Use of Disabled Parking/Restrooms

[Guest guest]

In Los Angeles, parking is like religion, i.e. it's an Old Testament hellfire

and damnation sort of situation where even good reading comprehension isn't of

much help when it comes to street parking signs. To ensure compliance with the

law, the City of Angels created parking police. They drive around in little

white compact cars with blue lights on the top. They are all over the place

with large books of tickets handing out steep fines and no sympathy. There

probably are folks who are dumb enough to try to park in handicapped or other

" off limits " parking because they think they can run in and out of somewhere

fast enough to avoid getting caught. But anyone who has lived in LA for even a

couple of days comes to the quick realization that nothing here is done quickly.

In almost a year of living in West LA, I have yet to see a car parked in a

handicapped space that didn't have either a license plate or permit hanging on

the rear view mirror. Even when parking lots are full and people are waiting

for someone to leave, they still don't use the handicaped-designated spaces. So

there is a solution to the dilemma and it's found in attacking driver's

pocketbooks.

As far as obtaining the permit itself, I understand it's not particularly easy

to do. The CA DMV doesn't just hand them out. You have to take a special form

to your doctor who has to SIGN his/her name to it and state the reason why you

require it. The permits also expire, so they have to be renewed, providing an

even greater hassle. Yes, California is over-regulated, but on occasion it's

worth it.

As far as the restooms, in CA, the handicapped sign simply means the bathroom is

wheelchair accessible and has bars alongside the toilet. All newer public

facilities have fairly good restrooms, usually with one handicap stall and one

regular stall. I do agree with that the regular stalls are so cramped

(and I weigh 120# and fit very nicely into an economy class airline seat!), that

one is practically required to walk in backwards. I can't imagine how a person

could change clothing in one of these. One would have to be a contortionist to

put on a pair of tights or panty hose in such a confined space. I'm doing good

to get my pants back up without knocking my elbows on the sides of the stall.

The American Disablities Act requires public places to provide a handicapped

restroom facility, although there are different requirements for small retail

stores. Many jurisdictions attempt to enforce this, but the problem is often

one of space in older establishments. If any remodeling is done or the the type

of occupancy changes, then the City Building Department is supposed to insist

that a handicap restroom be installed, even if it means only one restroom.

They're also supposed to make the older places remodel, although this rarely

happens. The only way to change this situation is if enough customers complain

to the local government or some organization that has the clout to get something

done. This is an expensive proposition for a small business owner, who is also

supposed to have a wheelchair ramp if they are above ground level.

From what I understand, studies have been done which state that there should be

more stalls in women's restrooms than in men's, primarily because women do not

use urinals. Also, women take longer since they have to remove clothing rather

than just unzipping (I hate to disappoint Dr. Sigmund, but believe me, this is

the ONLY reason I have penis envy!).

As far as the situation in women's locker rooms, facilities that have a lot of

*fitness* trainers need to have changing facilities. When you get into a gym

like Gold's/Venice there are many women who would change right on the gym floor

if they thought they could get away with it! Seriously though, women who are

not happy with their bodies are very often very modest in this regard. If

you're proud of your body, then you usually don't worry about that sort of

thing. In addition, many women (especially middle aged and older ) in the U.S.

were taught as young women not to show their bodies, although the situation is

changing. Men, on the other hand, have always seemed to not mind being thrown

together in a locker room like a heard of cattle, although I understand some of

them don't care for it either.

I confess, I'm guilty of using wheelchair accessible stalls just because they

have more room, although I do stay out of them at the VA. This is especially

true in airports when you have a suitcase. Have you ever tried to close the

door in a regular stall when you've got a carry-on? I've had a couple of

occasions where I actually had to crawl over my suitcase to get to the toilet!

And airport security will tell you not to leave your luggage unattended; I

assume this means in the restroom as well. However, after Mel's description, I

promise to behave. After all, I'm sure those ladies in wheelchairs would be

delighted to have the ability to crawl over their suitcases.

Rosemary Wedderburn-Vernon

Venice, CA

[Guest guest]

Rosemary wrote:

>As far as obtaining the permit itself, I understand it's not particularly

>easy to do. The CA DMV doesn't just hand them out. You have to take a

>special form to your doctor who has to SIGN his/her name to it and state

>the reason why you require it. The permits also expire, so they have to

>be renewed, providing an even greater hassle. Yes, California is

>over-regulated, but on occasion it's worth it.

One of my amputee friends lives in California. He had no physician's note

when he went to the DMV. However, after insisting on seeing the managing

bureaucrat in charge, he removed his leg and placed it on the counter. He

was issued the permit.

So, perhaps he's the ONLY Californian who received the tags without a

doctor's letter?

Madeline Chen

Colorado Springs, CO

Madeline Chen

Project Consultant

719-338-6757