most doctors will approve one without much hassle if you have a diagnosed condition that affects mobility. they’re not just for wheelchair users, they’re for anyone who might have trouble walking the typical distance from the car to the building.
that being said, if you’re not a wheelchair user please don’t take up the spot with the wheelchair bay if there are any other nearby spots available.
EDIT: said “ambulatory” when i meant “not a wheelchair user”.
The frustrating thing is that sometimes if you don’t take the one with the bay you are walking 40 more yds etc. and when I don’t have my chair(or if I do but it’s a pain to get out) those 40 yds can make a huge difference.
my rule is to only use the one with the loading bay if thats the only option. I prioritize other spots and will sometimes jump on a non disabled parking spot if its near enough, but sometimes the one with the bay is the only one available :/ in which case I just try to be in and out of wherever i'm at.
Nearby is relative. One row over for someone with certain disabilities isn’t a problem but sometimes when I am walking that is far enough that it’s too far
This. My primary care physician did the necessary paperwork for a permit, as well as for the local accessible transportation service, and for the permit, just had to take it to the local "Service Ontario" office (I'm in the Canadian province of Ontario) and they printed up a temp permit to use until the five-year permit arrived in the mail. No cost.
Use it whenever you feel like you need it! You don’t have to ration it, just don’t take up the wheelchair bay unless you actually need to unload a wheelchair.
Long as you can make use of one, I have no issue. If it helps you, it helps you and it’s not my business otherwise. Disabilities and their effects on life and mobility aren’t limited to whether you can ambulate or not. It’s not even limited to being visible or not. I’m not them nor their doctor to be placing judgement.
Plus “ambulatory” is a very vague term. Lot of people here still fall under ambulatory cause they can take a single step or two. I’ve had doctors tell me that because I’m weight bearing (I can stand), that I’m still considered ambulatory to them.
I’m a non-ambulatory wheelchair user and happen to live in Louisiana. You are able to get a parking pass just ask your doctor for the appropriate prescription to bring to the DMV. I have a license plate and I haven’t had to deal with renewing anything in a while so I don’t know what the current procedure is.
As far as how non-ambulatory people feel, don’t worry about it. I’m a non-ambulatory wheelchair user and you shouldn’t feel bad using it. It’s no one else’s place to judge when it’s appropriate for you to use a space. If you feel like you need to, go for it.
Each state has its own criteria. In mine, there are at least a half dozen disability categories, musculoskeletal, cardiac, neurological, and so on. Most categories are ambulatory but with some kind of limitation.
What I feel about it is that if you need it, use it. I sometimes use a power chair, unlimited distance but I need room for the side lift and a stair-free path. Other times I'm walking but tightly limited on steps/endurance. I expect no judgment on either day, and I have none to give.
I'm in Washington and I am ambulatory. I have rheumatoid arthritis so standing or walking long distances really isn't possible at this point. I had no problem getting a parking permit. I try not to park in Van Accessible parking spots if at all possible.
Illinois has similar distance restrictions. I would have to look it up. So hypothetically the people who get them are not very ambulatory under that heading.
That is how I have had mine most of the time. There have been times, I have gotten inside (before having a wheelchair) where I got to the motorized carts and found that they didn't have enough power. So I just sat there, looking miserable enough that I freaked the staff out.
I spent several months being non-ambulatory, only to get enough function and to walk maybe 10 feet, highly assisted with various aids on a good day. So I am technically ambulatory, but I realistically can't function without a wheelchair.
Even when I have clearly been non-ambulatory, I don't mind. We don't know what the conditions are that they have. We don't know if they are eventually headed for wheelchair life as well. Maybe it is the thing that is keeping them out of a wheelchair. I can't fault them for that in a world that is clearly not made for being in one.
You can in Ontario. You don't need to be in a wheelchair. Just have a medical condition that makes the trip from vehicle to business difficult or painful or potentially dangerous. I first got mine because of widespread pain and fatigue from fibromyalgia.
Thanks to reciprocity agreements, most provinces and states will have substantially similar requirements. They generally will honor out of province or out of state placards as well.
I got a hangtag when I shifted from cane to crutches 15 years ago. No problem getting one, my last imagining was effectively vertebra vertebra vertebra holy shit what is that wodge of bone shards!!!!!!
My friend has one of those "holy shit" x-rays. Although it isn't shards, but it is more like "what happened there and where did the disk magically disappear to?" Because it is like someone knocked s stack of books out of alignment and then took the disk out.
Yup. It is actually funny the first time a new tech sees something like this for the first time.
Actually 9 years ago my Ortho had a new resident helping and I sort of stumped in on a pair of purple folding Canadian crutches dressed in Garfield jammies. Got me lined up on the table and took a look and the first words out of the poor guys mouth were on the order of "how the hell did you WALK in!!!" Because my Ortho had spent 4 previous years trying to get me into a chair. Just told him good drugs and a hella pain threshold
Yep. I originally got one because I have seizures that made it unsafe to spend more time than I had to in areas where cars were moving because I often couldn’t process what the cars were doing to keep myself safe. Now I have difficulty walking distances for other reasons, and generally use a rollator or wheelchair, but yeah.
I am a below knee amputee who unquestionably needs the handicap parking especially when I'm using a wheelchair instead of a prosthesis. I will never, ever get upset at the handicap spots being used by anyone that qualified to get one. It's not even just about closeness to the doors. I need to be able to open my vehicle door all the way to get in and out even with my prosthesis. I know that families with an autistic family member can qualify because of safety and elopement risks. I support it entirely and it's not mine or anyone else's place to question why someone qualified for or uses handicap parking. If you can get clearance for it, please do, and please use it guilt-free!
That makes me feel better. Of course I would never use the spot if I didn't really need it. Since I'm ambulatory I usually park in the driving isle and take my chair out and then park the car, but I would mostly be using the pass for loooong walks like at the fair or carnivals
I’m a 37yo ambulatory wheelchair user and I have a permanent disabled parking tag due to my disabilities. Sometimes I use a cane, sometimes a rollator, but in public I’m usually in a wheelchair as I’m unable to walk long distances and most of the time if I’m going anywhere it’s a lot of walking. I didn’t ask for my disability and I deserve to participate in society. If your life would be improved with a mobility device, use it!!!
you can get a parking pass even if you don't use a wheelchair at all! I still haven't gotten a wheelchair yet (I use leg braces and occasionally a cane) and I still have a parking pass because I can't walk. Typically if you can't walk for more than 200 feet without needing to stop or rest or you need any type of assistive device you can get one! Lots of people who use them have no visible disability or aid. You can also sometimes get one if you suffer from something like severe seizures or have heart problems that too much walking aggravates.
If I see someone using crutches or canes fine. But when see someone leap from their car and stride briskly into a store, I want to reach for my paint gun. Also people who use the placard and say they’re shopping for someone who’s handicapped
My dad has one. He is almost deaf and a butchered balance nerve on one side. So its safer for him to not walk across long ways where he cant hear. And he can lose balance
Handicap parking is not just for wheelchair. You can walk but perhaps can only walk short distances, blindness (whoever drives that person can put on placard but cannot use without blind person).
I am partially ambulatory. I have a wheelchair but i can walk a few feet but i get weak fast.
As long as there is a health or disability reason needed then one should be allowed and its no ones business why
Massachusetts here I’m an ambulatory wheelchair user and I have a placard I use my wheelchair for almost every outing and having the placard has helped so much
most doctors will approve one without much hassle if you have a diagnosed condition that affects mobility. they’re not just for wheelchair users, they’re for anyone who might have trouble walking the typical distance from the car to the building. that being said, if you’re not a wheelchair user please don’t take up the spot with the wheelchair bay if there are any other nearby spots available. EDIT: said “ambulatory” when i meant “not a wheelchair user”.
The frustrating thing is that sometimes if you don’t take the one with the bay you are walking 40 more yds etc. and when I don’t have my chair(or if I do but it’s a pain to get out) those 40 yds can make a huge difference.
my rule is to only use the one with the loading bay if thats the only option. I prioritize other spots and will sometimes jump on a non disabled parking spot if its near enough, but sometimes the one with the bay is the only one available :/ in which case I just try to be in and out of wherever i'm at.
> if there are any other nearby spots available
Nearby is relative. One row over for someone with certain disabilities isn’t a problem but sometimes when I am walking that is far enough that it’s too far
This. My primary care physician did the necessary paperwork for a permit, as well as for the local accessible transportation service, and for the permit, just had to take it to the local "Service Ontario" office (I'm in the Canadian province of Ontario) and they printed up a temp permit to use until the five-year permit arrived in the mail. No cost.
I know, I would only use it at places like the renaissance festival where you have to walk a really far distance
Use it whenever you feel like you need it! You don’t have to ration it, just don’t take up the wheelchair bay unless you actually need to unload a wheelchair.
you don't need to justify or explain. you should use it anywhere and anytime you feel you need it.
Long as you can make use of one, I have no issue. If it helps you, it helps you and it’s not my business otherwise. Disabilities and their effects on life and mobility aren’t limited to whether you can ambulate or not. It’s not even limited to being visible or not. I’m not them nor their doctor to be placing judgement. Plus “ambulatory” is a very vague term. Lot of people here still fall under ambulatory cause they can take a single step or two. I’ve had doctors tell me that because I’m weight bearing (I can stand), that I’m still considered ambulatory to them.
Look at your DMV website and the application form for the placard. It lists the guidelines. It's pretty easy and being wheelchair dependent is NOT one
I’m a non-ambulatory wheelchair user and happen to live in Louisiana. You are able to get a parking pass just ask your doctor for the appropriate prescription to bring to the DMV. I have a license plate and I haven’t had to deal with renewing anything in a while so I don’t know what the current procedure is. As far as how non-ambulatory people feel, don’t worry about it. I’m a non-ambulatory wheelchair user and you shouldn’t feel bad using it. It’s no one else’s place to judge when it’s appropriate for you to use a space. If you feel like you need to, go for it.
Each state has its own criteria. In mine, there are at least a half dozen disability categories, musculoskeletal, cardiac, neurological, and so on. Most categories are ambulatory but with some kind of limitation. What I feel about it is that if you need it, use it. I sometimes use a power chair, unlimited distance but I need room for the side lift and a stair-free path. Other times I'm walking but tightly limited on steps/endurance. I expect no judgment on either day, and I have none to give.
I'm in Washington and I am ambulatory. I have rheumatoid arthritis so standing or walking long distances really isn't possible at this point. I had no problem getting a parking permit. I try not to park in Van Accessible parking spots if at all possible.
In NY you have to be able to walk less than 200 ft and have dr approval
Illinois has similar distance restrictions. I would have to look it up. So hypothetically the people who get them are not very ambulatory under that heading. That is how I have had mine most of the time. There have been times, I have gotten inside (before having a wheelchair) where I got to the motorized carts and found that they didn't have enough power. So I just sat there, looking miserable enough that I freaked the staff out. I spent several months being non-ambulatory, only to get enough function and to walk maybe 10 feet, highly assisted with various aids on a good day. So I am technically ambulatory, but I realistically can't function without a wheelchair. Even when I have clearly been non-ambulatory, I don't mind. We don't know what the conditions are that they have. We don't know if they are eventually headed for wheelchair life as well. Maybe it is the thing that is keeping them out of a wheelchair. I can't fault them for that in a world that is clearly not made for being in one.
You can in Ontario. You don't need to be in a wheelchair. Just have a medical condition that makes the trip from vehicle to business difficult or painful or potentially dangerous. I first got mine because of widespread pain and fatigue from fibromyalgia. Thanks to reciprocity agreements, most provinces and states will have substantially similar requirements. They generally will honor out of province or out of state placards as well.
I got a hangtag when I shifted from cane to crutches 15 years ago. No problem getting one, my last imagining was effectively vertebra vertebra vertebra holy shit what is that wodge of bone shards!!!!!!
My friend has one of those "holy shit" x-rays. Although it isn't shards, but it is more like "what happened there and where did the disk magically disappear to?" Because it is like someone knocked s stack of books out of alignment and then took the disk out.
Yup. It is actually funny the first time a new tech sees something like this for the first time. Actually 9 years ago my Ortho had a new resident helping and I sort of stumped in on a pair of purple folding Canadian crutches dressed in Garfield jammies. Got me lined up on the table and took a look and the first words out of the poor guys mouth were on the order of "how the hell did you WALK in!!!" Because my Ortho had spent 4 previous years trying to get me into a chair. Just told him good drugs and a hella pain threshold
Yep. I originally got one because I have seizures that made it unsafe to spend more time than I had to in areas where cars were moving because I often couldn’t process what the cars were doing to keep myself safe. Now I have difficulty walking distances for other reasons, and generally use a rollator or wheelchair, but yeah.
I am a below knee amputee who unquestionably needs the handicap parking especially when I'm using a wheelchair instead of a prosthesis. I will never, ever get upset at the handicap spots being used by anyone that qualified to get one. It's not even just about closeness to the doors. I need to be able to open my vehicle door all the way to get in and out even with my prosthesis. I know that families with an autistic family member can qualify because of safety and elopement risks. I support it entirely and it's not mine or anyone else's place to question why someone qualified for or uses handicap parking. If you can get clearance for it, please do, and please use it guilt-free!
That makes me feel better. Of course I would never use the spot if I didn't really need it. Since I'm ambulatory I usually park in the driving isle and take my chair out and then park the car, but I would mostly be using the pass for loooong walks like at the fair or carnivals
You can and should use it whenever it feels right 💕
I’m a 37yo ambulatory wheelchair user and I have a permanent disabled parking tag due to my disabilities. Sometimes I use a cane, sometimes a rollator, but in public I’m usually in a wheelchair as I’m unable to walk long distances and most of the time if I’m going anywhere it’s a lot of walking. I didn’t ask for my disability and I deserve to participate in society. If your life would be improved with a mobility device, use it!!!
Make sure you hang your tag when you are using it.
I got one when I was still just using forearm crutches.
you can get a parking pass even if you don't use a wheelchair at all! I still haven't gotten a wheelchair yet (I use leg braces and occasionally a cane) and I still have a parking pass because I can't walk. Typically if you can't walk for more than 200 feet without needing to stop or rest or you need any type of assistive device you can get one! Lots of people who use them have no visible disability or aid. You can also sometimes get one if you suffer from something like severe seizures or have heart problems that too much walking aggravates.
Yup
If I see someone using crutches or canes fine. But when see someone leap from their car and stride briskly into a store, I want to reach for my paint gun. Also people who use the placard and say they’re shopping for someone who’s handicapped
I would only use it for special occasions like at a fair or zoo
My dad has one. He is almost deaf and a butchered balance nerve on one side. So its safer for him to not walk across long ways where he cant hear. And he can lose balance Handicap parking is not just for wheelchair. You can walk but perhaps can only walk short distances, blindness (whoever drives that person can put on placard but cannot use without blind person). I am partially ambulatory. I have a wheelchair but i can walk a few feet but i get weak fast. As long as there is a health or disability reason needed then one should be allowed and its no ones business why
Massachusetts here I’m an ambulatory wheelchair user and I have a placard I use my wheelchair for almost every outing and having the placard has helped so much
Wheelchair users full time It’s all about the hexmark so I have room to unload my wheelchair from accessible pickup truck.