ISSUES OF HANDICAPPED PARKING
FOR THE GENERAL PUBLICWHAT CAN YOU DO?
Write to lot owners about
your concerns if you notice a particular lot that is not up to par on their
handicapped parking spaces. I encourage you to first check with
your state’s Attorney General’s office to find out the specific law in your state for handicapped parking. They may be able to send you written information on the
laws. Also contact your Town Hall’s, Tax Assessor’s office, to see if they will give you the name and address of the lot owner. When writing to lot owners be sure to be tactful. Some owners may actually live out of state and may not be familiar with the local laws.
Encourage your police
department to enforce handicapped parking laws.
Encourage your educational
system to teach children about the obstacles to handicapped parking. This
may help instill positive attitudes that may be carried into
adulthood.
Spread awareness of the
obstacles. You can use various media such as newspapers, editorials, magazine
articles, television, radio, and posting flyers. If you post flyers, be
sure to ask the facility if it is o.k. to do this in their facility. I
also suggest not putting flyers on cars as that can be irritating and many
drivers will just toss them out. You could also form a support group in
your area which would provide a group effort in spreading awareness. Another
idea would be to ask a hospital,
library, or bookstore if you could run a one hour session educating
the public on the issues. (Be sure you do know the laws for your state!)
You could advertise your
meeting in hospital brochures, local newspapers, or bulletin boards.
You could also ask those who teach driver education courses to include
this topic in their classes.
Write your state legislators
for strict enforcement of the handicapped parking laws and for better laws,
if necessary.
I hope the previous page has helped spread awareness of the issues. I also hope that the tips above have encouraged you to do what you can to help prevent these obstacles. I would now like to share my personal story of my walking impairments and what I did to confront the obstacles. If you would like to reach me, Patty Cyr, my e-mail is pattycyr@att.net