I witnessed a terrible faux pas this afternoon. A woman parked her vehicle in a handicapped parking space at the grocery store. She had a handicapped parking pass appropriately displayed in her vehicle. She was not in a wheelchair and did not need a cane or crutches to walk. In fact, she walked very well.
A man walking across the parking lot saw her and said out lout, “Hey! You don’t look handicapped. Did you steal the sticker from a deserving senior citizen? You should be ashamed!”
The woman looked at the man and broke into tears. She replied, “I only wish I could walk as well as you without any health concerns. Don’t judge me until you’ve walked in my shoes.”
The woman’s words are golden. “Do not judge me.”
We cannot judge the severity of some one’s health condition by looking at them. Never tell someone they do not look handicapped and do not deserve to park in a designated handicapped parking spot. Even a skilled doctor cannot look at a stranger and tell what health concerns they may have.
Unfortunately, there are people who abuse the handicapped parking privilege. However, taking the risk of hurting some one’s feelings is not worth the effort of citizens attempting to police these parking spots. Leave that job to professional police officers.