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How would you respond to an able-bodied person parking in a handicapped spot?
In honor of the Patriots’ going to the Super Bowl this weekend (go Pats!), I have to share this video with all of you.
Basically, the Patriots coach, Mike Vrabel, shares what drives him most nuts, and his answer is when able-bodied people park in handicapped spots. But what I love most is that he actually calls people out when he sees it happening. It’s so refreshing to hear someone like Coach Vrabel, who was not disabled but still understands the frustration when this happens.
Have you seen this happen before? What do you do in that situation?
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8 Replies
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One time, a friend and I called someone out on this because I couldn’t get out of my van. Let’s just say the person said some choice words to us that I cannot repeat here. It was an awful situation, and unfortunately, they were not very understanding.
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I think the difficult part about this, even for someone like Vrabel, is the invisible disability part. To me, if they have a permit, I don’t waste too much time on it. There are a couple of reasons for this:
1. In the state of Maryland, even a physical therapist can complete and sign off on the form for these, so a lot of people don’t have to go through much effort to get a placard (at least a temporary one);
2. For the folks with temporary placards, no one enforces them once expired and some folks even use them when they no longer need them:
3. Also in this state, there is a requirement for those who don’t need a spot with a wider access space (typically with signage that says something like ‘wheelchair accessible’), they can be ticketed even if they have a placard but don’t use a wheelchair. The catch is this only applies if a space without the wider access lanes is available. So, how would that be proven and who would enforce it. Most people with the placards don’t even know this is the law.I’ve had people park in such a way that limits the available access lane, and have even had people park their vehicles IN the access lane. To me, it comes down to people being self-absorbed and/or inconsiderate. But if I lost my mind every time there was an example of that, it could be a full-time job. 😉
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It’s like the old saying, “If I had. a dollar every time someone parked in a handicapped spot that wasn’t handicapped, I’d be rich.”
But you’re right, I would never want to call someone out if they had an invisible disability because they deserve the spots just as much as we do. I’m definitely cautious and mindful of that.
That time that woman had some choice words for my friend and me, she had parked in the white lines because there were no other spots. And she was blocking the ramp. At that point, the person needed to be educated.
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100% agree. Sometimes educating folks is a necessary thing.
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I see this all the time.
It’s frustrating and disheartening.
Used to get very angry about it, to the point of finding a friendly cop (when I could find one) to write up a ticket.
We have the problem of people “borrowing” grandma’s permit to park in the handicapped spots. But we also have people with invisible health issues like heart and arthritis that qualify for permits so I do try not to assume unless it’s a 20 year old bouncing out of the car.
I still tend to roll my chair close enough that they can’t avoid seeing me or acknowledging their BS choices. Because I’m an a**hole that way.
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I’ve had people ask to borrow my permit for concerts and sports games, which is just crazy talk. I would never allow that. But I do agree that people with invisible illnesses need them too. They should have a permit though to prove that.
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I would most likely not go as far as vandalism, like scratching the car with my wheelchair by just trying to get by of course. But if it is dirty enough it might be fun to have someone write a message. “Morally Weak”
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Ha, I like that message. Maybe I’ll leave a note on someone’s windshield next time. 😜
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