Disability Positivity

I’m here today to talk about a topic that is often overlooked in the everyday disabled world, people who don’t need disabled parking spots using  them…

Hello, I am a 24 year old young adult, and I have Cerebral Palsy which impacts my ability to function every day. Every person who is part of this community needs support with a variety of tasks, but for myself the support is mainly related to physical tasks such as transferring from my wheelchair to bed, toileting, eating, going for walks or dressing for everyday life. 
Regardless of everything, I like getting out in my community and doing as much as possible. Most of the places I go to are easy to get to by walking, however sometimes my parents and I have to take our converted wheelchair accessible car to our destinations.  When we reach our destinations, we often try looking for a disabled parking spot because we need room to get my power chair out of the car safely.

When my parents and I go looking for disabled parking spots we often have a hard time finding one, and sometimes can’t even find one at all! More often than not the spots are taken by people who are able bodied and have wheelchair permits, even though they don’t need them! I think people like using them because they often think it’s more convenient and will make it easier to get where they’re going, 

Yes, these facts are true and my parents and I hear things like that all the time, but speaking from experience, I find these types of situations unfair, upsetting, disappointing and stressful.  I think there are 2 groups that should not be excluded when addressing this issue, elderly people who often use mobility devices to get around and people like me who use power chairs and other mobility aids in their everyday life.  
   
In conclusion, I think using wheelchair permits when someone  doesn’t  need one shows that people try to take advantage of the populations that know how to use wheelchair permits and parking spots properly  So, the next time, you’re somewhere and need a parking spot, I want you to stop, consider and question whether you absolutely need that spot, or would it be better to keep it open for elderly people and those who use wheelchairs, who could put that spot to better use.