Shabby treatment of disabled driver

Published on 5th June 2008 in Letters

Sir - I am 31 years old. I suffer from cystic fibrosis, asthma and inflammatory arthritis, but to look at me I look completely normal, which is fair enough.

I have a disabled badge which I am entitled to but someone on Monday morning decided to challenge me in Tesco's car park for parking in a disabled bay, with may I add, my badge on display. The man was probably in his 50s and was sitting in his car next to mine. The comment I got, after he had sat shaking his head at me and pulling faces was" "You're walking, you're not disabled." Well, excuse me - where is the law to say you have to be wheelchair-bound to be registered disabled?

I may look normal on the outside but on the inside people do not know how it is for me. I am on treatment at the moment so I showed him the tube that was going into my stomach and said: "This is why I'm disabled. Just because I'm walking does not mean I am not registered disabled."

Did I get an apology? Did I hell! All I got was "Yeah, right, love - whatever!" And they talk about young people being ignorant.

Older people can be a lot worse. Well, I am disgusted that people can be so narrow-minded. I work full time, I do not claim from the state or use my illness as an excuse for anything, unlike some people. I have just got that badge due to my arthritis, which I have been entitled to since I was 16 - I pay my way.

I've paid for car parking at hospitals etc. as much as the next person. I even have to pay for my prescriptions to stay alive. I would just like to point out to people like this (you know who you are) that just because we look young and healthy and 'normal' - whatever that is - doesn't mean we are. My life expectancy is 31 and I am that age now, so can feel like I'm living on borrowed time, so can you imagine my upset and disgust when people say things like that.

It's shallow and mean and very ignorant of people to be this way, and quite sad. So, whoever you see with a disabled badge, don't stare and pull faces, just think on! You don't know what's wrong with them - and who are you to judge anyway?

Rachel

Adeline Street, Goole