Vent-- If you aren't handicapped do not use the darn sticker

[legalsea]

Are all of you that are bashing the OP so naive as to believe that abuse of the of the handicap parking sticker doesnt happen and may be happening in the instance of the OP post?

True enough. We had one M.D. here in Fort Worth that was notorious for prescribing handcapped placards for $25.00 (this was a few years ago). He finally got busted for prescribing 'diet pills' without examination, Medicare fraud, and other assorted felonies. This doctor was very popular for those seeking Federal disability benefits: the claimant's would come to the hearing waving the doctor's 'opinion of disability' and claiming that the ALJ had no right to ignore this doctor's opinion. It was all a sordid business.

Indeed, the City of Fort Worth had to change its rules: used to be, if you had a handicapped placard you could park free at parking meters downtown. Well! Every morning by 7 a.m. each and every parking meter within two blocks of the Federal building (where I work) was taken by cars with those placards. Many of the people were Federal employees, while others also worked close by, and so the spot was taken for the full work day.

After the city did not make a dime off those meters for years, and after years of complaints by people (both abled and disabled) whom could never find a parking spot close to the Federal building, the exemption was rescinded. Now those Federal employees have to park in the free (for employees) Federal parking garage almost 500 further feet away. I will note that on days of bad weather the Federal employees would go ahead and park inside the Federal garage.

One Federal employee (whom I knew) had been discovered to have 'sold' her spot in the Federal parking garage; she had obtained one of those placards (which she certainly did not need) and so decided that she may as well park at the meter and make some money. I was one of those people who discovered her scam: parking is so tight at the Federal parking garage (each agency only gets so many spaces; otherwise, you have to 'double up' on the roof or park, and pay, at a private lot) that I, and a few others, noticed over the months this woman parking on the street. We finally asked the supervisor "Hey, if Bobbie (not real name) is not using her spot in the garage, assign it to someone else". Bobbie decided to retire.


I think it fine that handicapped people can get placards and so park close to a store's entrance. However, I know that there are many doctors whom are glad to prescribe such a placard when no basis for it exists, and there are many people who are willing to pay for the placard.


The other day people on this board were getting mad as hornets over those who stop paying their home mortgages and live 'free' in their houses for years while stalling the foreclosure proceedings. I also got mad. However, I also get mad over people who cheat the system and obtain handicapped placards when they do not need them, but simply like parking close to a store's entrance. They are cheats and frauds, and take away limited parking from those that really need the close-in spot. No doubt those cheats would, if confronted, talk about 'invisible' problems.

My father, who died a year ago at age 84 (he was a WWII European theater veteran, for those of you who believe that being a veteran adds extra moral weight to anything) resisted getting a parking placard until he was 82 and could barely walk 50 feet. He thought such placards were for 'old' people or people worse off than him. He only used it once or twice before deciding that if he had to have a handicap placard, then he probably had no business driving. Even when he and I would go out (like to a TCU basketball game) he would have me drop him off at the front entrance and then I would go park the car in a regular spot. He would have divorced my mother if she suggested that he give her the placard while she go shopping alone (there: that is an exaggeration; in fact, it never occurred to my mother, now 82, to ask for his placard unless they were together). My father's doctor (also my doctor, and a friend since childhood) was glad to prescribe the placard for my father, but reminded him that walking was always preferable.

Anyway, this issue always stirs up strong emotions from the invisible-impairment crowd. I do not expect that a person with a handicapped placard have no legs; however, like the original poster, I have certainly seen people using them who obviously did not need it. I have seen young people pull up to a handicapped parking spot in a Volvo, Mercedes or such other rather expensive car, hop out, remember to reach inside and stick the placard up on the rearview mirror, then stoll off whistling over how clever they are (I am recalling one incident at a Tom Thumbs store). If that person was having a 'good day', then that would be a perfect time to park further away and walk.

 

[phorsenuf]

<snip>
If that person was having a 'good day', then that would be a perfect time to park further away and walk.

Nope. Like I said upthread. I can feel good going in but by the time I get out I'm not.

 

[katlas&kids]

Name them.

1. My son has Osteogenisus Imperfecta. It is brittle bone disease. Can you tell by looking? No. The only sign is that he is short. Unless there is lots of humidity and then he feels it in every place that has ever been broken and has to use his arms behind him for balance. Can he walk far? isn't suppose to. Will he do it? yes. Climbed the Cascades (I think it is called), a waterfall near the VA. Tech campus with his girlfriend. Had to use his arm crutches, had a bunch of others having panic attacks for him, but he did.

Nor could he carry the water jugs.

There are many people who do use the cards illegally. I have handicap tags for my husband & son's use. People get on me for not useing them when I am alone or with my other kids.

And, believe me, they aren't hard to get if you have a form from your doctor... and that isn't hard to get them to fill out.

 

[bluesaturn]

I believe as long as the person is in the vehicle you can use the placard- the person may have gone back to the car early and they would not have to move it.

I agree with this. We have a handicapped placard for my grandmother, even though she doesn't drive. We use it when we take her places because you have physically help her out of the car and walk her into the store.

 

[kaytieeldr]

2. The OP has no idea if the person she saw actually has a handicap, but it would seem to me that if they can physically lift such heavy items, that they really don't need to be that close to the front door, unless their handicap is in their feet? It couldn't be back or upper-body or ?

Information for each state should be available at that state's DMV/RMV website. In Massachusetts, the conditions of eligibility are:

• •Cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
• •Cannot walk without the assistance of another person, prosthetic aid or other assistive device.
• •Are restricted by lung disease to such a degree that your forced (respiratory) expiratory volume (FEV) in one second, when measured by spirometry, is less than one (1) liter.
• •Use portable oxygen.
• •Have a Class III cardiac condition according to the standards set by the American Heart Association.
• •Have a Class IV cardiac condition according to the standards set by the American Heart Association. A customer in this condition must surrender his or her license.
• •Have Class III or Class IV functional arthritis according to the standards set by the American College of Rheumatology.
• •Have Stage III or Stage IV anatomic arthritis according to the standards set by the American College of Rheumatology.
• •Have been declared legally blind (please attach copy of certification). A customer in this classification must surrender his or her license.
• •Have lost one or more limbs or permanently lost the use of one or more limbs.

Now, based on the OP's observation and opinion, and I realize she's not in Massachusetts, it appears the shopper in question wasn't using the placard in a valid manner.

Again, the OP is venting. Works for me!

 

[Mermaid02]

Information for each state should be available at that state's DMV/RMV website. In Massachusetts, the conditions of eligibility are:

• •Cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
• •Cannot walk without the assistance of another person, prosthetic aid or other assistive device.
• •Are restricted by lung disease to such a degree that your forced (respiratory) expiratory volume (FEV) in one second, when measured by spirometry, is less than one (1) liter.
• •Use portable oxygen.
• •Have a Class III cardiac condition according to the standards set by the American Heart Association.
• •Have a Class IV cardiac condition according to the standards set by the American Heart Association. A customer in this condition must surrender his or her license.
• •Have Class III or Class IV functional arthritis according to the standards set by the American College of Rheumatology.
• •Have Stage III or Stage IV anatomic arthritis according to the standards set by the American College of Rheumatology.
• •Have been declared legally blind (please attach copy of certification). A customer in this classification must surrender his or her license.
• •Have lost one or more limbs or permanently lost the use of one or more limbs.

Now, based on the OP's observation and opinion, and I realize she's not in Massachusetts, it appears the shopper in question wasn't using the placard in a valid manner.

Again, the OP is venting. Works for me!

The woman could have had any of the conditions I put in red. The OP was venting, about something she knew nothing about. People called her out on it. What's the problem?

 

[cteddiesgirl]

Are all of you that are bashing the OP so naive as to believe that abuse of the of the handicap parking sticker doesnt happen and may be happening in the instance of the OP post?

Of course there is abuse. There always has been and always will be those that abuse services for the needy. But that doesn't mean that we can take a look at someone and judge them on things that we really know nothing about.

 

[Mermaid02]

Of course there is abuse. There always has been and always will be those that abuse services for the needy. But that doesn't mean that we can take a look at someone and judge them on things that we really know nothing about.

Apparently if you put "vent" in the title you can.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Lung Cancer. Someone with lung cancer can lift 5lbs, but can not walk because it can become hard to breath. I had an uncle who had a handicap plate for just this reason.

Understood. Five gallons of water weighs about forty pounds, not counting the weight of the container.

 

[Poohlovr]

You could see my husband lifting those jugs of water, bags of dog food and even carrying our 2 yr old grandson and putting him in the cart.

You will also see him always pushing the shopping cart--even if he's just getting a couple of things. You will think it's odd, because he will actually be resting on the cart, with his elbows.

You will also see him getting into his van in the hadicapped parking spot.

If it's in the summer and he's wearing shorts, you will also see the braces on both of his legs. He rests his elbows on the cart because it helps him walk a little more comfortably. He says it doesn't hurt quite as much when he can use the cart for support like that.

He can lift. He has strong arms and a strong back. He can do just about any thing that doesn't involve much walking. It's just those darn legs that are letting him down.

 

[Scurvy]

Sorry OP, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you don't know what you're talking about.

There are days I will go to the store and feel fine but after walking around (in that annoying mall walk speed) and standing too long I'll be in bad shape by the time I leave. So even though I may feel ok going in I still park in the handicap spot because I never know how I'll be coming out. So on some days you may see me coming out and looking perfectly fine.

Some days too I have no choice but to do more than I should like lifting bags of cat food or kitty litter. I'm not suppose to lift more than 10 pounds. Maybe the pain shows on my face, maybe not. Nobody has ever told me one way or another.

I get the looks and I hate it, but I know I need it and my doctor agrees (as does the government) so I guess I shouldn't care what others think but it's hard to not feel uncomfortable.

My mom has Lupus. Most of the time you wouldn't know by looking at her that there's anything wrong with her. But she never knows how she's going to feel from one minute to the next. Even on her "good" days she uses the designated Handicapped parking places because she doesn't know if she will still be having a good day when she's ready to leave somewhere. She describes it like being hit by a truck - one minute she's okay and the next she can barely function. I've had to help her to the car before, or go get the car to pick her up. My dad used to help with that, too - but now that he's gone she has to go most places on her own, and that close parking place can make a world of difference when she suddenly starts feeling worse with no one there to help her. She even picks up things she shouldn't - like pet food and bottled water - because she doesn't want to ask for help. She makes herself do it, but she pays later that day. Sometimes she can barely move the day after she does her grocery shopping if she goes alone; she has to stay on a heating pad for days before her back stops hurting enough for her to function again.

Yes, some people use the stickers/hangtags when they aren't entitled to. But you can't tell who those people are. Unless I actually hear someone bragging about cheating the system, I'm going to assume the people using those spaces are actually entitled to. I'd never presume to know their medical history unless I was their doctor.

There is no way this thread will end well.

It didn't start well, either!

 

[dispor]

My father, who died a year ago at age 84 (he was a WWII European theater veteran, for those of you who believe that being a veteran adds extra moral weight to anything) resisted getting a parking placard until he was 82 and could barely walk 50 feet. He thought such placards were for 'old' people or people worse off than him. He only used it once or twice before deciding that if he had to have a handicap placard, then he probably had no business driving.

Your father was from a different time. Too many people nowadays feel that they have it worse than anyone else.

As far as him not driving, I'm glad you mentioned that... because I was wondering how all these people who can barely drag themselves back to their cars are able to operate a vehicle safely. (And don't tell me they all have hand-controls installed.) Of course I'm talking about drivers, not passengers.

I have a family member who abuses the system, and I won't go into details. Suffice it to say he can work getting paid under the table, install roofs, work under cars, etc. (ETA: Yet he uses his handicap placard.) Guess what? His sister is a very active paraplegic (sp?) who NEEDS those parking spots for her van.

I agree with the previous poster who said that it is most annoying when there are open spaces available just a few feet away. Some of the spaces should be labeled "van ONLY."

 

[kaytieeldr]

Are all of you that are bashing the OP so naive as to believe that abuse of the of the handicap parking sticker doesnt happen and may be happening in the instance of the OP post?

I'm thinking... no, not yet

You asked this about halfway down page four, and this response will be near the top of page seven. Let's see if I'm right although in this case I'd LOVE to be wrong!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Do you understand the concept of torque?

Torque? Sure. But that doesn't cover lifting two forty-plus pound items off a shelf into one's cart, then out of the cart onto the checkout counter, then off the counter back into the cart, then out of the cart into the car. There are those pesky walls of the cart preventing one from using simple torque in every instance.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I too get angry when I see people park in a handicap stall and literally run into the store. What's even more aggravating is the fact that there is usually a spot within a spot or two right next to them.

Ew. I saw someone I know use her mother's placard and park in front of Office Depot in the one handicap parking space. The kicker?

There were no other cars in the parking lot.

 

[Darsa]

My father has a handicap placard. Probably only for the last year has his handicap been actually noticeable, but he's had COPD, emphysema, a torn meniscus in one knee and the other so badly damaged it was unfixable, untreated scoliosis that is inoperable at this point... And probably other stuff I don't even know about. He waited a ridiculously long time before he got the placard, and still it was "embarrassing" for him to have to park in the HP spots. His arms are very strong, tho; when he was still walking (has always walked with a limp, only in the past 5 years has it gotten bad) he could easily carry heavy loads with those arms, make it to the car and load 'em, get in, and suffer for it all the way home. I told him that he should also be diagnosed as over-stubborn This could be the case here, as well.

I'm sure everyone here is well aware that abuses occur. It's NOT, however, fair at all to assume that just because YOU can't see someone's handicap, that it's not there. That's, to me, the same thing as seeing someone who's got dark skin and black hair, and assuming that he/she is an illegal immigrant from Mexico, IMO.

Of course, as always, this is JMHO. YMMV.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Yes you are.

My father uses a handicapped sticker, and needs it just as much as ANY disabled and/or handicapped person.

Does he have a disability that is visible? No.

Can he lift 5 gallon water jugs and a cart full of other stuff and are able to load it into your cart, push that cart and then unload them into your car? Yes.

In FACT, two weeks ago, he helped my DH put up 15 panels of fence, post holes and all.

Does he need his "up close" parking spot? More than you think.

Don't judge, just hope you aren't in their shoes some day.

This sounds exactly like DH.

So no, you don't know what you are talking about. DH can do things like that and then go home and lay down for several hours. You and I could do the same thing and may be winded for 5 minutes. He needs a 3 hour nap.

OP - if you feel he doesn't need the sticker please come over to my home in 2 weeks when the salesman comes to sell us a 3rd ECV and explain to DH why he doesn't need it. One was damaged by flood waters a few years ago so we purchased a second. The second has worn out and he needs better balance. Rascal has come out with a perfect model for him. However I need to go on the payment plan for it. They average around $5,000 each.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I believe as long as the person is in the vehicle you can use the placard- the person may have gone back to the car early and they would not have to move it.

Respectfully, no. The entire purpose of a handicap plate or placard is to get the person to whom it was issued out of the flow of traffic as quickly and safely as possible. Period. If that person is not getting in or out of the car, the car may not be parked in a handicap parking space.

 

[SunnyP4Disney]

Here's another hidden disability the OP has no clue about. My father was injured during his stint in the Army. His heart was damaged, requiring surgery at age 24. He had multiple CICU hospitalizations after that and eventually had to have a valve replaced plus a pacemaker and defibrillator. I was eating with him at a restaraunt and an older gentleman (my dad was in his sixties at the time) came over and demanded to know what disability my dad had to warrant parking in the handicap space. My father promptly opened his shirt to show the ignorant fool the scar he had straight down his breastbone and the two other ones on his back and told him "judge not lest ye be judged".

Sadly, my dad passed away within the year from his disability and has been gone 9 years now. But he was still able to grocery shop, although he would rest on the cart frequently and he could load/unload his own cart. He also was required to use an ECV at Disney as he could only walk a short distance before overexerting himself.

There, but before the grace of God, go I, OP...

 

[kaytieeldr]

There are many people who do use the cards illegally. I have handicap tags for my husband & son's use. People get on me for not useing them when I am alone or with my other kids.

Ask them what other laws they'd recommend you violate at the same time; or how much they're willing to pay toward the fine you'll get for using someone's placard illegally; or what laws they'd like you to encourage them to break.

And thank you for using the placards correctly