by Melissa Bean Sterzick
Disabled parking placards are supposed to make your life easier, but they can also introduce aggravations you’ve never considered. Regulations vary from state to state and municipality to municipality, the level of enforcement is even less consistent than the laws themselves, and motorists seem to get ruder and more belligerent every year. Here are a few common pitfalls of disabled parking placards, and solutions for getting around them.
1. Application procedures are hard to find and/or hard to follow.
Every state has different guidelines for how they provide disabled parking placards, so it’s tough to know where to begin. And even if you know where to start, it’s almost always a complicated process. There’s inevitably a long sequence of forms, documents, random obstacles, and the proverbial hoops to jump through on the path to an accommodation you need and are legally entitled to receive.
Quick Fix: First, check with your primary care physician, orthopedic surgeon, or another doctor you see regularly. They probably have helped other patients navigate the maze, and they can help you obtain a permanent disabled parking placard. Another helpful resource is MyParkingPermit, online at myparkingpermit.com. The website provides a long list of services, including instructions for getting a parking permit in all 50 states and Washington D.C. If your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles guide to disabled parking permits is convoluted and confusing, MyParkingPermit can help you cut through the red tape.
2. You’re not sure if disabled parking spots are available.
In general, parking is a complex and loosely regulated industry. There’s no uniform code to determine how many disabled spots must be provided or where they must be located. If you’re heading to an unfamiliar destination, you have no idea what to expect until you get there. In some cases, obtaining the spot can seem as convoluted as obtaining the placard.
Quick fix: Before you leave the house, check the website of your destination. Large public facilities (such as stadiums, concert venues, outdoor parks, museums, shopping malls) often have accessible-parking info filed under the parking or accessibility tabs.
If you’re going to be parking in a paid lot, check the parking payment app before you leave the house—that will probably tell you what options are available in advance. Google Maps can also provide some help, although it’s not a comprehensive resource—type “disabled parking” or “handicapped parking” into the search bar and see what comes up. The best resources are crowd-sourced apps such as Wheelmate, Blue Badge Parking, and Disabled Park. Unfortunately, they all have limited coverage in North America.
Get to know the rights in your state. In California, where I live, disabled parking permit holders aren’t limited to disability spaces that are marked with blue curbs or the international wheelchair symbol. We can also park in short-term “green curb” areas designated for residents or merchants for an unlimited period of time. We can park in metered spaces for free. And some counties allow us to apply for a residential blue zone in front of our homes.
Under the ADA, all state and local governments must ensure adequate disability parking at public, medical, and commercial facilities, with strict requirements for the number and type of parking spaces, design, signage and spacing. Take a look at adata.org for more information about blue zone regulations.
3. You’re competing for parking with people who have fraudulent placards.
If you’re caught using a disabled placard that is not yours, you can be hit with a four-figure fine and possibly even a jail sentence of a few months. That hasn’t stopped anyone from cheating. For example, California recently found that approximately 35,000 parking placards have been issued to individuals listed as deceased on the Social Security Death Master File.
Many law enforcement agencies have started cracking down on the illegal use of disability parking placards. Again using California as an example, police have started checking placards during routine traffic stops to ensure that the name on the placard matches the name on the automobile registration. That state also now sends notices to drivers who have had disabled parking placards for at least six years and requires them to confirm that they are still eligible.
Quick Fix: Don’t attempt to enforce disability parking regulations on your own. That’s a recipe for unnecessary conflict (see below). But if you see flagrant abuse and can’t stand the thought of people getting away with it, it may be possible to file a report—online and anonymously—through your state’s DMV or the local municipality’s parking enforcement division.
If you’re really fired up and you feel the abuse is rampant, contact your city councilperson or state representative and ask them to allocate more resources for enforcement and/or increase the penalties for violations.
4. You’re accused of having a fraudulent placard yourself.
This is why you shouldn’t appoint yourself as disability parking cop. Placard vigilantes are almost as obnoxious as placard abusers. Perhaps you’ve encountered one of these people before. You’ve got your placard, but your disability isn’t visibly obvious to the average passerby. Your prosthetic leg is fantastic, but potholes, curbs, errant skateboarders, and reckless drivers are not your friends. For your own safety, you need to minimize the distance between your car and your destination. Unfortunately, when walking across the lot with a seemingly normal gait, you are the target of angry stares. Once in a while, someone makes a judgmental comment loud enough to reach your ears. One day, you’re confronted by a hypervigilant bystander who demands that you provide them with proof of your disability. You’d rather not face a citizen’s arrest just for going out to get a taco.
Quick fix: Stay calm. Breathe. Explain in a normal tone of voice: “I am legally parked. You can’t see my disability, but I have one, and I’m not required to prove it to you. If you’re concerned about my parking choices, call the police.” Then leave the conversation and the vicinity. Do not engage further. It’s stressful having an invisible disability, and not fair that you have to deal with another form of discrimination. However, responding to irrational behavior with more irrational behavior has no benefit and only serves to raise your blood pressure. Get more guidance at invisibledisabilities.org.
5. You have limb loss/difference but still aren’t eligible for a parking placard.
Many years ago, I attempted to obtain a disabled parking placard, but upper-limb amputees can only get them in California if they are missing both arms. My 1.5 arms were too many for me to qualify. At that time, my children were small, and it was struggle to get them in and out of places like the grocery store, post office, or the mall. A toddler and an infant, plus a full cart of groceries at Costco, is a huge load for any parent. When the kids were old enough to be trusted to follow directions, I would say “touch the car,” and they knew it was time to stay put while I unlocked the vehicle and opened their doors.
Quick fix: Every state has different requirements for issuing disabled parking placards, so you might qualify for a placard in Michigan but lose eligibility if you move to New York. The requirements for temporary placards are often lower than for permanent ones, so a temp pass might be the first, best step to a permanent placard. The system is inconsistent, so you have to do your research. Check out drhandicap.com for disability parking permit requirements by state.
Melissa Bean Sterzick is a freelance writer and writing tutor. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters.
