A (dis)abled person took to Facebook his disappointment towards another driver who parked in a disabled space at a mall in Pampanga last June 9, 2016. According to his post, he has been a driving PWD for almost 20 years. He narrated that when they got out of the mall, they were disappointed upon seeing a car that blocked the driver’s side.
Photo credit: Arturo Legaspi
Here’s the full story to the picture:
I am a driving pwd for almost 20years. Kanina paglabas namin ni misis sa sm, ito ang tumambad samin. Hinarangan ang driver’s side(blue car) kung saan ako uupo ng puting van (ZGP634). Kung hindi dahil sa tulong ng mga staff ng sm na naglabas sa parking ng kotse namin, di pa ako makakasakay.
ZGP634 malaking perwisyo ang ginawa mo lalo na para sa mga pwd katulad ko. May dahilan kung bakit malaki ang alloted space para sa pwd parking. Dyan sana sa pinaradahzpan mo dadaan ang wheelchair ko para makasakay ako pero dahil hinarangan mo kinailangan ko pa na magtawag ng tutulong sa amin para makasakay ako.
As mentioned in one the comments on the thread, he already filed a complaint to the mall personnel and LTO. The mall’s management reassured him that necessary actions will be implemented. E.g. “they will talk with the owner of the said vehicle and will inform him of his offense, and they will also orient their security personnel about PWD parking area.”
UPDATE: As stated in his post, “Filed an email complaint at LTO and talk with LTO Intelligence Investigation Division for Violation of RA 7277 in Relation to BP 344(Accessibility Law). Will published action taken. SM City Pampanga (official)”
Disabled SpacesÂ
The rationale behind these allotted spaces for PWDs is to provide mobility and ability to move comfortably in public. These parking spaces or walkways with a wheelchair sign are made especially for them. Unless you are disabled and have an ID to back it up, please DO NOT PARK IN A DISABLED PARKING SPACE.
Have you encountered a similar incident wherein someone blocked a disabled space? What actions did you do to make the person aware of the policy?
