Welcome to the boards. Please read and learn. The Pit is more than it seems.
Another example: my left fibula, after several rounds of surgery, is currently held together by a metal plate and a bunch of screws. If I’m wearing my orthotics and haven’t been on my feet for more than a couple of hours, I look like a 100% able-bodied person. I don’t limp with shoes on, and I’m not significantly overweight or visibly impaired in any way.
This is three years since the last surgery, though, and although I will probably never again have a 100% functional left leg and will be an ankle replacement candidate down the road due to post-traumatic arthritis and injury-related tendon/ligament damage, I’m better off than I have been since before my accident. Still, if I’m on my feet for more than a couple of hours, I start to limp, and if I push it much beyond that, I am in SERIOUS pain that no amount of anti-inflammatories will fix. The only way to fix the pain is to stay off the leg completely until the next morning, at least, and sometimes for a day or two beyond that. Believe me, it’s a source of great frustration.
So I’m not slamming **Scylla, ** but I am asking everyone to keep in mind that not all impairments are constant or visible. Sometimes a mobility device is a necessary preventive measure. Yes, people probably abuse them. I wouldn’t qualify for a handicapped placard at this point (although I have in the past), because the requirements for those are strict; here in Illinois, to qualify you must be unable to walk more than 100 yards without the assistance of a cane, crutches, wheelchair, walker, or another person.
But every once in a while, mechanical assistance enables me to do stuff I otherwise couldn’t. A year or so ago, I had a bad ankle day while at the zoo, and the folks at the zoo were nice enough to lend me a wheelchair, or the day would have been a total waste because I was in too much pain after 20 minutes of walking to put weight on my stupid ankle anymore. I don’t know what an appropriate cutoff would be, but I don’t think handicapped placard eligibility is an appropriate cutoff. Some abuse may be unavoidable and/or a necessary tradeoff for allowing access to everyone who could benefit from it.
Eva:
I know that I’m in no way qualified to determine who needs or deserves these things. What I feel pretty confident about is that in certain places their usage is growing explosively. At the same time I don’t think that the people who need them is growing at the same rate.
I would imagine that the ongoing and growing rate of abuse of these mobility devices is most detrimental to those who legitimately need them.
Good point. you’re right.
With the traffic problem we have now, the last thing we need is some lazy jerkoffs riding their run-over-toes-mobiles.
I fully support their ban.
and double :rolleyes: on you!
I’m waiting for the inevitable rise of scoot-by shootings.
Scylla - you get into trouble when you put yourself in the position of deciding who ‘obviously’ doesn’t need mobility devices, based on your personal observations of them. especially when you admit that you’re unqualified to make the assesment. (yes, I know in your OP you address those who ‘obviously’ don’t need assistance, however, as has been explained before, not all mobility problems are visible to the casual observer, and in some cases, you need access to their medical files, which ‘obviously’ you don’t)
are such devices abused? probably. But to what percentage??
Dunno. and neither do you.
What I do know is that there have been many threads on this subject where many of our own posters admit that they’ve used the devices, yet don’t look like they need one. I know I"ve posted before about my son using one when he’d just been released from the hospital from a near fatal bout of illness. He was over 6 feet tall, tan, 165 pounds and looked like the picture of health, but was too weak to walk more than 20 steps or so without stopping to rest for a few minutes.
Yes it’s awful when folks use resources meant for some one w/disabilities.
but I find it infinately more horrendous when some one who is able bodied, decides that a particular person they are observing ‘doesn’t need’ the help, and starts threads like this, gives the disapproving look, etc etc etc.
How do I know that the ‘tsk tsking’ stranger glaring at my son for using the cart didn’t come back here and start a thread about
‘obviously able bodied teens’ using carts for those w/handicaps? What I do know is that the disapproving looks, glares and outright rudeness displayed by strangers did cause my son to not accompany me into the store on one occasion, and got him to stop using the cart way before he should have stopped.
There may be more carts and so on available, this may be due to any number of reasons:
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More places have become aware of the need to provide assistance to those w/handicaps.
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Those places who have provided assistance in the past have noted an increase in the number of requests, so have obtained additional
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More people who have had mobility issues are able to leave their homes because of the greater availabilty of adaptive devices.
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More people who’ve had some mobility issues (temp or not) have taken to using the devices as a way of increasing their stamina (there are mobility issues where endurance is the issue).
INstead of spending time deciding that a particular person does or does not deserve the use of an adaptive device, why not use the time to once again be grateful that you do not need one? and be especially grateful that you don’t both need one and don’t look like you do.
If I were ever in a position to sometimes be able to walk and sometimes need a wheelchair (gods forbid), I think I would bring a cane with me under all circumstances just to be able to put off any potential busybodies who didn’t believe I really needed it. Or at least to thwack any that weren’t put off.
Good point. Why should the ready availability of scooters, which are unlikely to be able to do much worse than break someone’s leg, be more upsetting than the ready availability of guns?
Wring:
Who said anything about giving “disaproving looks?” Not me. I have not advocated anything of the kind.
Just because I can’t prove something conclusively doesn’t make it untrue. I suppose it was possible that the woman climbing the stairs needed the machine. I doubt it, but it’s possible.
It is also possible that any given person who seems like they don’t need a device actually does.
I am not arguing about legitimate use, and I’ve already just addressed this point.
Unless you want to hypothesize a sudden epidemic of invisible disabilities, I see no other explanation other than abuse to account for the explosive use of these devices.
There were usually several in sight at any given point in time, and visible or obvious need was by far and large the exception not the rule.
I think my conclusion that there was widespread abuse is logical and sound.
I am maintaining only that they should be limited to those that have a need, because of the hazard and inconvenience to small children and pedestrians. I do not wish to be the judge of this.
Something along the lines of the handicapped placard would seem to a feasible and efficient solution that would severely curtail the abuse.
This would benefit those who do not need the scooters, less traffic and safer walkways.
This would also benefit those that need the scooters. Less obvious and widespread abuse should curtail the “dirty looks,” and ensure that the services and courtesy are available for those that legitimately need it.
I don’t think the problems or poor or dangerous driving are eliminated by this at all. In airports in the US there are these very dangerous and annoying carts which take people from gate to gate. Considering the distance between gates and the amount you have to walk between them (Hartsfield in Atlanta comes to mind as having mindbendingly long stretches most without moving sidewalks), it is an understandable method of transport for the disabled or unable to walk.
However, the attitude of the paid drivers of these things is unreasonable, especially if they are without passengers. The constant Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Cart coming through is.
My wife and I Having walked long terminals pushing multiple baby strollers, as well as pulling our carryons, after flying 16hrs, and struggling valiant because we are healthy, we don’t mind the existance of the carts. However, the morons they hire as drivers, who can’t see who they shouldn’t demand move out of the way is a bit beyond me. The lack of common sense and beligerant attitude in that the cart and driver are somehow more entitled than us smacks me the same way as the use of the carts in hersey smacks scylla. Like an unexpected wet willy.
I thought the OP made a good point. The only possible way that it could be offensive is if you have a habit of abusing scooter privileges. I think any reasonable person would see that his anger is not at the handicapped, but at those who take advantage of something that is not appropriate for them.
I’ve seen this as well. A few years back I was at an amusement park and noticed an awful lot of people with scooters who got to advance to the front of the line because of their “disability.” Seems like letting people in scooters go to the front of the line invites abuse.
You stole my joke. 
Just wait till mini blimps become popular…
well good for you , Indygirl that you thougth the OP made a good point. Except of course, that the opposing point is that **you can’t tell by casual observation (which is all that he had) if some one ‘really needs’ accomodations or not.
you cannot tell by looking.
Grrrrr!!
Amen to everything Mockingbird has said here. I’m a healthy person, and until I shattered my leg about a month ago, I was one who would dash (literally, I only have [had] one speed, full blast) into the grocery store, grab a little basket, quickly grab a night or two worth of groceries, go to the “Uscan” to check myself out and dash back out the door.
Now, I’m cartbound. And they are very slow, and lots of people either ignore you, or like Mockingbird says, act disgusted that you are holding them up.
I have gone into the store and had to wait while someone who walked quickly in from their unplacarded car jumps into the last cart while I slowly crutch my way in.
It’s frustrating. Cruches are exhausting, I’m stronger now than I was a month ago, but I still have very little upper body strength, all my power is in my legs, and with one of them out of commission, moving around is very difficult. My wrists and shoulders are in a lot of pain from the last month of using the damn crutches.
I can’t wait til I can walk again, and I’m very very grateful that this is only temporary, but I’m with the OP. If you can walk, come ON, leave the carts to those who can’t.
I know one thing, when I can walk again, I’ll be parking WAY out there in the lot, and I’ll give handicapped and “martcarters” all the space in the world.
slight hijack.
Hi Eva! Hey, I just recently broke my right fibula (well, it was actually shattered) and I have some plates, screws and a bolt. If you don’t mind a quick email to canvasshoes@exite.com, I’d appreciate any and all info and/or advice you have on this matter!
Thanks
CanvasShoes, check your e-mail…hope I can help!
Please note that there are multiple reasons to use scooters, among which are MS, MD, post-polio syndrome, sarcoidosis and cancer.
When I have my chemo shot, I look perfectly normal (well, for me) but I can, with no provocation, just collapse. Kroger prefers that I use a cart instead of taking out whole displays with my face. I can tell when it’s coming, but most supermarkets don’t offer many places to sit.
Then, there’s the whole blood sugar dropping with exertion thing, and that’s always good for a quick dive, especially if I choose to go to Home Depot (no MartCarts) rather than Lowe’s (does have MartCarts).
And people NEED to learn that the electric carts CANNOT stop on a dime, and quit walking in front of a moving vehicle as if it didn’t exist. I’m a mean old woman and will run you down if you don’t use common sense. I broke an ankle trying to stop a cart’s momentum when some stupid bimbo shoved her kid in front of me. Turned the power off and still had to jam my foot down to stop so I didn’t hit the kid. (Now, what I still don’t know is WHY the bitch felt the need to shove a four year old that hard…but she did.) But I digress.
When you’re my doctor, you can make my diagnosis. Until you are, accept that the handicapped are becoming more mobile because we have the opportunity, and we’re NOT going back to being shut-ins for your convenience. Personal carts are expensive, difficult to get through insurance, and not an impulse item. A few may abuse the privilege. Them’s the chances ya take to live in a “free” society.
thought that bore repeating.
and until that time, it’s not your place to judge if some one else ‘needs’ a device or not. Keeping in mind that just ‘cause a person’appears able bodied’ to you doesn’t make it so.