Caughtya™
A "Hall of Shame" to expose cars parked illegally
in disability or mobility parking spaces.
A "Hall of Shame" to expose cars parked illegally
in disability or mobility parking spaces.
It's often difficult to find the right terminology to discuss parking spaces reserved for people who have a disability that means they are unable to walk, unable to walk long distances, or need wider spaces to get in and out of their cars. The right expression seems to vary from country to country, and change over time. We hear, and use, expressions such as "accessible parking", "mobility parking", "disability parking", and "handicapped or disabled parking". Which one is right? Why? Is it just being politically correct for the sake of being PC?
We don't believe in political correctness for its own sake. However we do believe language has power. "Proper" disability related language is discussed in many places on the 'net, I won't spend much time on it. But I do believe it is important to make a mention of it. Too often I ask "where are the accessible parking spaces located?" and I know from the blank stare of the parking attendant that s/he has no idea what I just asked. I repeat my question, saying "where's the handicapped spots?" and the eyes light up and I'm provided with directions.
Peter Tan says it well:
The adjectives "handicapped" and "disabled" are erroneously used to describe amenities like hotel rooms, toilets and parking lots. The word "handicapped" alone evokes pity and helplessness. If I had not known better, I would have thought a "disabled room" to mean a faulty room instead of one adapted for use by those with mobility impairments. It makes better sense to label them as "accessible room", "accessible parking" and "accessible toilet".
We like the term "accessible parking". But we use just as often the terms "mobility parking" or "disability parking" as this is an acceptable norm in this part of the world.
[tags]Disability, Parking, Political Correctness, Accessibility[/tags]
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This entry was posted on Sunday, July 30th, 2006 and is filed under Drive-by.
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Tags:
Accessibility, Disability, Parking, Political Correctness
Comment by: Webmaster
The taxi company was contacted and their general manager is going to look into it. He said:
"If you have any additional information on the date and time of this incident I would welcome the receipt of that so we can identify the driver concerned at the time and address the matter with them directly.
Comment by: Webmaster
I may not buy more in one go, but I guarantee you I spend as much, if not more, than the average punter does in a week.
Comment by: Dirk
By that i mean they have few issues pushing around large food carts.
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I call them "placard parking" spaces, because they're for folks who have the necessary plates or placards.
Yah... but it could be set belt.