Anyone just watched Reporting Scotland?
It made me angry, they were talking about Blue Badges and the abuse of them and filmed a youngish woman parked in a disabled bay, getting out of the car without the aid of anything like a stick etc… and they said that " here was an example of someone abusing a disabled parking bay, as she had no apparent disability" !!! Like what if she has MS, she can walk, but it will only be for a very short distance and ligitamatley has the badge!!
Jools
X
didn’t see it but much the same happened to me 2 weeks ago while getting back into car in a disabled bay which i had my badge displayed.the woman returning to her car with her elderly relative in the next bay just stood and stared at me as i got into car as i don’t use any aids to walk but have back and leg probs…my wife was ready to get out and ask what her problem was but i just smiled at her and drove off…she was obviously thinking who’s badge is he using…“he looks ok”…but there you go
baz
I guess that those of us who have a blue badge for genuine reasons can be a bit sensitive (I know I am), but how about this …
A car pulls into the disabled space behind us, and a young person gets out and runs (yes, runs) into the shopping complex. I muttered something to my wife (another badge holder), and then noticed that a very elderly person was still sitting in the car.
So, it could have been quite genuine - and how would anyone know?
Now that the criteria (rightly or wrongly) pay a lot of attention to how far one can walk (there must be a Government guideline on this), I suppose that someone who can walk without any aids, and without a limp or a lurch, may be bending the rules just a bit. But, it could be that they have one of the older badges, issued when the criteria were more relaxed.
Geoff
[quote=DoctorGeoff]
I guess that those of us who have a blue badge for genuine reasons can be a bit sensitive (I know I am), but how about this …
A car pulls into the disabled space behind us, and a young person gets out and runs (yes, runs) into the shopping complex. I muttered something to my wife (another badge holder), and then noticed that a very elderly person was still sitting in the car.
So, it could have been quite genuine - and how would anyone know?
Now that the criteria (rightly or wrongly) pay a lot of attention to how far one can walk (there must be a Government guideline on this), I suppose that someone who can walk without any aids, and without a limp or a lurch, may be bending the rules just a bit. But, it could be that they have one of the older badges, issued when the criteria were more relaxed.
Geoff
i sometimes walk quite well going in but coming out of asda is a different matter altogether. i know i look bad when the checkout staff ask me if i’m alright!
also i asked my sister to nip into a shop for me and took my blue badge with me so that it wouldnt take her as long (she had babysitting duties)
its a touchy subject really
carole x
I get blue badge rage from time to time. Iam far from qualifying for one but always notice some parking up and running to the shop. If they have a badge in the car i don’t say anything, you do have to qualify for one after all. Mind you i did see the title of this thread and think what are we going to report scotland for?
hehe darren, I should have typed Reporting Scotland News BBC1
I have a blue badge and sometimes I park the car, at a supermarket, get out, grab a trolly and dont take my stick, so on those occasions I look “normal”, so I got angry when someone looking “normal” was automatically perceived as fraud with blue badge miss use, and also as carole and geoff both point out, badge could belong to a disabled person and the girl shown on the programme, was just the driver.
I just got angry with the reporter assuming that as the girl shown on the programme was youngish and appeared “normal” then she must be miss using the blue badge and nor disabled…maybe he works for atos on the side…she has all four limbs, so she can’t be disabled!
Jools X
I see exactly what you mean. I remember early last year maybe year before, channel 4 doing a program on fake blue badges. Makes most people (like me) who were not aware of non obvious disability, a bit against anyone with a badge looking “normal”. I also used to think ms was only loss of feeling in the legs, now i know a lot more. We can’t asume everyone’s unjust.
My daughter took me out to a local shopping mall.
She was getting into the drivers door when a woman stated in on her for being fit and well and parked in a disabled bay.
Sitting in the back of the WAV in my wheelchair I wondered exactly how disabled I needed to be.
Clearly the stupid woman hadn’t spotted me but it just shows you that all may not be as it seems.
Jane
I think that people with severe kidney problems who fatigue easily can get a blue badge and they dont walk with stick. My 20 year old son who has Downs and autism has a blue badge too and he can sprint. The only problem is he does not usually know were he is going! I have spasticity in my leg and feel that I need a badge but when I read the requirements I dont think I would qualify. I am at the stage that if I dont get a reasonable close normal parking place I dont go.
Moyna x
I would advise a lot of us PwMS to apply, using the worst day as our condition.
Since the big test seems to be how far you can walk (and I guess that with leg spasticity it will not be very far before you have to rest), then the form gets filled in something like this:
“I can walk about 8-10 metres without aids, before I have to stop and rest. With a walking-stick, this increases to about 15 metres”.
If you need the extra width of an average disabled space, so that you can get the door open wide to get your leg out - say this as well.
Geoff
Ha, I’ll report Scotland!
Like others, when i get out a car i may only hobble a little but by the time i get back I’m really hobbling. Only go places if I know I can park close. A shopping trolley is so useful not only to carry food but for support too.
Someone on this site once said if anyone challenged them and asked why they had a blue badge to tell them that they could have it with pleasure if they took the MS too. I always keep this in mind.
Jenny xxx