Not disabled at all parking in supermarkets.

pogofish

Dave_C wrote: »

Note I am not complaining about the blue badge spaces, just the abuse of the system!

Good - Because the Blue Badge scheme does not apply in private car parks and thus, the vast majority of disabled spaces in supermarket car parks are quite meaningless beyond courtesy!

Its the Equality Act that applies here and all persons disabled under the act, visible disability or not are entitled, not just those with blue badges.

Annieuk75

KittyLady wrote: »

My disability isn't visable and if I arrive fresh from bed at the supermarket I might look like a fairly healthy young woman walking in, however watch me come out after struggling around doing the shopping and you'll see my limp is now noticable, I'm slower and I wear a strained look on my face from the pain I'm in.

It's easy to judge, I see elderly people who look more bouncy than me wander into B&Q and come out, lift bags of compost without effort into their boots. But I don't know, maybe they are having their one good day a month.

Great to hear someone else like myself. I too look very fresh sometimes when entering the shops with my 2 children. However, I sometimes go in and have to use a mobility scooter to get around the Supermarket. So many people give me questioning looks when I get out of my car, just wish people wouldn't judge me on looks...inside i have the bones of a 90 year old.

System

Might be worth a read for anyone who thinks they can tell who is disabled just by looking at them

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3921505

esuhl

ellay864 wrote: »

It is tricky but I do think if people are able to run into a store then why do they need a space that gives more room and closer proximity.

Maybe their disability involved continence issues, hence the need for parking close to the entrance and dashing inside urgently...? How can you tell?

Unless you're going to accost every person who parks in a disabled space and demand documentary evidence of their disability, there's not really much anyone can do about potential abuse... particularly if a blue badge was displayed and everyone appears to be obeying the rules of the system.

LadyMorticia

I have something called M.E which affects my mobility amongst other things greatly and is often deemed an invisible disability. I use a wheelchair but can walk a few metres and my husband and I get alot of accusing looks when we pull up into a disabled space because I'm young. They soon look away when the wheelchair comes out of the boot.

I have had it on occasion though where people have been parked in a disabled space without a BB and we've had to park in a normal space. Now, I know that I can hobble on my stick to the back of the car to get in my wheelchair but I need to be able to open the car door fully to get out which is near impossible in normal spaces.

My husband and I were in Tesco parked in a disabled space with my BB showing but we forgot to bring our bags in so DH left me in Tesco (which freaked me out but that's another matter!) to go and get the bags out of the car and he was confronted by someone asking if he was disabled. He replied that he wasn't but I am and the guy asked why I wasn't with him. My husband said that I was but that I was in the shop.

What I'm trying to say is that just because someone is running into the store, doesn't mean that they're fraudulently misusing a BB. They could be picking someone up, which is perfectly legitimate.

Also, some people can get a BB for severe mental health issues. It's rare but it does happen. When I went to my OT assessment for my BB, the OT asked if I also had mental health issues, which I do. I have very bad anxiety and need to know that I can "get out" (a bit hard when you're in a wheelchair too though) and he put that down on my notes and said that I would have got a BB alone on my physical disability but that it would also be beneficial for my mental health.

[Deleted User]

My hubby suffers from IBS, he doesn't claim DLA, but asked the council for, and received a blue badge.

When he needs to go, he REALLY needs to go, so people may see him park in a disabled bay, and then run into the store.

As others have said, not all disabilities are visible.

Triggles

Something else to consider... perhaps it's because it's their "one good day" is why they are actually ABLE to go to the store that day.....

Misstress

ellay864 wrote: »

It is tricky but I do think if people are able to run into a store then why do they need a space that gives more room and closer proximity. In a thread a while ago somebody said that they had a blue badge as they were registered deaf, which prompted rafts of complaints about why she needed to be parked closer.
But I agree that abuse should be dealt with. I know many people who use the badge even if the disabled person isn't with them or waits in the car. That is abuse of what it's there for. I came to blows with a man in our local Tesco as I'd pulled into a disabled space so my mum could get out. It was the only place I could safely pull over with room for her to get out as she has mobility problems and uses a stick but was turned down for a badge. I didn't park there, just let her get out then moved my car to a normal space. In the meantime another man had gone to a regular space and was annoyed, even though he too was clearly very physically able. He had a go at me and pointed out he had a badge but had been deprived of the space due to my action; I apologised and said I hoped he was OK and he openly said he was fine as he wasn't the disabled one but it was a good thing he hadn't had his disabled wife with him. When I said that if she wasn't there then it wasn't an issue he just said he had a badge and was entitled to park there while I wasn't!

This is against the terms and conditions of use for him to use the Blue Badge and if caught the badge could be withdrawn and he could be fined up to £1000. ( Obv this doesnt apply if its a supermarket disabled space. )

Cliecost

This is a hot topic, if you say 'you should only have it if the disability is visibly impairing' then you run the chance of excluding the people who may need them the most like the incontinent or narcolepsy sufferers ect..

But then if you say it's open to all types of problems, you will get !!!!!!!s taking the !!!!.

Tricky.

Antispam

Unfortunately nothing can be done in private carp parks. Also as mentioned not all disabilities are evident. I think most of us are all for claiming down on people who abuse the system. They are introducing new badges this year which are meant to be difficult to copy but it doenst stop them getting stolen or indeed in some cases family/friends borrowing them under the disguise of helping a disabled person