SharonB wrote:
That happened in a way to my dad --- he parked in a handicap spot in a (used) sports car and got out ----and received a verbal whipping from some folks passing by--- until he pulled out a wheelchair and picked up my 7yo sister from the passenger seat -she had been severely injured in a car accident. I tend to be more open to possibilities and would be curious rather than judgmental, or if reflexively judgmental, I would hold it at bay until I had more information. I love information. I love corner cases and exceptions. After all, most of us live as one.
Nevertheless, a LOT of people abuse the handicap permit. A family member's husband needed the permit. But when she drove the car herself, she'd still use a handicap spot every single time. I one day questioned this. She said the handicap permit (which hung on the rearview mirror) was for the car, and as long as she was driving the car, she could legally use it.
Walking is the best exercise, any doctor will tell you, and while some people legitimately need the handicap space, including able-bodied drivers who have disabled passengers to help out (I've been the driver many times), there are many morbidly obese people who are getting these permits after simply telling their doctor, "Walking tires me; I'm fat; I need a permit." Yet they're the ones who need to walk the most. It's called privilege.
However, it's impossible to strictly regulate every single case of "I need a permit." Doctors don't have the time to measure walking capacity of every obese patient who demands a permit. But at the same time, doctors should know if walking the typical distance from their car to a business entrance would harm that individual. There are visibly disabled people crossing finish lines of 10k's and even full marathons, yet someone uses their obesity as an excuse to avoid walking an extra 50 yards while their only inconvenience while walking is feeling extra body weight. This is grossly unfair and robs truly disabled people (and their drivers) from getting those spots. Don't get me started on the abuse of motorized scooters at Walmart, where very elderly people or war veterans who came in with canes or walkers must wait for an available scooter because YOUNGER morbidly obese people, who did NOT come in with canes or walkers, are using them. My rant will probably hit some nerves here, but you have to admit, it's true.
Yes, I know what you mean. Same goes for some who smoke heavily then can't hardly walk without getting out of breath, which if they have smoking-related COPD is probably more disabling than an obese person getting out of breath, but still self-inflicted.
05 Jun 2023, 2:14 pm
