By: Spoonydoc

Spoonydoc
Mon, 27 Apr 2015 18:11:50 +0000

Physical barriers to access includes distance for some disabled people, particularly those who can still walk, whether or not with aids, but with resulting difficulty, pain, exhaustion, or the risk of medical consequences.
In the UK this is recognised by the fact that disabled parking must be no more than 50m away from the shop entrance. I am astonished there is apparently not an equivalent requirement in the US given how crucial this is to so many disabled people.

I also have badly controlled lupus, so have experienced similar things to the young lady in this article. I also have a progressive muscle disease. So I have experienced making my way around as a “”bad walker”, with a stick, a walking frame, a manual wheelchair, and a powerchair.

It may surprise Sarah to learn that the hardest time of all was when I could still walk. Furthermore, the assertion that distance can “easily be overcome with the appropriate mobility device” is one of the most ill informed and silliest things I have heard in a long time.
Using a stick or walking frame may keep you on your feet but it doesn’t make walking any less painful or exhausting. Using a wheelchair too early is really not the answer either. keeping those distances manageable on the other hand is.
Put simply, when I was walking with difficulty, if a disabled space was unavailable (ie, in the UK, close to the door) , I used to have to turn around and go home. And you’re trying to tell me that at that time I was in LESS need of a disabled badge than I am now, in my electric wheelchair? Utter ignorant rubbish.