My mother uses a scooter to get around, she has multiple sclerosis (MS) and cannot walk. She also has very limited hand coordination and fine motor skills. She needs a lot of help to do basic things.
My mother cannot use the bathroom in a normal sized stall.
My mother needs space on each side of our van to get into her scooter.
My mother needs to use an elevator to get between floors.When an able-bodied person uses the handicap stall, parks in the handicap spot, or uses the elevator reserved for handicapped people they are lowering my mother’s quality of life.
Those services are there so people like my mom can enjoy the same quality of life that you and I enjoy. They are not there for able-bodied people to use. Please stop using them.
I can’t tell you the amount of times we have skipped on a restaurant because able-bodied people were taking up the handicapped parking spots, or the number of times my mother has been unable to use the bathroom because able-bodied people are taking the stall she needs (and for many who are not able-bodied, having to use the bathroom means having to go right that second).
It is ableist to use resources for handicapped people when you are able bodied.
My mother too has many stories like this. :(
The worst ones are when non-disabled people park in the disabled spaces. (Often happens in Milton Keynes for some reason). I’ve come so close to kicking cars before.