Spoon

Tell her she'd need to catch me first.

As your wife has a disability through an illness it invariably alters parameters as she probably doesn't feel well at times as well as having a physical restiction.
The car issue with her not being comfortable is personal to her and not always typical of a disability.

The 3 other issues you have mentioned are also personal to you and your wife, as I know of plenty of permanent wheelchair users, through injuries, that have children, a superb social life, and holiday abroad regularly.

Horses for courses I guess.

bartmanuk

couldnt agree more m8!!!

BM

bartmanuk

ROFLMFAO

BM

logiclee

Spoon,

Her condition was actually due to a car accident 20 years ago where she suffered a compressed fractures of two vertabrea. She made a full recovery but over the following ten years the damgaed vertabrea ground away her discs. She had a 11 hour operation which involved removing a rib, removing the discs, fusing her spine with metal plates, and taking a bone graft of her hip to mask over the holes left in her spine. This has removed the acute pain but left long term chronic pain, limited movement, muscle spasm and arthritis.
Years of taking anti-inflamtory drugs has left her with a damaged stomach so she can no longer take them. Most painkilers leave her being violently sick so we tend to vary them. Currently she is taking oral morphine.
She is in constant pain and even the simplest of tasks can leave her in agony.

But to look at she is a healthy 35 year old female. We often get comments when pulling into a Disabled space.

Obviuosly we know many disabled people through various hospital groups and every persons disability and how it affects them is unique. There are those with very limited movement and no pain and those with full movement but are in agony, those that can lead a full life through their disability and those that are severly restricted.

To be honest the only slanging match I've had was with a Yuppy type in a CLK Merc, we were trying to park at a Office block to see a private consultant. No parking for miles and one of the three Disabled spaces was taken by Yuppy boy who was just getting out. I asked him to move but he thought his meeting was far more important, the discussion got heated when he said "There is nothing wrong with her". The buildings security personel were first class however and refused him entry until he had move the Merc.

As for the car accident, It was a long time ago and Lorraine received £3500 compensation. We have looked into this as current compensation values would be nearer £250000. The insurers settled on advice from Humberside Health Authority so it's the Health Authority we would have to sue. People we have seen said it's 60/40 in our favour. Not brilliant odds to risk everything you own taking them to court.

Lee

scoobybitch

F1 & Logiclee are both making valid points and both know what they are talking about as they know people in the situation. Lee I am sorry for your wifes discomfort & know how frustrating it can be seeing family struggle. As mentioned by a few people I can see this arguement going on forever as there are always the selfish able bodied people out there with there expensive cars and executive jobs who think the world owes them a favour. This arguement could be carried over to many different topics, everyone is picking and the disabled & parent parking spaces & government allowances. Life is too short as I'm sure half the people on this thread with disabled loved ones know & all the people that are complaining should pull their fingers out of their a**es and put all that hot air to good use instead of acting like total p***ks!!

Spoon

Strange how threads go completely wayward.

I haven't seen one post yet complaining.

scoobybitch

Look at the earlier ones and you'll see what Im on about.

Spoon

I have as I've followed this thread.

scoobybitch

Most people are sticking up for the cause, some arnt

Leslie

I think the real answer is not to pander to those who use those slots when they are not entitled but to hit them really hard between the eyes metaphorically speaking for their selfish behaviour. Its a matter of taking positive action rather then expecting anyone who is disabled in any way to have to park further away from the store entrance.

To put wheelchair user slots at the opposite end of the car park is to admit defeat and that never wins the battle against anyone with that kind of low character. Its just the same for kidnappers, blackmailers, terrorists, and all those others who like to take unfair advantage of law abiding people. It may seem a bit of an extreme comparison but still valid I believe! Just a matter of degree.

Mothers even with children in tow are still better able to cope than a disabled person struggling with a wheelchair, even if it is lightweight. Still pretty awkward. Try watching someone with that problem sometime.

Les

Spoon

Les- Without the law being changed and enforced it won't happen. The disabled have been taking positive action for years but it either falls on deaf ears or abusive ears. Who really wants to spend all their time in aggressive confrontations which can lead to assault or worse?

No, it actually shows a greater strength of character as often disabled people have. It states that you aren't bothered to park further back if it allows you to park in peace. You won't lower your standards to the level of the "idle" who see it fit to park at the front and you won't get embroiled in constant confrontation. Ironically it does embarrass the people who park in the disabled bays when they see you wheeling in and keeping quiet about it. It must make them feel as pathetic as they look.

Again I disagree, those wheelchair users that struggle are always likely to have a pusher, children are a liability.


I do everyday 24/7 when I look in a mirror.

Leslie

Its really up to the people who own the carparks whether they have enough interest in the situation to do something positive in that respect. Maybe they need a bit of shaming into some real action to protect the disabled parking bays. I certainly don't see why disabled have to keep demonstrating their strength of character to appease the selfish and greedy who park in their slots. I repeat, clamp and fine them heavily. The supermarket owners could easily farm the job out to the clamping firms. They might actually do a bit of good for once.

I really dont think that people like that have any conscience at all and won't be embarrassed in any way by seeing a disabled person having to find somewhere else to park. Probably more likely to count it as a result!

Yes wheelchair users do sometimes have a carer to push them around. Not always though, and why should the carer be inconvenienced anyway? It is a pretty hard job and they should expect help as well.

I am sure that you too would be a lot happier to be able to park closer to the store entrance so why let these trogs get away with it!

The whole discussion is associated with thinking about others anyway. It is a shame that is going to the wall in so many cases and that includes those drivers who feel they have to go far too fast for others safety, including children of course, in the supermarket car parks. If people can't be trusted in those respects then they should risk high penalties.

Les

jas03WRX

Bring back “National Service” and teach some decipline, manners and common sense. Thats what I say; then we wouldn’t all be bitching about this. I agree with Lee, Leslie and many others on their points. I too have close experience with disabled people, and terminally ill and also have a 5mth old son, but all we are talking about here is a car park space aren’t we?? geez some people really need to lighten up, and ignore people like nacro who get off on trying to wind up people on forums because they have nothing better to do.

NACRO

I'd just like to point out that I fully support disabled spaces, contrary to what the post above implies. Mother and baby spaces are to my mind an outrageous liberty however.
As for getting off on winding people up I wouldn't say that was true, I just like to share my opinions.

jas03WRX

I would disagree with the Mother Baby comment (as Im entitled to) as you are yourself. But having the new experience of driving with something as precious as a newborn baby and to have to park and get things out of the car. It is pretty nerve racking to start with and to have the extra room and space without the treat of someone taking off your door whilest getting your youngone out of the car is essential. One day you will understand that.

Spoon

Totally and utterly incredible. Why the fúck do some people just not read the full content of a post/s?

"Only a car space as you put it"

This happens to be the most important ingredient to me (and I know many others who will agree) if I am to go out anywhere, and I mean anywhere.

To come out with a statement like that after 5 pages of discussion is unbelievable.

logiclee

Yep,

Lost count the amount of times we have driven somewhere and come straight home due to the fact we were unable to park close enough. It would have been to far for Lorraine to walk.

Cheers
Lee

jas03WRX

Lighten up spoon.... Read my post and it says that I too have experience with these problems. But I dont get hit up about it. My best friend has grade4 C (tumour) in the brain. He has lost the use of his left hand side but he doesn’t hark on about it when I take him out or when he goes out with his wife. If the space is that criticle and you DO have a licenced disable parking badge you can park your car anywhere you like within reason. My Quote: as you like to put: is a matter of opinion. You feel more strongly than others... fine. YES i agree people who abuse the system suck and should be shot at five paces (if you had your way) or a more subtle method. I did read the whole thread and the way it went wayward in places. Im sorry if this (my quote: as you put it) offended you in anyway, it wasn’t ment to be... just that it is only a car park space and if people abuse your right to it then abuse theirs.. park across two of their bays.

If I was using the last M&B space and saw a disabled person trying to park because there was no spaces for them I would give it up for them (thats the person i am).. its called courtesy and common sense. (in my original post)

So I do understand, I just dont get as hit up about it as some. And that is what I was trying to say.....

f1

sorry, but naturally, I agree with the FACT it's more than just a parking space. To those like myself, where walking IS a problem, and indeed for those who can't walk, these space are VERY important to us. Not wanting my own thread to turn into a full scale riot, but those who think it's just a space miss the point entirely. It's not just a spcae, it allows us to go about our everyday lives to the best of our ability. Able bodied people will NEVER understand what it's like until it happens to them. Before my disability I was aware of problems, but never had an attitude with it. Now all I want is my life to be as easy as possible, and one of those things that help are Blue Badges.

I'm surprised at this thread to be honest, it isn't an arguement and I'm glad of that. It's been informative to me and very constructive, and I think it's had a great mix of comments.

Spoon

jas03WRX-Unfortunately for you your whole post smacks of a complete unawareness of the importance of being able to just park even if you believe your intentions are good.

There is a saying that could imply to your position which is " A little knowledge can be dangerous". A bit dramatic but I'm sure you get the idea.

You are way off the mark if you think you can park just anywhere because you have a blue badge, it may allow you certain "privileges" but it doesn't produce space.

Sometimes there just isn't physically the room to park and exit the vehicle. On the other hand able bodied occupants of a vehicle continue to park on whatever they can i.e. grass verges because to them it's not a problem.

If you had read my posts correctly you would have seen that it doesn't wind me up and I'm actually quite happy to park further away as long as I can park. I was actually accused of having a defeatest attitude at one point! Though I'd call it an alternative "avenue of thought" borne out of experience.

I've had 20 years of asking people nicely to allow me into a space that they do not require, some have moved without a fuss, some moved but gave out abuse, some haven't moved at all and pretended I wasn't there by walking away, and in the last 3 years only, most haven't moved and threatened me into the bargain.

So you see I can't succeed alone asking people nicely to move in todays society, so I resign to other methods to bring awareness to these people by parking further away in the hope it at least shames the idle bástards.

If it makes no difference then I'm not bothered in making it a mission, I'm only bothered in being able to park.

Oh and you never offended me in any way shape or form. I am actually way bigger than that because I understand if anybody isn't directly knowledgeable about anything, whatever it may be, then they cannot actually have a valid opinion.

If Michael Shumacher told me he couldn't take a corner flat I wouldn't tell him he could now, would I? Oh and I do know some racing drivers.

As Lee and F1 have agreed, being able to park is paramount to a fuss free visit anywhere.

Before my accident I too never gave it a thought, I know you do because of your pal but please don't think you are a fully paid up member as you never will be unless you face the problem personally.

This whole thread has maybe made a few people think which can only be a good thing but I'll take odds on it not making a difference.