Wednesday, December 03, 2008



Disabled advocates want "handicapped" off signs

We read:
"The Missouri Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities wants to removed the word "handicapped" from signs indicating parking spaces for the disabled. Susan Pritchard-Green heads the council. She says the word "handicapped" is derogatory and insulting for people with disabilities.

Instead, she says she'd like to see the spaces marked in blue to be known simply as "accessible parking." The council and other advocacy groups say they'll push for legislation to change the language of the state law governing the parking signs. Pritchard-Green says some other states have already made the change.

Source

Good to know that the parking is accessible. But accessible by whom? Can I access it? If I am ever visting in those parts I will be pleased to find the parking so accessible.

"Crippled" people became "disabled", then "handicapped". I wonder what the next version will be? "Special", I guess.

Could get confusing, though. Australia used to have "special" schools for dummies but that term got to be on the nose after a while when people found out what was "special" about them. Such schools then became "opportunity" schools and I am not sure what they are now. I think they have all been abolished and the dummies sent into ordinary schools, where they don't get treatment tailored to their needs but do disrupt learning for others. That old "all men are equal" gospel sure can get pernicious. What you expect of a false gospel, of course.

22 comments:

Doc Mark said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Doc Mark said...

I have a disable sticker on my car & I refer to these parking spots as 'cripple parking'.

Get over it!

Anonymous said...

I prefer the term "gimp parking"

Anonymous said...

As the father of an autistic son, I have no problems with "handicapped", "special", or "disabled"...my son is all 3, in my opinion. However, John, your referring to the students as "dummies" is uninformed and downright mean, even if you have the right to say so. My son will probably never function outside of a group home environment due to socialization issues associated with his condition, but he's not stupid by any means. He attends regular schools and gets decent grades and is better informed of world events than many normal people I know. If I were a liberal, I'd be crying "hate speech". Being an intelligent conservative, I realize there is no hate involved, just ignorance.

Anonymous said...

The cold truth is that most disabled people are handicapped, by definition. People just don't understand the language. They assume that handicapped means "dumb", "stupid", or even "sub-standard", instead of meaning "limited in abilities. We need to stop complaining about how we refer to people, and be more grateful of the fact that society provides special treatment for those who need it.

Anonymous said...

Ms. Pritchard-Green sounds so "special," in an Olympic sort of way.

"Accessible" is just shorthand for "Handicapped Accessible," which we all know is code for "cripple." How dare they!

They need to use the term "Differently Abled."

Anonymous said...

As I have been "handicapped for the last 25 yrs, I personally don't give a damn what they call it as long as they can get fat old women that are to lazy to walk to stay the hell out of them and the handicapped buggies at WalMart.

Anonymous said...

So if this was a pc issue in Britain or elsewhere the whole country would be dismissed as "finished" - but because it's in the US there is a more careful consideration - go figure!

Anonymous said...

Since it is "Accessible" I can now park there right?

Man, I always wanted an up-font parking spot, sweet!

Anonymous said...

So a parking spot marked Blue is for Handicapped people. Does that mean that people from Blue states, that votes for Democrats can also park there? They sure act dumb!

And isn’t a cripple a short wall that goes under or over a window?

Mobius

Anonymous said...

"And isn’t a cripple a short wall that goes under or over a window?"

It's that and it's also me dragging my ass around the house when I'm too lazy to put on my braces or use my wheelchair. :)

Anonymous said...

you said it McNasty ,,,, a rose by any other name,,,, seems to me your outlook isn't crippled and neather is your intelect .
rjs=stsa

Anonymous said...

I thought it was "differently enabled."

Anonymous said...

I agree with Mobius. Handicapped people act dumb.

Anonymous said...

I didn’t say “I agree with Mobius. Handicapped people act dumb.” I said that people from Blue states act dumb, or at least people that vote blue do.

Mobius

Anonymous said...

I wonder why a store the size of costco has disabled parking? If you are healthy enough to walk around in a store the size of costco you should be healthy enough to park in the general parking. In California the disabled parking is out of hand. Stormewaters

Anonymous said...

Stormwaters,
I've never been to Costco, so maybe you can tell me if they have the handicapp ride-around buddies such as WalMart? Also, most h/c parking has an area that next to the parking spot that allows extra room for exit/entering a vehicle as with a lift. I don't personally use a lift but the extra room is needed to get in and out of my car more so than when I was able bodied.

Anonymous said...

mcnasty, you are right about the the fat lazy women using the electric carts in the stores but lately I have been noticing the fat lazy men doing it alot too.... it is crazy, I was wondering just the other day when I saw a fat guy riding around in one if some true cripple (or whatever they prefer to be called today) had to drag their ass around the store because this fat ass was taking up an electric cart

Anonymous said...

I suppose I should not have excluded the men but my most vivid memory of a buggy hog was a woman that actually ran to get the last buggy available when she saw that I was headed to get it. So, all you fat lazy women out there, please forgive my faux pax. :)

Anonymous said...

Actually, the term "accessable parking" simply means just that, it's accessable. It does not say to whom it's accessable. If you park there and get a summons, it should be pretty easy to beat in court, since the wording is so vague.

In places like southern Florida, almost every car you see has a numbered handicapped sticker in the window, or handicapped license plate. Rarely is the driver actually handicapped, but simply elderly and to lazy (or rich) to walk. A bit of whining to the guy who runs the local Medicare mill, (ie: your doctor) will get you the required letter for that sticker or plate.

Anonymous said...

McNasty
when the disabled thing first started I thought gee thats a good idea. I could just see people in wheelchairs unloading from vans and old ladies on walkers going to get their meds but as with anything run by the government and people looking for a free ride it went to hell. Remember the 18 collage football players in southern Ca. that had the HC cards they seem to be only the tip of the iceburg if you ask me. I think its the victim mentality when people carry a HC Card like it was a Purple Heart. Stormewaters

Anonymous said...

Storm,
"I think its the victim mentality when people carry a HC Card like it was a Purple Heart."

You are IMHO correct. The problem being,as with just about anything thede days, that those who abuse make it hard on those of us with a need to use. I jumped time with my daughter for parking in the h/c parking when she was driving my car without me in it. She didn't listen, so a police officer on another occasion brought the point home for her. that was the end of that. But the police have so many other things to deal with that normally checking h/c parking spots are way down on their list of priorities.