Should BIID sufferers get disability parking permits?
Sean O'Connor offers his thoughts on this controversial topic:
I don’t have a huge problem with transabled individuals being able to get accessible parking permits. As my late spouse (who was a para) used to point out to me, I use a wheelchair, I need the space. Considering how many "lil’ ole ladies" are given permits just ‘cuz they are old (and I don’t buy the idea that age is a disability!), I think that certain transabled individuals should be eligible for it.
I should qualify that by saying that the mere fact of being transabled doesn’t qualify you for parking permit. But if someone has been living full time as a wheelchair user, they certainly qualify. If someone has managed to become an amputee, or paralysed, then they should also (obviously?) qualify. If someone’s BIID makes them want need to be deaf or blind, then, they don’t qualify. If someone wants/needs to be paraplegic but hasn’t done anything about it (such as getting a chair, and using it all the time), they shouldn’t qualify. Establishing criterias would be difficult, but I hope you get my drift.
