Grrr - blue badge

Lentilsforteaagain

Thanks Most days I would just glare back but you know when you're having a day when it's just all too much and you just need to call in to a shop, buy something quick for dinner and you've had enough of the day? You already feel worn down with medicines, physio, appointments, and then there's someone giving you an evil look for parking in a disabled bay when "they" don't think you should. I should add that we do have a valid badge and usually (virtually always) the person doesn't come over to check, but anyway, thay've decided you're "bad" for parking there.

It's just the feeling of not wanting to feel I must explain myself or my son to anyone ...

... that said though, most people are helpful and kind

yangtam2

I have had trouble with this.
You have to have a badge to park in these spots also supermarkets say if there are none available you can also park in the mother and toddler spaces too as long as you have your badge up.
Last year it was really busy in the local asda carpark and i had driven round and round for 15 mins as a mother and toddler spot came up next to disabled i used it as i had checked with asda before and they said you could so there i am minding my own and this woman gave me a right ticking off and was so abusaive she made me move as she had a child.
So i did as was a bit scared of her luckily as i came out a disabled space became available. another lady saw what happened and came to my rescue as i was quite upset.
I asked in the store when i managed to get in and they said i could as i started my shopping i saw this woman again and again she had a go saying i had no right and what was wrong with me to allow me to park in there anyway (i do use a stick) i was really upset and this isnt the first time i have old people asking me before i have had time to put up my badge if i had the choice i wouldnt want one or my health condition people dont think.

3onitsway

I'm with you Lentils! Sometimes i enjoy just glaring back at the ignorants, but sometimes after a particularly bad day, i want to run away and cry!!

My son is nearly 12, and has severe autism and learning difficulties. He's just out of nappies (touch wood!), has no speech - he's probably comparible mentally to a 6-9 month old baby.

But, he looks 'normal' - in fact he's the most handsome boy around (me, biased? Surely not!). On the rare occasion i have to go shopping with him (i try not too!), and we use his blue badge people see me, a normal fit & healthy 30something getting out of the car, then a strapping 11 year old boy. They don't seem to notice i've got a tight grip on his arm to stop him escaping across the car park! We've had nasty comments quite a few times, sadly normally from the older generation who think they have the god given right to be disabled!

One actually asked me why I was parking in a disabled bay as i obviously wasn't. I turned to my son and said, 'son, tell the man why we're parking here' - then turned to the man and said 'silly me, he can't tell you, he can't talk'. His face drained and hopefully I made him feel as bad as he should have felt.

I also used to carry some little business type cards around, I think we got them from the Autistic Society website. They said something like 'I'm sorry that my behaiviour made you stare/uncomfortable, but I have Autism and this is part of my condition. You can learn more about Autism at https://www.autistic etc etc.'
These were really handy a few years ago for me, but I don't need them now, i'm stronger!! :T

longhotbath

Hi - new to the thread....DS1 has a blue badge - used when taking him out of the car - OR when collecting him if he has been off doing something without me. (I sometimes park - walk off(Im not disabled), but I need the wide BB spaces to open the door wide and carry him into his special needs mega expensive car seat, then pack up his wheelchair and lug it into the boot.) My pet hate is standard width parking spaces that my council mark up as blue badge spaces - no use whatsoever!!!!

I have just looked at the automatic eligiability criteria for Inverclyde council - automatic blue badges are suppiled to people who use a vechical supplied by a government department. What does that mean?
Does it mean that local government employees with a lease car can just park in any country-wide blue badge space just because they work for Inverclyde council????

There is alot of emotion on this board. Why cant the scheme be better policed - All councils having the same policys, the criteria being tightened up, and effective policing by police / traffic wardens, harder to forge blue badges with bar codes that identify easily (to the police/wardens) the person to whom the badge is issued, whether stolen or copied, and effective financial penalties for misuse.

Many disabilities are not obvious, and I think that the vigilantie attitude is awful - it should not be up to the public to challenge ANYONE.

Just my thoughts...

somebody_else

longhotbath wrote: »

I have just looked at the automatic eligiability criteria for Inverclyde council - automatic blue badges are suppiled to people who use a vechical supplied by a government department. What does that mean?
Does it mean that local government employees with a lease car can just park in any country-wide blue badge space just because they work for Inverclyde council????

Don't quote me on this longhotbath, but I suspect it's a throw back to the days when those 3 wheelers were issued to wheelchair users, but I'm not 100% on that. I would very much doubt it would have anything to do with able bodied local government employees being issued badges just because they have a lease vehicle.

Lentilsforteaagain

I quite agree and I've noticed it's usually (actually always so far) the older generation too.

longhotbath

somebody_else wrote: »

I would very much doubt it would have anything to do with able bodied local government employees being issued badges just because they have a lease vehicle.

You never know....

I have just had a wierd kind of odd moment when I imagined putting my son in his large car seat in the passenger seat of one of the 3 wheelers whilst trying to put his wheelchair in the boot. I am so glad that they changed the system.

somebody_else

longhotbath wrote: »

I have just had a wierd kind of odd moment when I imagined putting my son in his large car seat in the passenger seat of one of the 3 wheelers whilst trying to put his wheelchair in the boot. I am so glad that they changed the system.

Erm... as I understand it, they didn't have a 'passenger' seat - just the seat for the driver. You'd had to have put your son on your laps.

longhotbath

He's a terrible back seat driver as it is. Shouts come on alot !!! when we are stuck in traffic:D

maggienetball

I have a profound mental disability for which I recieve DLA and my local council does not allow my type of illness to be considered for a blue badge. This is really frustrating for me because part of the illness is agoraphobia and in order to try to live a semi normal life I need to try to get out. I always have a companion but crossing a supermarket carpark is impossible for me, and parking out of town (disabled spots are in town) is unthinkable. I never park in the disable spaces because, a/ I don't hold a blue badge and b/ I couldn't cope with anyone having a go at me for parking there "unbadged" c/ couldn't afford the fine. And so I rarely go out, and then I usually just sit in the car because the distances are too far. My council will not reconsider my case. Any advice?