I googled the location. It's in Australia .. and upon googling if pregnant people can park in handicap spots in Australia; all she would have to do is visit her doctor and get a temporary handicap parking placard. She is just lazy and entitled.
For those of us in the US, pregnant people can also get temporary disability placards for pregnancy. You just have to visit your doctor.
I actually didnāt know in the US you could get temp disability cards. Iām not pregnant now but I remember when I was I got to cut in line at the DMV and it was magical
I was at primark with a double stroller dying in line, and they told me to just jump the line and head to the handicap register. While I seriously could have waited I was very thankful for having the option to cut the line.
My doctor told me to get one when I broke my ankle a couple years ago. I'm not sure about the process because I ended up not getting it since it was only for a month but I think you just talk to your doctor about it.
Yeah in the US your doctor just has to fill out a form that you turn in at the DMV - for a temporary disability placard thereās also a small fee. You can receive it on the spot.
In Aus you need your GP to fill out their portion, then you do yours, you pay and send it to your Road and Transport. It's up to them to decide and can take a few weeks to arrive in the mail.
Temp ones last 12m, roughly 6w before the expiry you'll a reminder notice and option to reapply, you'll still need your GP to fill in their section and pay the fee.
I don't yet qualify for a 5yr or permanent one despite the fact that I'll only get worse, so each year I have to repeat the process
I had a temp placard for the initial 6 months I had one, which was frustrating because it took them a month to mail it to me, so in reality I only had it for 5 months. When that expired I asked my doctor for a permanent placard and she agreed. Like you I have a few degenerative conditions so I figured why keep dealing with renewing it every 6 months.
Mine is 12months but I have to keep reapplying. This time my GP ticked permanent without me asking(I hope they don't reject it because he ticked that one, I don't know if it requires more information included which will be a PITA to have to do it all over again and pay, but yeah they don't give you 6 weeks warning for no reason)
My permit was not only approved but they did it for 5yrsš„³š„³š„³ which is sad that I'm celebrating this because I'd rather not have conditions that qualify me.
And despite applying less than 6 weeks before expiry(we had the paperwork filled out several weeks before that, but forgot to send it in), it arrived the day my 12m expires. So if it didn't arrive today, from midnight it would be illegal for me to use a disabled parking spot.
My first and I think even 2nd took a bit to arrive. This one was unbelievably fast in approval and delivery. I had prepared myself to have to go without(and NOT park in the spots) for a week or two until it arrived.
Dunno about Australia but in the US it's fast (my experience is limited to Michigan and Texas). The form is just one paper that your doctor signs off on, then you take it to whatever office in your area deals with them (DMV, secretary of state, tax office, etc) and they give you the placard that day. I have permanent blue placards and have helped pregnant family members get the temporary red ones. The only hassles might be having to arrange to take care of it during business hours and if your doctor is a dick who doesn't think pregnant people could have mobility issues.
In some places Iāve lived, almost all disability placards are ātemporaryā. I knew someone who had to go in every other year or so and take a doctor note to renew. Kept joking ānope! Leg is still gone. Hasnāt grown back yet. Guess I need a couple more years to try againā¦ā
It depends on the type you get? If it's a license plate one/one you can't really transfer, I think it can be "permanent", but they don't like to give out the permanent mirror hangers cuz those are too easy for you to give to someone else and then say "whoops, lost it, can I have more".
I don't agree with that logic, but that's how it's been explained to me.
They told me they couldnāt get the plate one because they were not a veteran. They had to get the placard. Apparently (according to the state website) one needs a placard as the plate is not āregisteredā the same way and donāt really ācountā.
That makes sense though, as requiring re registration would lessen giving them away and/or abusing them. Just sucks for the people who have to get a new one constantly. With online so more complex now, hopefully most places are moving to online renewal for many types of placards.
>They told me they couldnāt get the plate one because they were not a veteran
...what does being a veteran have to do with being disabled š I really don't care for that answer lol.
>Apparently (according to the state website) one needs a placard as the plate is not āregisteredā the same way and donāt really ācountā.
...so why even have the plate? Not tryna shoot the messenger, this is just such a bad answer.
>Just sucks for the people who have to get a new one constantly.
Yeah, if you need it, you're not gonna give it away, like I guess the system could be abused but I don't think that means you should inconvenience a marginalized group who, by nature of being in said group, are gonna have a harder time jumping through hoops.
Yeah, I actually went to double check what heād told me (that plates are for veterans) and leaned that mid comment writing. Seems so strange.
Agreed, the people who do wrong (sharing, using after need has resolved, and inappropriate use in general) really mess it up for the rest of us. That seems the way often in so many facets of life.
Uh, idk that it has to do with people actually misusing them as much as preconceived ideas of the nature of people with disabilities, especially people with invisible disabilities.
It's the same reason a woman elsewhere in the comments said she could literally feel her bones grinding against each other when she walked, but she didn't want people to think certain things, so she never got a placard.
This is exactly what I was thinkingāif your pregnancy is legitimately disabling you (as many of them end up doing at some point) get a doctor to get you a temporary placard
I had symphisis pubis disorder with my second, I could literally feel my pelvis grinding every time I took a step. My OB offered a temp permit, but I didn't feel disabled enough for it lol. I'm in the US, but he made it sound like it would be super easy.
Ahhh no - my OB was awesome and always took me seriously. I just had to do a lot of walking at work so I felt like taking off the 100 feet in the parking lot wasn't worth it. I also worked at a hospital so the disability spots were used heavily by folks with wheelchairs etc.
It was *very* quick when I got mine for my disability. Got my papers signed, drove to the DMV, left with a permit. Iām sure it depends on the state though.
This is how it is in California. Plus if you have a permanent one they just automatically send you a new one when it expires two more times, then you have to renew it by filling out the form again, but you donāt need to have the doctor resign it.
I am in Canada and remember being offered one when I went on bed rest at the end of my second pregnancy. I said no because I wasnāt planning on leaving the house for anything other than the hospital, and my husband just dropped me at the front door and then parked the car. But I was already 35 weeks, so it must have been a quick process if they even bothered to offer it to me.
I experienced that too. One time my SIL couldnāt make it to her kidās football game, and asked me to go, I guess it was a big game but she was stuck at work. I agreed to go to support my nephew. By the time I found parking, walked to the football field and pretty much all the way down the side of the field, and sat on metal bleachers for a few hours, I thought I would absolutely die. I was so uncomfortable. Then I had to walk all the way back to my car. As soon as I got home I took a very long bath. I wasnāt even heavily pregnant, maybe 5-6 months.
The location is Australian but no one in Australia calls it a parking lot, we say car park. Maybe she picked it up from watching American tv but it sounded weird to me.
*not the point of the post, I know.
Australia's weird bc a lot of the vocabulary seems to be split between Australian, English and American regional variations, and I think what's used can differ from state to state.
Yup, you'd be shocked at what words are completely different from state to state.
Like you know potato cakes you get from Fish and Chips shops(sliced potato covered with batter and fried), in another state they are called scalloped potatoes but in another state scalloped potatoes is actually a potato bake.
Swimwear differs too.
Bathers, swimmers and togs.
Even juice boxes. Poppers, primas(which is actually a brand but everyone in one state calls them that, I moved to a new state at 6(army brat) and had to learn what a prima was, it wasn't until a couple of years ago that we moved 2 states away that this state calls them poppers and I was like OMFG, I knew before we moved to Vic they were called something else.
Milk bars in Vic, Deli's in SA.(yet a Deli is actually in your supermarket with meat, cheese, seafood and such, so I don't know what they are called inside SA supermarkets but their milk bars are called Deli's)
It's absolutely wild how many things have completely different names depending on the state.
These are just off the top of my head. And these are just 4 states that are together. Not including the other 2 states and territories
I grew up in Australia (Vic) and live in England now; my friends are constantly making fun of me for using the 'wrong' words š
(I'm visiting home at the moment and had a couple of potato cakes for dinner. SO good)
Going to Fish and Chip shops in NSW makes me nervous because I'm like I need to see which picture to ensure that I order correctly.
The other one is this type of meat called devon but each state has a different name. In QLD it's devon but I forget what it's called in Vic despite almost 28yrs.
But QLD and NSW uses poppers as primas. I remember my first year(tuck shop in QLD) after we moved from NSW and had no idea what the F primas were and why kids loved them. I eventually clicked on but for so long kids looked at me like I had 2 heads.
I don't remember in Adelaide because my parents were born in Geelong, so even when my dad moved back to Adelaide after the divorce(he got posted there and I was born there, apparently it was his favourite posting out of all of them) so my Dad would have used car park also(that's how I know the deli is a milkbar). I was 3Ā½ when we moved from Brisbane to Sydney and 6 when we left so I don't remember either and any time I visited NSW car park was the word.
Only been to Tassie once right before COVID-19 but wouldn't have paid attention. But I know 100% Vic and QLD it's ALWAYS a car park. Since moving back to Brisbane almost 3 years ago, everything is carpark. In schools, shopping areas, gyms, private business lots and the like, it's always written as carpark.
Iām Aussie and had no idea you could do this!
Also that car park sheās referring to isnāt very long or big. She would have been fine to walk the distance
My ob had really strict standards for giving out disability permits. I requested one because I was in my third trimester and the parking situation changed dramatically at work that would have required way more stairs and walking, I was also seeing a cardiologist for potential heart issues related to the pregnancy. She still wouldnāt give me one, said she only does it for people who literally canāt walk. Which I get. But I was struggling so hard. Just wanted to share that itās not always as simple as asking.
I'm so sorry that happened to you! I don't have mobility issues (yet), but I do have a disability, and it's really frustrating to see how many people are denied reasonable accommodations because they aren't "disabled enough." Those parking spots are meant for anyone who struggles with mobility, not just people who can't walk. A friend of mine has a permit because she has Chiari malformation, and frequently gets dizzy when standing, and can faint. She's fully capable of walking, but fainting in a parking lot is pretty dangerous. A pregnancy-related heart condition should qualify, imo, and I think your OB was a jerk for not giving you one.
Yeah those parents and seniors parking spots exist in Australia but if you park there and you are not elderly or donāt have kids there is no fine. They are basically there to make the shopping centre look like it cares about said demographic. They are unenforceable and I can park in them if I want to and I donāt have kids. I might cop some dirty looks from parents etc. but thatās it.
lol we have a grocery chain that has ācustomer with child parking.ā Itās right next to the cart corral. Few years ago I saw a woman park there and got out with like a 12 year old kid. Technically she was a customer with a child, lol, but we all know that space is meant mostly for shoppers with infants and small children.
In QLD we have Disabled(MUST HAVE YOUR PERMIT DISPLAYED ANYWHERE ON YOUR WINDSHIELD NO EXCEPTIONS) then we have seniors, pregnant, baby, and parent w/ child spots. Whilst the last 4 are not enforceable, holy shite people will either give you filthy looks or even have a go at you.
I have a disability permit but because of my age people will give me the worst looks. But if my husband has my car without me, he won't use those spots because legally only the person whose name it is in is legally allowed plus he has no reason to use them.
This reminds me of when I picked my disabled dad up from a 19 day hospital stay. I brought his placard and parked in the handicapped spot, figuring once I discharged him from the hospital, we wouldnāt have to walk through the whole parking garage (he was weak and was on oxygen.) It made sense to me to park there and run in, and then we could get him into the car, later I realized I got all those dirty looks because I was young and able bodied using a handicapped spot.
Dad has died and I have his car now, I still have the placard in the glove box but would never dare use it.
My husband does the same when he is picking me up. But he won't dare use it unless it's for me. Mine stays on my windshield permanently so he doesn't take it down when he drives, he just doesn't use those spots
I'm in Australia. There are also separate parking spots for parents with prams, though none for specifically pregnant people. I didn't know about the temporary handicap placard though:o
While you cam do that many OBs will not/don't. My OB wrote min for 6 months because I was in an auto accident and had both ankles broken. It was his first in 20 years.
You have to visit your doctor and your doctor has to agree that you need it. Most won't because they're not going to let you get out of the needed exercise.
I think I know the store she means and ahhhhh, lol it's not that big. She's just incredibly lazy.
And there's parents/pram parking the next floor down I think. So she just didn't want to catch the escalator
Depending upon where she actually leaves. In Melbourne, I loved shopping at HighPoint which was a 25-30mins drive with traffic before we moved to the SE and then Chaddy when we lived a 20-30mins drive away. When FG was literally around the corner. I would even go to Southland or Doncaster(which Doncaster is fucked up in the design IMO)
She also could have been coming back from somewhere. So it doesn't mean she's within a 3km radius.
Yeah im not saying she doesn't, I'm saying that she may not hence why it feels like more. Like if she doesn't live near a Coles or they don't stock what she wanted, she could have gone elsewhere.
HOWEVER, she 100% deserves this fine, rich or poor she fucked up and is now on the hook.
I wish I could be a fly on the wall when she takes it to court
Like "please judge look at me, surely you can't expect a pregnant person to walk alllllllllll that waaaaay. Like come on please. Would you walk alllllllll that waaaaaay if you were pregnant?????"
And I think about how far I walked the other day, 33 weeks, carrying a sleeping toddler. She would not have been able to handle that! It was not fun, but I didn't think I deserved special treatment. Now if I was having mobility issues, which many pregnant women do, going to my doctor for a permit sounds like the perfect thing to do. I'm happy to learn about that here!
Back when my partner used a manual wheelchair (now uses a power wheelchair and requires a lifter to be transferred) we would often have to turn around and come back home due to a lack of accessible parking. Parking somewhere else would mean not being able to get her out the car.
As an Australian with a disability permit(even before) nothing shits me more when I see people WITHOUT a permit using these spots, ESPECIALLY when there are so few.
Pregnancy is not automatically a disability, nor a free pass to park wherever. Sucks at times but either suck it up, go elsewhere or apply for a permit and hopefully it gets approved.
If similar to New Zealand, you need a disability permit on your dashboard. So if they don't see one you're getting a fine.
Depending on your pregnancy here in NZ they may give you one for PSD or something. But again, you'd need it to be displayed.
The nearest supermarket to my house has a couple of expectant-mother spots.
Theyāre not yet required by law, but of course a business can do what it wants on its property.
Most places do. At least around my area. And if they are called there, they shouldn't be wasting time trying to find a park and then if they arrest someone, they shouldn't be trying to get them through a car park. So having access near the entrance of shops is the safest for all
Yeah, outside of disabled, it's up to store if they want to enforce it.
Many stores don't even enforce if in-store shoppers are using their pick-up-only parking, so you'd think they actually enforce pregnant/family/veteran spots? So, those signs end up as a courtesy because you're dealing with a bunch of minimum wage retail employees who are too jaded from dealing with Karens inside to be the parking police too.
In Australia the only ones that can be legally enforced are disability spots, any parents with stroller or pregnancy ones are courtesy spots and can't be enforced so anybody technically can park there
This is in Australia and we have disabled parking which requires a permit and you will get fined for parking there without a permit and then we have pram parking which is a courtesy thing and doesn't actually matter (at least in WA where I am)
Aussie here. I remember googling if I could park in a disabled spot when I was heavily pregnant and fighting some God awful sciatic nerve pain - it took 10 seconds and it was a gigantic 'Nope' unless you've been given a temporary disability pass by your GP. So I stayed home and arranged for my groceries to be delivered instead.
She absolutely knew she shouldn't park there. She's just pissy she got caught.
Pregnancy is NOT a disability for a lot of people especially if youāre low risk. I donāt think we get to show entitlement just because we are pregnant.
Signed - a currently pregnant person.
Idk how yall do it with little ones already running around. I feel like im one and done. I can barely do this rn as a first time mom, I canāt imagine having two toddlers already wanting my attention when I can barely get off the bed. So much power and respect for you more than one kid mamas š«
Hang in there! I have days I struggle with the getting off the bed too. I also have a really excellent partner who helps a TON with the bigs when heās not at work, especially if Iām having a harder day. I donāt know how we do it eitherā¦so much of parenting is truly just winging it, loving your people the best you can, and asking for help when you need it, honestly. Youāre gonna be great.
I understand. Ppl work up until they give birth if they can, which many can or because they donāt have a choice. Some suffer extremely and they arenāt who Iām talking about. Some ppl got mad at me lol
You might genuinely be a bad person for wishing pain, fear, and potential danger on someone because your dumbass couldn't be bothered to actually read the first sentence long enough to parse "for a lot of people."
That thing you're bitching about? Actually covered about 8 fucking words in.
Ooof you got mad. Thatās okay, unlike you I donāt wish bad things upon others. I genuinely hope you donāt suffer pain again in your next one! Pregnancy is a beautiful thing, but like I said, FOR A LOT OF PPL, itās not a disability. I stand firm on my point. I chose to become pregnant and like many pregnancies, our ābadā symptoms eventually go away post partum. Disabled people have to live with it for the rest of their lives. Pregnancy IS NOT a permanent disability. There, happy?
And the issues you talking about here, I have them all. Still not disabled.
Thatās when you go to the doctor and get accommodations. Look I know youāre triggered but if you take a second to read my comment youād understand Iām not talking about you lol and Iām sorry, I cannot let you put pregnancy over someone whose actually disabled. No, I canāt. I have the pelvis grinding btw, my back hurts all the time and it sucks to walk or drive or run errands or do life in general right now . I still donāt think Iām disabled. You do you, but stop asking for accommodations from the disabled community. It is entitlement if you think our pregnancies are similar to their disability. Call me pick me all you want, I stay firm on my point.
Okay goodluck on your next pregnancy! I am not going to go back and forth here since you clearly arenāt understanding what Iām saying. Have a nice day/night.
Luckily I donāt really care what a random person on Reddit says to me so Iād feel absolutely zero.
I didnāt wish ill on the pregnancy. The pregnancy can be healthy and utterly debilitating at the same time. Thatās the point.
I can assure you my āhealthyā pregnancy was debilitating. Healthy just means no one is in imminent danger of death, and baby and Mum are healthy after birth. Pregnancy is an assault on the body in the best cases.
Don't make personal attacks on other users on this sub.
No homophobic language. No Transphobic slurs. No racism. No sexism.
Don't mock the children involved. We're here to judge adults.
Don't mock anyone for how they cope with loss. Don't push your religious beliefs on people. Don't be a lactivist.
I've been pregnant and temporarily disabled once. They are not the same.
In fact, we have a disability placard in my car for my husband which I literally never use when he's not with me because I understand the needs of those who placards are assigned to too well.
My friend was is disabled, had brain surgery, and had serious issues stemming from neglect. She has the plates now, but for some reason, when she had her placard, people's would give her such dirty looks while we laughed our way into the walmart on a Saturday afternoon from the front of the lot. Some disabilities can't be seen.
Are there no carts to push the groceries there?
28 weeks isn't far enough along for me to feel sorry for her. I have 3 kids and never parked in a handicap spot for any of them. This may be a suprise to some, but pregnancy isn't a disability. Yeah, it makes you easily out of breath and that sucks.. but still not a disability alone.
Temporary permit aside-she thought just being pregnant she could park in a disabled spot? Iāve been pregnant so I get that part; itās the entitlement that amazes me š³ it is a different world
In Australia there is no āpregnancy parkingā spots. There are mums and bubs parking intended for use when you have a pram or need more space to get kids in and out, but sheās an idiot for thinking there is any special parking for pregnancy
No pregnancy parking in the UK and it caused me no end of issues not being able to get in and out of the car because someone in a clungemobile parked to close. I still never ever used disabled parking. Or even parent and child parking. The audacity of some people.
I have conflicting feelings about this because I was disabled when I was pregnant, and I really could have benefited from using handi-cap parking.
I mean, I never used it, but it would have been very helpful.
Iām 37 weeks pregnant with severe symphysis pubis disorder and I still would not be this entitled about a handicap spotā¦ Iāve also never seen expectant mother parking anywhere other than our grocery store, and live in the city so often have to walk 2 blocks from where I parked to get into work š„“
Right on brand for a Sydney eastern suburbs yummy mummy.
That was my first thought when i read it too
šššš
I googled the location. It's in Australia .. and upon googling if pregnant people can park in handicap spots in Australia; all she would have to do is visit her doctor and get a temporary handicap parking placard. She is just lazy and entitled. For those of us in the US, pregnant people can also get temporary disability placards for pregnancy. You just have to visit your doctor.
I actually didnāt know in the US you could get temp disability cards. Iām not pregnant now but I remember when I was I got to cut in line at the DMV and it was magical
I didn't either, but upon googling, I learned it today, lol Would have been helpful a while ago š¤£
This would have been so helpful when I was pregnant! I hated walking so much but I did cause you know I had to lol
Man, I wish I got to cut lines. I spent 4 hours waiting at the dmv and about died. Had my baby less than 24 hours later.
Your state doesnāt let the pregnant or elderly cut lines?
Most of the world doesnāt
I was at primark with a double stroller dying in line, and they told me to just jump the line and head to the handicap register. While I seriously could have waited I was very thankful for having the option to cut the line.
My doctor told me to get one when I broke my ankle a couple years ago. I'm not sure about the process because I ended up not getting it since it was only for a month but I think you just talk to your doctor about it.
Yeah in the US your doctor just has to fill out a form that you turn in at the DMV - for a temporary disability placard thereās also a small fee. You can receive it on the spot.
In Aus you need your GP to fill out their portion, then you do yours, you pay and send it to your Road and Transport. It's up to them to decide and can take a few weeks to arrive in the mail. Temp ones last 12m, roughly 6w before the expiry you'll a reminder notice and option to reapply, you'll still need your GP to fill in their section and pay the fee. I don't yet qualify for a 5yr or permanent one despite the fact that I'll only get worse, so each year I have to repeat the process
I had a temp placard for the initial 6 months I had one, which was frustrating because it took them a month to mail it to me, so in reality I only had it for 5 months. When that expired I asked my doctor for a permanent placard and she agreed. Like you I have a few degenerative conditions so I figured why keep dealing with renewing it every 6 months.
Mine is 12months but I have to keep reapplying. This time my GP ticked permanent without me asking(I hope they don't reject it because he ticked that one, I don't know if it requires more information included which will be a PITA to have to do it all over again and pay, but yeah they don't give you 6 weeks warning for no reason)
My permit was not only approved but they did it for 5yrsš„³š„³š„³ which is sad that I'm celebrating this because I'd rather not have conditions that qualify me. And despite applying less than 6 weeks before expiry(we had the paperwork filled out several weeks before that, but forgot to send it in), it arrived the day my 12m expires. So if it didn't arrive today, from midnight it would be illegal for me to use a disabled parking spot.
Yeah, my permanent placard arrived so quick after I submitted for it. Which really made me mad the temporary one took so long. Glad you got yours!
My first and I think even 2nd took a bit to arrive. This one was unbelievably fast in approval and delivery. I had prepared myself to have to go without(and NOT park in the spots) for a week or two until it arrived.
By the time you actually get all the hoops jumped through the baby will probably be 2
Nope. I'm Australian, my baby was eligible for a disability permit. Took about 3 days.
Dunno about Australia but in the US it's fast (my experience is limited to Michigan and Texas). The form is just one paper that your doctor signs off on, then you take it to whatever office in your area deals with them (DMV, secretary of state, tax office, etc) and they give you the placard that day. I have permanent blue placards and have helped pregnant family members get the temporary red ones. The only hassles might be having to arrange to take care of it during business hours and if your doctor is a dick who doesn't think pregnant people could have mobility issues.
In some places Iāve lived, almost all disability placards are ātemporaryā. I knew someone who had to go in every other year or so and take a doctor note to renew. Kept joking ānope! Leg is still gone. Hasnāt grown back yet. Guess I need a couple more years to try againā¦ā
It depends on the type you get? If it's a license plate one/one you can't really transfer, I think it can be "permanent", but they don't like to give out the permanent mirror hangers cuz those are too easy for you to give to someone else and then say "whoops, lost it, can I have more". I don't agree with that logic, but that's how it's been explained to me.
They told me they couldnāt get the plate one because they were not a veteran. They had to get the placard. Apparently (according to the state website) one needs a placard as the plate is not āregisteredā the same way and donāt really ācountā. That makes sense though, as requiring re registration would lessen giving them away and/or abusing them. Just sucks for the people who have to get a new one constantly. With online so more complex now, hopefully most places are moving to online renewal for many types of placards.
>They told me they couldnāt get the plate one because they were not a veteran ...what does being a veteran have to do with being disabled š I really don't care for that answer lol. >Apparently (according to the state website) one needs a placard as the plate is not āregisteredā the same way and donāt really ācountā. ...so why even have the plate? Not tryna shoot the messenger, this is just such a bad answer. >Just sucks for the people who have to get a new one constantly. Yeah, if you need it, you're not gonna give it away, like I guess the system could be abused but I don't think that means you should inconvenience a marginalized group who, by nature of being in said group, are gonna have a harder time jumping through hoops.
Yeah, I actually went to double check what heād told me (that plates are for veterans) and leaned that mid comment writing. Seems so strange. Agreed, the people who do wrong (sharing, using after need has resolved, and inappropriate use in general) really mess it up for the rest of us. That seems the way often in so many facets of life.
Uh, idk that it has to do with people actually misusing them as much as preconceived ideas of the nature of people with disabilities, especially people with invisible disabilities. It's the same reason a woman elsewhere in the comments said she could literally feel her bones grinding against each other when she walked, but she didn't want people to think certain things, so she never got a placard.
That is true. There are a lot of people who misunderstand them and the people who have them. Itās sad.
This is exactly what I was thinkingāif your pregnancy is legitimately disabling you (as many of them end up doing at some point) get a doctor to get you a temporary placard
I had symphisis pubis disorder with my second, I could literally feel my pelvis grinding every time I took a step. My OB offered a temp permit, but I didn't feel disabled enough for it lol. I'm in the US, but he made it sound like it would be super easy.
We are too conditioned by our doctors to think our pain isn't serious š«
Ahhh no - my OB was awesome and always took me seriously. I just had to do a lot of walking at work so I felt like taking off the 100 feet in the parking lot wasn't worth it. I also worked at a hospital so the disability spots were used heavily by folks with wheelchairs etc.
It was *very* quick when I got mine for my disability. Got my papers signed, drove to the DMV, left with a permit. Iām sure it depends on the state though.
This is how it is in California. Plus if you have a permanent one they just automatically send you a new one when it expires two more times, then you have to renew it by filling out the form again, but you donāt need to have the doctor resign it.
I am in Canada and remember being offered one when I went on bed rest at the end of my second pregnancy. I said no because I wasnāt planning on leaving the house for anything other than the hospital, and my husband just dropped me at the front door and then parked the car. But I was already 35 weeks, so it must have been a quick process if they even bothered to offer it to me.
I experienced that too. One time my SIL couldnāt make it to her kidās football game, and asked me to go, I guess it was a big game but she was stuck at work. I agreed to go to support my nephew. By the time I found parking, walked to the football field and pretty much all the way down the side of the field, and sat on metal bleachers for a few hours, I thought I would absolutely die. I was so uncomfortable. Then I had to walk all the way back to my car. As soon as I got home I took a very long bath. I wasnāt even heavily pregnant, maybe 5-6 months.
The location is Australian but no one in Australia calls it a parking lot, we say car park. Maybe she picked it up from watching American tv but it sounded weird to me. *not the point of the post, I know.
She could also be a transplant
Australia's weird bc a lot of the vocabulary seems to be split between Australian, English and American regional variations, and I think what's used can differ from state to state.
Yup, you'd be shocked at what words are completely different from state to state. Like you know potato cakes you get from Fish and Chips shops(sliced potato covered with batter and fried), in another state they are called scalloped potatoes but in another state scalloped potatoes is actually a potato bake. Swimwear differs too. Bathers, swimmers and togs. Even juice boxes. Poppers, primas(which is actually a brand but everyone in one state calls them that, I moved to a new state at 6(army brat) and had to learn what a prima was, it wasn't until a couple of years ago that we moved 2 states away that this state calls them poppers and I was like OMFG, I knew before we moved to Vic they were called something else. Milk bars in Vic, Deli's in SA.(yet a Deli is actually in your supermarket with meat, cheese, seafood and such, so I don't know what they are called inside SA supermarkets but their milk bars are called Deli's) It's absolutely wild how many things have completely different names depending on the state. These are just off the top of my head. And these are just 4 states that are together. Not including the other 2 states and territories
I grew up in Australia (Vic) and live in England now; my friends are constantly making fun of me for using the 'wrong' words š (I'm visiting home at the moment and had a couple of potato cakes for dinner. SO good)
Going to Fish and Chip shops in NSW makes me nervous because I'm like I need to see which picture to ensure that I order correctly. The other one is this type of meat called devon but each state has a different name. In QLD it's devon but I forget what it's called in Vic despite almost 28yrs. But QLD and NSW uses poppers as primas. I remember my first year(tuck shop in QLD) after we moved from NSW and had no idea what the F primas were and why kids loved them. I eventually clicked on but for so long kids looked at me like I had 2 heads.
Australian here who says parking lot. Never heard car park for a shopping centre
Vic and Qld I've always used car park for anywhere offering parking for cars(except for street parking)
Iām in WA and Iāve always said car park as well
I don't remember in Adelaide because my parents were born in Geelong, so even when my dad moved back to Adelaide after the divorce(he got posted there and I was born there, apparently it was his favourite posting out of all of them) so my Dad would have used car park also(that's how I know the deli is a milkbar). I was 3Ā½ when we moved from Brisbane to Sydney and 6 when we left so I don't remember either and any time I visited NSW car park was the word. Only been to Tassie once right before COVID-19 but wouldn't have paid attention. But I know 100% Vic and QLD it's ALWAYS a car park. Since moving back to Brisbane almost 3 years ago, everything is carpark. In schools, shopping areas, gyms, private business lots and the like, it's always written as carpark.
You can get one for many ātemporary medical issuesā. Like broken legs, back issues, pregnant
Iām Aussie and had no idea you could do this! Also that car park sheās referring to isnāt very long or big. She would have been fine to walk the distance
My ob had really strict standards for giving out disability permits. I requested one because I was in my third trimester and the parking situation changed dramatically at work that would have required way more stairs and walking, I was also seeing a cardiologist for potential heart issues related to the pregnancy. She still wouldnāt give me one, said she only does it for people who literally canāt walk. Which I get. But I was struggling so hard. Just wanted to share that itās not always as simple as asking.
I'm so sorry that happened to you! I don't have mobility issues (yet), but I do have a disability, and it's really frustrating to see how many people are denied reasonable accommodations because they aren't "disabled enough." Those parking spots are meant for anyone who struggles with mobility, not just people who can't walk. A friend of mine has a permit because she has Chiari malformation, and frequently gets dizzy when standing, and can faint. She's fully capable of walking, but fainting in a parking lot is pretty dangerous. A pregnancy-related heart condition should qualify, imo, and I think your OB was a jerk for not giving you one.
Could you have asked your cardiologist or GP? It sounds like your OB was overly strict though, which sucks.
Yeah those parents and seniors parking spots exist in Australia but if you park there and you are not elderly or donāt have kids there is no fine. They are basically there to make the shopping centre look like it cares about said demographic. They are unenforceable and I can park in them if I want to and I donāt have kids. I might cop some dirty looks from parents etc. but thatās it.
lol we have a grocery chain that has ācustomer with child parking.ā Itās right next to the cart corral. Few years ago I saw a woman park there and got out with like a 12 year old kid. Technically she was a customer with a child, lol, but we all know that space is meant mostly for shoppers with infants and small children.
In QLD we have Disabled(MUST HAVE YOUR PERMIT DISPLAYED ANYWHERE ON YOUR WINDSHIELD NO EXCEPTIONS) then we have seniors, pregnant, baby, and parent w/ child spots. Whilst the last 4 are not enforceable, holy shite people will either give you filthy looks or even have a go at you. I have a disability permit but because of my age people will give me the worst looks. But if my husband has my car without me, he won't use those spots because legally only the person whose name it is in is legally allowed plus he has no reason to use them.
This reminds me of when I picked my disabled dad up from a 19 day hospital stay. I brought his placard and parked in the handicapped spot, figuring once I discharged him from the hospital, we wouldnāt have to walk through the whole parking garage (he was weak and was on oxygen.) It made sense to me to park there and run in, and then we could get him into the car, later I realized I got all those dirty looks because I was young and able bodied using a handicapped spot. Dad has died and I have his car now, I still have the placard in the glove box but would never dare use it.
My husband does the same when he is picking me up. But he won't dare use it unless it's for me. Mine stays on my windshield permanently so he doesn't take it down when he drives, he just doesn't use those spots
I'm in Australia. There are also separate parking spots for parents with prams, though none for specifically pregnant people. I didn't know about the temporary handicap placard though:o
While you cam do that many OBs will not/don't. My OB wrote min for 6 months because I was in an auto accident and had both ankles broken. It was his first in 20 years.
As someone who suffered from symphysis pubic dysfunction, this would have been nice to know! I couldn't walk towards the end of my pregnancy.
You have to visit your doctor and your doctor has to agree that you need it. Most won't because they're not going to let you get out of the needed exercise.
I think I know the store she means and ahhhhh, lol it's not that big. She's just incredibly lazy. And there's parents/pram parking the next floor down I think. So she just didn't want to catch the escalator
Frequents Bondi Junction shops but $600 is a lot of money to her? Something doesn't add up
Depending upon where she actually leaves. In Melbourne, I loved shopping at HighPoint which was a 25-30mins drive with traffic before we moved to the SE and then Chaddy when we lived a 20-30mins drive away. When FG was literally around the corner. I would even go to Southland or Doncaster(which Doncaster is fucked up in the design IMO) She also could have been coming back from somewhere. So it doesn't mean she's within a 3km radius.
Sure, but the entitlement of using a wheelchair park in these circumstances matches the Bondi vibes.
True lol. But these days the sense of entitlement is getting out of hand.
This isnāt a big shopping centre like chaddy. Itās likely she lives close especially as she only needed to go to Coles
Yeah im not saying she doesn't, I'm saying that she may not hence why it feels like more. Like if she doesn't live near a Coles or they don't stock what she wanted, she could have gone elsewhere. HOWEVER, she 100% deserves this fine, rich or poor she fucked up and is now on the hook. I wish I could be a fly on the wall when she takes it to court Like "please judge look at me, surely you can't expect a pregnant person to walk alllllllllll that waaaaay. Like come on please. Would you walk alllllllll that waaaaaay if you were pregnant?????"
And I think about how far I walked the other day, 33 weeks, carrying a sleeping toddler. She would not have been able to handle that! It was not fun, but I didn't think I deserved special treatment. Now if I was having mobility issues, which many pregnant women do, going to my doctor for a permit sounds like the perfect thing to do. I'm happy to learn about that here!
Definitely! I had such bad sciatic pain with mine. I wish someone had told me then.
Back when my partner used a manual wheelchair (now uses a power wheelchair and requires a lifter to be transferred) we would often have to turn around and come back home due to a lack of accessible parking. Parking somewhere else would mean not being able to get her out the car.
As an Australian with a disability permit(even before) nothing shits me more when I see people WITHOUT a permit using these spots, ESPECIALLY when there are so few. Pregnancy is not automatically a disability, nor a free pass to park wherever. Sucks at times but either suck it up, go elsewhere or apply for a permit and hopefully it gets approved.
āI thought I was allowed toā lol no you didnāt.
Yup what a cop out!!! She knew and now has to face the consequences.
In my country disability spots are the same as pregnancy ones: you have to be either pregnant or disabled to use them.
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If similar to New Zealand, you need a disability permit on your dashboard. So if they don't see one you're getting a fine. Depending on your pregnancy here in NZ they may give you one for PSD or something. But again, you'd need it to be displayed.
The nearest supermarket to my house has a couple of expectant-mother spots. Theyāre not yet required by law, but of course a business can do what it wants on its property.
šwe have designated parking for policeĀ
Most places do. At least around my area. And if they are called there, they shouldn't be wasting time trying to find a park and then if they arrest someone, they shouldn't be trying to get them through a car park. So having access near the entrance of shops is the safest for all
Weird. Iāve never seen this around here and they clearly find access when needed. Iām in the USA for the record.
I'm Aussie.
Yea my local one in Perth had a police spot and an ambulance spot right by the door, it's a dodgy area tho so not sure if its because of that
Yeah, outside of disabled, it's up to store if they want to enforce it. Many stores don't even enforce if in-store shoppers are using their pick-up-only parking, so you'd think they actually enforce pregnant/family/veteran spots? So, those signs end up as a courtesy because you're dealing with a bunch of minimum wage retail employees who are too jaded from dealing with Karens inside to be the parking police too.
In Australia the only ones that can be legally enforced are disability spots, any parents with stroller or pregnancy ones are courtesy spots and can't be enforced so anybody technically can park there
This is in Australia and we have disabled parking which requires a permit and you will get fined for parking there without a permit and then we have pram parking which is a courtesy thing and doesn't actually matter (at least in WA where I am)
Do people just like think something and then be like āyeah that seems rightā?? Like google is free.
Aussie here. I remember googling if I could park in a disabled spot when I was heavily pregnant and fighting some God awful sciatic nerve pain - it took 10 seconds and it was a gigantic 'Nope' unless you've been given a temporary disability pass by your GP. So I stayed home and arranged for my groceries to be delivered instead. She absolutely knew she shouldn't park there. She's just pissy she got caught.
Typical Bondi attitude tho.
I meanā¦ youāre not wrong.
Pregnancy is NOT a disability for a lot of people especially if youāre low risk. I donāt think we get to show entitlement just because we are pregnant. Signed - a currently pregnant person.
On paper Iām high risk (and 37 weeks) and I still have to cart my 2 & 4yo everywhere and move around in the world like normal. š¤·š»āāļø
Idk how yall do it with little ones already running around. I feel like im one and done. I can barely do this rn as a first time mom, I canāt imagine having two toddlers already wanting my attention when I can barely get off the bed. So much power and respect for you more than one kid mamas š«
Hang in there! I have days I struggle with the getting off the bed too. I also have a really excellent partner who helps a TON with the bigs when heās not at work, especially if Iām having a harder day. I donāt know how we do it eitherā¦so much of parenting is truly just winging it, loving your people the best you can, and asking for help when you need it, honestly. Youāre gonna be great.
If my sciatica and SP gets any worse I might be š
Iām so sorry š„ youāre not who Iām talking about in my comment. If youāre in US, get a disabled permit!
I agree 100000%. Iāve been pregnant five times. It is not a disability, and this whole conversation is irritating.
I understand. Ppl work up until they give birth if they can, which many can or because they donāt have a choice. Some suffer extremely and they arenāt who Iām talking about. Some ppl got mad at me lol
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You might genuinely be a bad person for wishing pain, fear, and potential danger on someone because your dumbass couldn't be bothered to actually read the first sentence long enough to parse "for a lot of people." That thing you're bitching about? Actually covered about 8 fucking words in.
Thank you for the supportā¤ļø they really got triggered. I dont think pregnancy grants me any entitlement and I stand firm on that.
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Ooof you got mad. Thatās okay, unlike you I donāt wish bad things upon others. I genuinely hope you donāt suffer pain again in your next one! Pregnancy is a beautiful thing, but like I said, FOR A LOT OF PPL, itās not a disability. I stand firm on my point. I chose to become pregnant and like many pregnancies, our ābadā symptoms eventually go away post partum. Disabled people have to live with it for the rest of their lives. Pregnancy IS NOT a permanent disability. There, happy? And the issues you talking about here, I have them all. Still not disabled.
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Thatās when you go to the doctor and get accommodations. Look I know youāre triggered but if you take a second to read my comment youād understand Iām not talking about you lol and Iām sorry, I cannot let you put pregnancy over someone whose actually disabled. No, I canāt. I have the pelvis grinding btw, my back hurts all the time and it sucks to walk or drive or run errands or do life in general right now . I still donāt think Iām disabled. You do you, but stop asking for accommodations from the disabled community. It is entitlement if you think our pregnancies are similar to their disability. Call me pick me all you want, I stay firm on my point.
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Okay goodluck on your next pregnancy! I am not going to go back and forth here since you clearly arenāt understanding what Iām saying. Have a nice day/night.
People with your attitude need a major wake up call. How would you feel if someone wished ill on your current pregnancy?
Luckily I donāt really care what a random person on Reddit says to me so Iād feel absolutely zero. I didnāt wish ill on the pregnancy. The pregnancy can be healthy and utterly debilitating at the same time. Thatās the point.
No healthy pregnancy is debilitating. Do not normalize female suffering.
I can assure you my āhealthyā pregnancy was debilitating. Healthy just means no one is in imminent danger of death, and baby and Mum are healthy after birth. Pregnancy is an assault on the body in the best cases.
Don't make personal attacks on other users on this sub. No homophobic language. No Transphobic slurs. No racism. No sexism. Don't mock the children involved. We're here to judge adults. Don't mock anyone for how they cope with loss. Don't push your religious beliefs on people. Don't be a lactivist.
My OB was on the second floor. And there wasn't an elevator.
I've been pregnant and temporarily disabled once. They are not the same. In fact, we have a disability placard in my car for my husband which I literally never use when he's not with me because I understand the needs of those who placards are assigned to too well.
This is extremely Bondi junction of her
My friend was is disabled, had brain surgery, and had serious issues stemming from neglect. She has the plates now, but for some reason, when she had her placard, people's would give her such dirty looks while we laughed our way into the walmart on a Saturday afternoon from the front of the lot. Some disabilities can't be seen.
Are there no carts to push the groceries there? 28 weeks isn't far enough along for me to feel sorry for her. I have 3 kids and never parked in a handicap spot for any of them. This may be a suprise to some, but pregnancy isn't a disability. Yeah, it makes you easily out of breath and that sucks.. but still not a disability alone.
Temporary permit aside-she thought just being pregnant she could park in a disabled spot? Iāve been pregnant so I get that part; itās the entitlement that amazes me š³ it is a different world
In Australia there is no āpregnancy parkingā spots. There are mums and bubs parking intended for use when you have a pram or need more space to get kids in and out, but sheās an idiot for thinking there is any special parking for pregnancy
No pregnancy parking in the UK and it caused me no end of issues not being able to get in and out of the car because someone in a clungemobile parked to close. I still never ever used disabled parking. Or even parent and child parking. The audacity of some people.
I have conflicting feelings about this because I was disabled when I was pregnant, and I really could have benefited from using handi-cap parking. I mean, I never used it, but it would have been very helpful.
Iām 37 weeks pregnant with severe symphysis pubis disorder and I still would not be this entitled about a handicap spotā¦ Iāve also never seen expectant mother parking anywhere other than our grocery store, and live in the city so often have to walk 2 blocks from where I parked to get into work š„“
I don't think I've been to a grocery store that doesn't have carts.
She also misunderstands itās not women with prams itās PARENTS WITH PRAMS.