ANONYMOUS writes:
I’m contacting you in regards to the name and shame article where-in a disabled person was wrongly accused.
The retraction got my attention as I too have a difficult condition I live with. I do understand that the column has been discontinued but the issue goes further than just photos posted in newspapers.
This is not necessarily about me but about people’s reactions towards parking on disability spaces.
I would like to make an appeal to people not to jump to conclusions when a seemingly “non-disabled” person climbs out of a car parked on a disability space.
The one way this can be combated is for people to be made aware of disability tags and being informed on how to obtain them. I have once before looked into it and the process, at that stage, was seemingly just as difficult as obtaining disability benefits, especially when you have a syndrome.
The amount of effort you have to go through to find information and get processes started in city council is absolutely horrendous but that is a different topic.
I actively avoid disability parking because of the fact that people do not realise that not everyone has a visible disability. My condition is not as obvious as that of a person that uses a wheelchair, crutches or has lost a limb. What makes it even more difficult is the fact that it is a syndrome.
Syndromes are notoriously difficult to get assistance for, even in terms of medical aid because it’s not neatly package in one definition.
I suffer from a HCTD or Hereditary Connective Tissue Disorder. I want to avoid writing an entire essay on the condition as it impacts almost every part of my body. The major impacts is on my heart and joints.
I suffer with arthritis on most of my major joints but my knees are especially problematic. My knee caps sit in the wrong location, making it painful and difficult for me to walk long distances and also exposes me to the risk of further injury, especially due to the fact that my knees are susceptible to subluxation/dislocation.
I also have fallen arches and even my hips suffer when I have to walk long distances.
Additionally, I suffer from problems with my heart valves which makes it hard for me as I get exhausted fairly easily, not only due to the valves but also due to the medication I take, vital for the health of my aorta and thus my life.
It’s a catch 22 because people without disability will abuse the parking but at the same time, you have people, especially those worse off than myself, that has need of these parking spaces.
If only we could trust in the honesty and purity of society to not take advantage and inadvertently cause pain and suffering to those who actually need the help.
