter days when mobility is not as severely compromised and can enjoy these moments of extra exercise. The goal should always be to hold on to your mobility when the opportunity for exercise is still an option and your muscles can benefit from the process.

Another scenario is one where able-bodied people take advantage of a parking pass and use the registered owner’s pass to get “rock star parking” in situations where the actual disabled person is not even in the vehicle. I am aware of examples like this one where healthy young adults borrowed a vehicle with a handicapped pass, loaded a bunch of buddies in it, and grabbed a handicapped stall for their ultimate convenience. I can only hope the vehicle’s owner was unaware of their selfish choice to make life even more difficult for people who really need the proximity of handicapped parking.

My final message is a pretty simple question: do I need to use the handicapped parking space today or should I consider the needs of other less fortunate people who rely upon these spaces to make their lives easier under very difficult circumstances? The answer is pretty self-evident.