handicapped parking at Epcot

[Michigan]

This is interesting. There is nothing to indicate on my license or plates to say who they belong to w/o calling the DMV. Same with my hang tag. My husband's car has plates as well but the plates/registration are under D or R S.... I wonder if there is a note in the computer some how stating the tags are mine?

He never ever parks in the spots w/o me in the car. But he does have severe asthma. I wonder if 2 people are in one household need to use the parking (his is bad enough he would qualify... our doctor said since I have the plates on both of the cars, she wouldn't refill out paperwork)?

I have 2 kids with spina bifida both are full time wheelchair users. Each one has their own hang tag and each one is cross referenced to the handicap plates on both of my vans.

 

[DaisyD]

The person you are dropping off at the curb is present. That law is to keep folks from borrowing the handicap tag and using it themselves. At WDW I ASKED the officer that was in the parking lot if I would be able to drop my mom off and then park in the handicap spot and he said Of course! So no matter what the law says, it does not pertain to the situation the other poster was referring to. I drop my mom off quite a bit and the park in the handicap spot. Sometimes if it is close enough she will walk back with me to the car. We have never had a problem finding a h/c spot at WDW.

 

[Lachesis00]

We have one hang tag for traveling but each of our cars have plates, I believe both are under me.

I have 2 kids with spina bifida both are full time wheelchair users. Each one has their own hang tag and each one is cross referenced to the handicap plates on both of my vans.

 

[Momelie]

This is interesting. There is nothing to indicate on my license or plates to say who they belong to w/o calling the DMV. Same with my hang tag. My husband's car has plates as well but the plates/registration are under D or R S.... I wonder if there is a note in the computer some how stating the tags are mine?

FWIW, I'm in Florida, and my hangtag's validation/expiration sticker has my driver's license number in fine print on the bottom of it. I have no idea how it works when the disabled person is a minor, though. I have been checked before (on a good day, my disability is not obvious to the untrained eye) at the university I attend, and in a mall parking lot.

 

[Chuck S]

In TX the hangtag has the initials of the person, and the last 4 digits of their DL. The plates have no ID on them, and would have to be run by the police department.

 

[SueM in MN]

In TX the hangtag has the initials of the person, and the last 4 digits of their DL. The plates have no ID on them, and would have to be run by the police department.

This is a link to the Federal Guidelines for Handicapped Parking. In order to have other states recognize (and honor the use of) their handicapped parking permits, states had to agree to the general features of these guidelines. This document is what each states' laws for handicapped parking permits are based on.

The Guideline does specify what the hangtag has to look like and contain (I added the bold):
Removable windshield placard means a two-sided, hanger-style placard which includes on each side:

(1) The International Symbol of Access, which is at least three inches in height, centered on the placard, and is white on a blue shield;

(2) An identification number;

(3) A date of expiration; and

(4) The seal or other identification of the issuing authority.

(e) Temporary removable windshield placard means a two-sided, hanger-style placard which includes on each side:

(1) The International Symbol of Access, which is at least three inches in height, centered on the placard, and is white on a red shield;

(2) An identification number;

(3) A date of expiration; and

(4) The seal or other identification of the issuing authority..........

The initial application shall be accompanied by the certification of a licensed physician that the applicant meets the §1235.2(b) definition of persons with disabilities which limit or impair the ability to walk.

The hangtag or license plate is issued to the person with a disability, in their name. The identification number the Guidelines mention is linked back to the person with a disability, so it is possible for the police to check either the hangtag or license number to see what name they were issued to. In some states, there is a code on the hangtag, like Chuck mentioned. I don't remember if it's still on the Minnesota ones or not, but at one time, it had the sex and the birth year of the person the hangtag was issued to (so if it was issued to a female born in 1940, it would be pretty obviously not being used by the person it was issued to if the persom parking was a 25 year old male).

Also, I don't know if this is true in all states, but in the 2 states where my DD has had handicapped parking permits (MN and WI), you could only have one set if license plates. You can have a license plate and a hangtag, but of you have more than one vehicle, you have to designate one as the one the person with a disability is the principle driver of. That's the one you can get plates for.

 

[BroganMc]

Eeesh! Only thing I notice when I park is a lack of van accessible spots. I hate it when I see sedans parked in the few van accessible slots with the regular slots free. Pet peeve of mine since I drive and use a power wheelchair.

In Disney my dad rents a scooter for the week, so our exits are a bit of a complicated dance. We park, he exits in the scooter, then I exit in my power chair. Lord help us if the only spots available aren't van accessible. Then we have to park halfway in the spot, exit our equipment, restart the car and fully park in the spot.