Tag Archives: Ehlers Danlos Syndrome Awareness

Handicapped Parking and the Random Internet Whiner

03 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by in Thoughts and Stuff

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To the Internet Girl who Complained about Handicapped Parking,

Handicapped Parking Hey, girl! Yeah, I read your little rant that you penned so bravely from behind the comfort of your computer screen. I gave it its due consideration as I scrolled past, ignored your silly little remarks and went on to something else in my day. But then, I saw your efforts show up again on an EDS page. Oh, that’s Ehlers Danlos Syndrome since I’m sure you have no idea what that is, but I won’t even complain about that. Most people don’t know about it. Look it up. Anyway, I read through some of the remarks from my fellow EDS’ers (I do care about that) and I saw how much hurt you, and others of your ilk, are spreading with your ignorant comments about how unfair it is for handicapped people to park closer to the front door than you. How that if people are able to walk through a store, they should be able to walk through the parking lot.

I suppose you never considered how dangerous it is for a person with limited mobility to navigate a parking lot with its cars dashing to and fro, or how the added steps could prove the entire trip to get a gallon of milk to be just too much, or how dangerous an icy or wet parking lot could be for someone not quite as physically stable as the rest, or even how a person can stop and rest safely in a building when they are tired or hurt but in a parking lot – not so much. It doesn’t seem like you gave the whole situation any consideration other than the fact that they get to park up close and you don’t. So very unfair!

I tell you what, in an effort to be fair, I promise to give fair consideration to how unfair life is to you and your non-ability to park where I park. The next time I wake up in the morning and have to pop my own shoulder back into place, I will think about how unfair life is to the non-upfront parkers. When I strap my two, rather obvious and sturdy-looking, bi-lateral (that means two, sweet-pea) knee braces on so I can actually walk and go out in public to the stares of grown adults, I’ll think about how unfair it is that you have to walk those extra steps through the lot. And, definitely, when I spend another sleepless night trying to dull the pain enough with medication just to get a couple of hours of almost rest, I will remember to shed one of my flowing tears for the absolute horror of able-bodied people giving up 2% of the parking lot to the disabled.

So go ahead! Rage against the machine and rail against the disabled! Stamp your little foot about how unfair life is, you special little snowflake. And since I’m sure you have never been told no in your whole life, I will be sure to positively redirect you to the back of the parking lot as I hang my blue tag and park where you really wanna park. The life that gave me that “special” privilege is, after all, just so dang fair!

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To those with Invisible Disabilities and Those Whose Disability is out for Everyone to See,

I know you don’t abuse your parking. I know those of us who have good days and can walk, will park in a regular space that day because we know what it’s like to need that up front spot. I know that you park there when you need it, even if people can’t see that. I know that those of you who have to park there all the time would love to have a good day and park in any regular spot. I know. But, you need to know something: you owe NO ONE an explanation. Not for where you park, not for where you sit, not for how you live your life. Life isn’t fair. We’ve figured that out a long time ago, haven’t we? Just stay strong and keep going!

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To those who Use Other People’s Parking Tags that You Don’t Need,

You suck. You are a major part of the problem. You are why we have to deal with the ignorant jerks who confront us in parking lots. You’re actually worse than the ranting internet girl. She is just impotently whining about how she wants to take parking spaces away from the people who actually need them. You actually do it. STOP IT.