Disability Parking in Queensland needs to Change
Trigger Warning: cancer, ablism and death
I believe a couple of things need to change in regards to Disability Parking in Queensland (Australia). Firstly I have heard that there are often not enough disabled parks so some disabled people use the parent parks even though they're not parents and sometimes get abused. This is not right that they're abused.
To solve this issue I believe we should have a state wide law where there is a ratio of disabled parks to nondisabled parks at every venue. I think you should look at the population of Queensland and the population of people with disability parking permits to decide what the ratio should be. This way disabled people will be more likely to get a park that they need. All that is needed to be done to do this is get some tradies and blue and white paint together.
At the moment in Queensland only blind people and people with a physical disability are eligible to obtain a disability parking permit. I think the criteria needs to be expanded to include some people with psychiatric disabilities and some neurodivergent people. I can provide some examples for why these groups of people need a disability parking permit.
Some people such as some Autistic people and people with Dementia may elope or wonder off at any given time. This situation can be hazardous in as some people don't have awareness in terms of road safety and may be hit by a car. It may also be hard for their carer to get them through the car park to the venue. I think people who are at risk of eloping or running away should have access to a disability parking permit for their safety. In the UK some Autistic People have disability parking permits. Not all Autistic people need them but many do.
I have Agoraphobia which means that being in open spaces without quick access to a closed in space can cause panic attacks. I feel safe when I am in my car. I can't access some venues unless the car is parked directly outside for fear of a panic attack and even if the car is parked directly outside I can often only access the front of the venue but it's better to be able to access the front of the venue than not access the venue at all. I often miss out on going to venues because there is no available car park that is close to the entrance. It can also be hazardous for me not to be permitted to have a disability parking permit as when I am having a panic attack I have been known to attempt to cross busy roads and had to be restrained. I believe some people with Agoraphobia should be allowed to have disability parking permits if they need them.
Another thing that I have heard of is people with hidden disabilities are getting abused for using disability parking even though they have a parking permit and need the disabled park. This is disgusting. I suggest the Queensland Government funds public service announcements that go on TV that educate the public about hidden disabilities. I also think there should be more awareness about the hidden disabilities sunflower lanyard and its meaning. Perhaps there should be signs put up near disability parking that remind the public that not all disabilities are visible.
I knew a kind lady who lost her battle to cancer. She was abused for using disability parking in the midst of her battle with cancer which is appalling. People battling cancer have the right to use disabled parking as chemo therapy can make them very weak. This is why we need more awareness about hidden disabilities and medical conditions. People with cancer should have access to a disability parking permit from the day they start chemo as some people with cancer are terminal and need to make the best out of the time they have left. Oncologist should be allowed to administer disability parking permits to cancer patients.
If the Queensland Government created more disabled car parks, increased the eligibility for disability parking permits to some neurodivergent people and people with psychiatric disabilities, increased awareness about hidden disabilities and allowed Oncologist to give cancer patients disability parking permits it would make the lives of many disabled Queenslanders much easier.
Image Description:
Kasumi is a 1999 baby furby with a large yellow tuft of hair on her head. Her fur is light pink except for a white square on her belly. Her tail is a big tuft of yellow hair on her lower back. Her feet are white and she has 3 toes on each foot. Her face plate and eyelids lids are both white and her beak is an orangish yellow colour. Her eyes are light blue. She has pink ears. Kasumi is wearing a pikachu onesie. The onsie has yellow ears with black tips at the end of them. There are large black eyes on the onesie. The onesie is mostly yellow and has a small black dot for a nose and a small smiling black mouth. There is a hole that reveals Kasumis face. On each side of the hole there are large red circles that resemble cheeks. At the back of the onesie there is a large yellow tail that is shaped like a lightning bolt. There are two brown stripes on the back of the onesie. Kasumi is also wearing a dark green lanyard with sunflowers on it. The lanyard has a white tag on it with a rainbow infinity symbol. Spud is a grey furby buddy with brown eyes. He has light orange coloured feet and his belly is a lighter shade of grey. The inside of his ears are pink. Spud is sitting in a wheelchair with a blue frame. There is a red car that resembles a Jeep between Kasumi and Spud. End Description.
