There isn’t one of us that is not guilty of making a snap judgment and in some cases, it may come back to bite us in the end. After all, we rarely ever have the full picture and it is far too easy to judge somebody when only partial knowledge is available.
One way that this can occur is in the case of disabilities and in particular, handicap parking spots. Disabilities do not always mean being confined to a wheelchair, so there are many individuals who can legitimately park in a handicapped spot but are looked down on because of their outward appearance.
Unfortunately, something like this happened to a 41-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis. Her name is Justine, and from outward appearances, it does not necessarily look as if she has a handicap. As you may know, however, multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease and for her, it started with numbness in her feet and hands at the age of 35. Since that time, it has progressively gotten worse.
“It’s difficult, every day it gets a little bit harder. I can’t do zips up, can’t do buttons up, probably won’t be able to drive soon and lose a bit more independence, unfortunately.”
Sometimes, people may see Justine pulling into the handicap parking spot and walking away from the car. They jump to conclusions, feeling as if she is doing something inappropriate. Some people even take it a step further in an effort to shame the individual, but they are actually giving a hard time to someone they are trying to protect!
Unfortunately, Justine has been in that situation far too often. Recently, she was with her daughter for a fun outing and when she returned to her vehicle, she saw a nasty note on the windshield. She had finally had enough, so she went to Facebook, posted the picture and voiced her story.
Justine was not doing this to get attention or to find sympathy, she was trying to make a statement. If just one person who would have done something such as this learns from her Facebook post, it can make a difference. Since the time that she posted the information, it has gone viral.
“To person that left this on my car last week at Mitcham Shopping Centre – I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was 35. Not just MS but the worst one that never goes away and is slowly crippling my life. My kids have had to deal with things that kids shouldn’t ever have to deal with and all of our futures are forever changed.
On the day you saw me I was having a good day, I was walking with my daughter unaided having a nice day. Thank you for ruining that. You made me feel like people were looking at me, the exact way I feel when I can’t walk properly. I am sick of people like yourself abusing me on my good days for using a facility I am entitled to. A disability doesn’t always mean a person has to be wheelchair bound but lucky for you I one day will be. Right now my focus is to walk into my best friends wedding next September and not have to be pushed. I will be 42. Before you ruin another persons day remember you don’t know everything and just because you can’t see it it doesn’t mean a person isn’t struggling to put one foot in front of the other.”
After posting the message, support began coming in from around the globe. We hope that helping her story to spread not only provides some comfort for her, it also helps others who have a right to park in those spots without being harassed for doing so!
Please share this story so others can know…