Handicapped parking is important to all
I’ve never parked in a handicapped spot until recently. But I’ve seen so many able bodied folks use and abuse them. It always made me angry. For years I witnessed people in wheelchairs and wondered how they could do it. How devastating, not being able to walk, run, ski, climb that mountain.
In August 2007 I had a devastating spinal cord injury after a fishing accident. I tried to climb down a 30-foot embankment to get to the Glover River in McCurtain County. It didn’t work.
I’m now in a wheelchair and I use the handicapped parking so I can drop the lift on my van and roll out. I’ve not encountered many problems, but before Christmas at Penn Square Mall. I pulled into a handicapped spot, leaving ample room on the right in the “striped area.” This is where my ramp needs to drop and I get out. I need 8-feet of clearance.
A woman in a hurry roared in beside me and parked in the yellow striped area. I rolled the window and told her to move. She uttered a few obscenities and obliged.
Yes, I guess you can say I have an agenda now. I just want the disabled like me to have access to restaurants, games, shopping, etc., without feeling inadequate. For those of you able-bodied folks that use our spaces, come live a day in our life, look in a mirror at night and if you can sleep well, your soul is beyond reparation.
As my reporter pointed out in a recent article, if you see someone you think is illegally parked in a handicapped spot:
In Oklahoma City, call the Action Center at 297-2535 or the Handicap Parking Enforcement Specialist program at 316-4050.
• Outside of Oklahoma City, contact a local police department, action center or parking enforcement program.
Thank you for joining our conversation on WatchDog. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment