Abuse Of Accessible Parking Spaces: Let's put a stop to it now!

Abuse of accessible parking spaces is a growing problem. The use of handicapped parking spaces by individuals who aren't physically challanged is rampant all over the nation, despite the Americans with Disabilities Act and laws in place to stop parking in handicapped spaces so something else has to be done to stop this from happening. These parking spaces are for people who are physically challenged to ensure safe and equal access to goods and services.

Physically challenged people have run out of places to park, as their designated accessible parking spaces because they are being taken by fraudulent people. Every state needs to enforce The Citizen Observer Program, it acts as an extra set of eyes and ears to help deputies keep the community safe while patrolling in the Sheriff’s office jurisdiction. The volunteers in this program patrol the community in Sheriff’s Office vehicles and report suspicious activities to deputies and issue traffic citations to motorist who illegally park in accessible parking spaces. Also, RFID transmitters should be enforced that way they are able to communicate with parking signs to authenticate registered handicap drivers. This way when someone with no tag or using a fake one pulls into a accessible parking space, a light will signal, this will stop the abuse of accessible parking spaces and spaces that are needed to lower van lifts. All Van Accessible signage must also be changed to read "Wheelchair Loading Van". This signage and vehicle license tags and placecards, must be color-cordinated for easy identification of violators.

Accessible Parking spaces on private property displaying International Accessible Parking signag, where the public is invited to enter and patronize/participate, must fall under the same Accessible parking laws as public property, Reserved parking requests for people withe physical challenges who must offload wheelchairs from vans in their apartment communities must be prioritized when seeking relief by government agency interventions.

Something else that should be enforced is the requiring of the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue placards with the holder's photo printed on the placard, strict enforcement of qualifications for physically challenged Placecard recipients where the only way that a placecard is issued is if proven to have total and permanent disability, substantially impairs his/her ability to walk, clarify and tighten the types of impairments that make people eligible for the placards and keep the metered free parking.

We as a communitity demand the same Accessible Parking laws in each state to protect the civil rights of people with physical challenges, who have severe mobility impairments requiring Accessible parking accomodations, a nationwide publicity campaign educating the public about Accessible Parking laws, and the Civil Rights of people with physical challenges, the laws protect. We also demand an annual mandatory training and evaluations on Accessible Parking laws for all government employees and law officers.

As individuals with physical challenges, we have serious concerns in relation to the number of Accessible Parking Placards in circulation and the criteria used for issuing of these permits. The accessible parking system was born out of a basic necessity to maintain independence for people with limited mobility. A person with a physical challenge requires an accessible parking space because of its size (accessible parking spaces are larger than the standard parking space) and proximity to daily facilities. These accessible spaces provide vital access to community facilities and services, and support the participation of people with physical challenges .