Don’t be quick to judge (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Don’t be quick to judge

10:07am Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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Sir.–I felt compelled to write following a letter regarding disabled parking in Church Street. I totally agree with the “anonymous” person’s first two examples whereby people were parking in a bay without a disabled badge. This is totally unacceptable.

However, I became enraged at their third example where this person witnessed a woman parking in disabled bay, getting a disabled badge out, and walking off with what looked like an 11-year-old child. The person who wrote this letter then proceeded to say “Disabled? I don’t think so!”

Firstly, I have a 12-year-old son, who has multiple disabilities, some of which do not show and are not immediately obvious to the untrained eye.

Secondly, I also have disabilities and again, they are not easily evident, and I have been given a disabled badge. You can’t see my arms and legs aching so much that they burn. You can’t see the fatigue that washes over my body. These are just some of the “invisible” symptoms that are related to the disabilities that I have, and which, on many occasions, mean I am unable to walk far.

I also know children who have epilepsy, and although they may look fine as they bounce out of the car, may have a seizure whilst in town, and the parent then has tremendous difficulty getting them back to the car, hence the reason why they need, and deserve, to park as close as possible to where they need to be, and have a badge for this purpose.

The only reason that I am withholding my name on this letter is so that not everyone I know is aware of how much my disabilities actually affect me. Besides, I, like many others, shouldn't need to prove it to anyone.

Stop the ignorance, discrimination, and judgmental attitude, and the inaccurate belief that disability is just for the elderly and wheelchair-bound only. –Name and address withheld