08SchuhPlatformAbuseCard

Over four years ago, when I was first injured and still in a halo, we pulled into a handicap parking place at Costco.
It just so happened to be raining heavily, so I was contemplating whether or not to go in. In the short time I was sitting
there, a man pulled into the handicap spot in front of me, and proceeded to run in. Literally. Run in. At that moment I
realized: due to the tremendous abuse of handicap parking, it would be a continuous struggle for me and my
independence. Every day I struggle to find a handicap parking place, and not only that, I fear when I come out, that some
ignorant person will have parked so far over the hash marks that I can’t get in my car. I call the police, and have been told
on multiple occasions, it’s not a priority. Just recently, I called the police because I could not get into my car, once again,
and they refused to do anything to the person over the hash marks and didn’t ticket the motor cycle in the large, van
accessible hash marks, that caused the whole problem in the first place. The attitude of “handicap people aren’t a
priority” needs to be eradicated! I have tried to contact politicians in hopes of working towards a happy medium and have
encountered a friendly greeting, and no call back.

There are so many contributing factors as to why handicap parking has become such a joke:

1.        The lack of enforcement by city officials and police. I believe if it doesn’t affect them personally, nothing
      gets done. So many businesses do NOT meet state handicap parking regulations, and once again, nothing is
      done. Every time we can’t go into a business because of the absence of parking, it’s a reminder of the blatant
      discrimination we face.

2.        The willingness from doctors to sign for handicap parking. The Arizona MVD has a very short list of reasons how
      you can acquire handicap parking, and everyday I see people who have it for multiple different reasons other than
      those listed. Like pregnancy! When did a perfectly healthy pregnancy become a handicap? And they get it for
     months after, as I watch them load their strollers, I’m disturbed. It’s an obvious disregard for reading the
     requirements and lack of concern.

3.        Ignorance. Pure ignorance from people who think that parking in handicap parking illegally or unnecessarily isn’t
      hurting anyone. Little do they know they are making life so much harder for people who already face so many
      struggles. The attitude that “I deserve it” disgusts me. Do people not see it’s someone in a wheelchair on the sign
      and not someone who has “occasional aches” or “discomforts”? In recent crackdowns on handicap parking, such
      as those in Oakland, California and Ontario, consistently 65% of the people using placards and plates were using
      them illegally. That means that two out three are bogus. With percentages like this, it’s hard to ignore the everyday
      abuse when you are the person constantly fighting the large number of imposters. Not only are those people
      causing a direct problem, but it is also a ripple affect; in the sense that they trivialize the authenticity of people who
      truly need the spot, causing a bigger lack of respect for not just the spot, but the hash marks as well.
      But there’s hope! There are some fairly easy resolutions to these problems. In regards to the city officials, police,
      and doctors, I believe sensitivity training would help immensely. For doctors and police, you could raise awareness
      while they are in med-school and officer training by having an authentically handicap person come and speak
      about the regulations and importance of handicap parking. And there are ways to make it easier for offenders to
      be brought to justice, such as photo IDs on placards, required return of a disabled placard to the MVD after
      the death of the owner, and a closer look by the MVD at the reasons on the disabled placard application.
      Public announcements on the radio and TV could bring awareness to the general public on the importance of hash
      marks and parking. Getting support from the sheriff’s office by announcing there is a “no tolerance policy” (even if
      there isn’t) could help make people think twice about parking illegally.

Last, but far from least, is for all of us to work together. I handed out a business card with a list of all the non-emergency
numbers to police departments in the area, every time you see someone parked illegally in handicap parking, all you have
to do is report them. It only takes a minute of your time. It may not a make a huge difference as just one person doing
this, but together we can make a difference. Together we can get our voices heard and make a change for the
better.

Gina Schuh