I find it funny that so many people want to be disabled. What am I talking about? Clearly, the people who park/wait in handicapped parking spots.
Why else would they park there? Those spots are reserved for a reason. For those who know you have to get the form from your town, submit it to your doctor then take it back to your town every 5 years. The red tags are for temporary disabilities and the blue ones are for permanent disabilities. Those with license plates are the disabled owner/driver of the vehicle.
NO TAG, find another spot!
Bear with me, parking in the handicapped reserved parking spot without the proper hang tag is disrespectful. You can’t choose or identify as disabled simply to park in the spot. Not a day goes by that I don't run into someone parked in a handicapped spot that doesn’t belong there.
I'm only going to be a minute!
Time is an issue for everyone. We are always hustling and bustling about. Have you ever noticed that when someone tells you they are only going to be a minute that they really aren’t? They are just trying to buy time or move you along.
It is my business
Not a day goes by that someone is in such a hurry that they either park in a handicapped marked spot or they block the access lane. Their excuse is I’m only going to be a minute. Mind your own business. For those of us in a wheelchair and who need that lane, that is unacceptable
RESPECT
For the many people with other disabilities both visible and hidden, it is disrespectful.
You know you were all singing the song in your head, so I had to include it!
VANMAN
Many people don’t understand the hashtagged lane between two spots. I personally always thought it was silly that a sign was there saying no parking. Now I understand why. As luck would have it, I was once blocked by Vanman. Who is the van man you are asking? He was a cop in a hurry at a 5th-grade concert that couldn’t find a parking spot and parked in the access lane spot that said no parking. Vanman is not his real name but what we call him. He was as inconsiderate and unapologetic as they come. He didn’t care that we had to wait for him in a dark, busy parking lot after a Christmas concert to get into our car. He only thought of himself and how important he was. He must have thought I’m only going to be a minute.
The Christmas concert
This is what happened: it was a packed house for the 5th-grade Christmas choir concert, our last one ever for elementary school, held at the middle school. We were all dressed in our Christmas attire ready to sing our hearts out as loud as we could for our eager parents who just wanted the night to be over. After the fat lady sang the concert was over and the mass exodus began. As everyone was storming the doors to leave we got caught up in a traffic jam of children and parents trying to get to their cars. We finally broke free of the pack and got to our car, thinking confidently this should be a breeze, after all, we parked in a handicapped spot with room to get the lift out and me safely stowed.
We were blocked in
But as luck would have it, we were blocked in by someone who chose to park in the no-parking spot for a minute. You know the spot with the sign that says this is not a parking spot, no parking. So we waited and waited and waited. Cars zooming past us narrowly missed hitting us as we waited in the dark parking lot. Finally, a man and his daughter appeared. As they jumped into their car, my dad said to the man. You know you parked illegally and have blocked us from leaving. This was when the fireworks started. Vanman said he was a cop who was allowed to park there because he was running late and didn’t want to miss the concert. I did not know that cops running late can park anywhere they want, did you? I remember this story exactly: there were a lot of four-letter f words coming from Vanman, but never an apology.
He thought he was only going to be a minute.
I guess we were supposed to allow him to park there cause after all he was a cop running late and we could wait a minute to get into our van. Years later, he approached my mom and apologized for his language but not for parking in the spot. This type of entitlement seems to be a common theme, I’ll only be here for a minute. Or my favorite one, when a disabled person needs the spot they can ask me to move. REALLY?!! We are supposed to get out of our cars and knock on your window and ask you to move from the reserved spot because you were only going to be there a minute, and needed to get your coffee fix.
A minute can be longer than you think
If you’re only going to be a minute make sure you plan for more time because that minute will be longer than you think. Please remember to hag your handicapped tag if parking in a reserved spot. Finally, please don't park in a reserved spot, even if it is only for a minute. Thank you!
Thank you for reading until the end!
This is the view from my wheelchair, where miracles can make a difference. Always Strive for the Impossible. Come back next week to see what I have in common with the Fall and The View From My Wheelchair.