*Top (L) photo showing ground parking spot with wheelchair accessibility sign. Top (R) showing Reserve Parking $250 Fine. Bottom (L) is a sample photo of Handicap Parking Permit Placards. Bottom (R) sample of placard hanging in the rearview mirror of a car - by @Erna_LaBeau *
As part of our advocacy, #OneAccessibility, we will share information about differently able and profile one location with accessible trails. Look out every week for this enlightening post.
Hello Local Guides and welcome to this week’s Accessibility Uncovered post!
We are continuing this week in this very special month, as July is Disability Pride month, learning more about another accessible sign we can encounter in places.
In this opportunity, I would like to discuss Handicap Parking Permit (“Placards’') specifically for the residents of Michigan and residents of any other States in general.
Placards is a State issued handicap parking card with blue color that hangs usually in the rearview mirror of a vehicle. This placard gives an individual a right to park where the designated handicap parking spot with blue and white sign on the ground.
Please note you can not park for free in public parking lots without a permanent placard unless it has a yellow parking sticker. Private parking lots are not required to provide free parking. The requirements for a yellow sticker are the inability to insert coins or tokens in a metered parking or accept a ticket in a parking lot machine. Dexterity strength or mobility of fingers or hands, confined to a wheelchair or other device. Permanent Placards with yellow parking stickers will be discussed in a separate post!.
How to Apply for a Handicap Parking Permit (Placards)?
In the State of Michigan, to obtain a Handicap Parking Permit (Placard), you have to go to the Secretary of State and show proof of disability that is not expected to improve such as blindness or any other condition that limits a person’s mobility and impedes your ability to walk, having cardiovascular or lung conditions, or orthopedic condition that limits your ability to walk more than 20 feet, people with disproportionate limbs, or an individual who has the lack of motor controls in their hands, if they can not reach above their head to a height of 42 inches or someone that requires a crutch, walker, wheelchair or any other device to get around.
The disability parking placards are designated for one person only. The person with the disability is the only one legally allowed to use the placard whether he/she is the driver or passenger in the vehicle.
Every State has different criteria regarding who qualifies for a disabled parking permit (placard). Some conditions may include:
- Lung disease
- Heart disease
- Substantially impaired mobility, for example, use of a wheelchair, brace, or cane
- A disease that significantly limits your ability to walk or to use your legs
- Documented vision problems, including low-vision or partial sightedness
- Loss of one or both legs or loss of both hands, or limited use of these parts
Other conditions that may also qualify in many States are people who use portable oxygen or have an acute sensitivity to sunlight that causes burning and blistering of the skin.
In some States, if you are visibly disabled and appear in person at the Secretary of State office, your certification requirements might be waived.
A temporary disability placard (valid for up to 6 months or up to the date your doctor notes on the application) is also available for certain health conditions such as after having surgery.
How to renew for a Handicap Parking Permit (Placards)?
Renewal of a permanent disability parking placard can be done by mail or by phone by contacting the local Secretary of State office close to your area. Please include the expiring permit number, name, address, and phone number that can be contacted with your renewal request.
A permanent Placard has to be renewed every 4 years in the State of Michigan and due on the applicant’s birthday. Applicants may need the medical professional to certify that the individual meets the requirements.
Sanctions:
There is a $10 fee for lost or stolen placards and applicants have to show personal identification. There is no renewal fee and no need to get a physician statement for renewing the placard for the State of Michigan.
Cancellation of the permit, fines, and other penalties if someone misuses the placard. It is illegal for anyone else to use it if the disabled person is not in the vehicle.
To learn about the Permanent Disability Parking Placards in Michigan can be viewed here.
More detailed explanations and regulations from ADA regarding wheelchairs, mobility aids, and other power-driven mobility devices can be checked here.
Please tell us about Permanent Disability Parking Placards in your areas specifically and your country in general. We would love to hear!
Curious about accessibility in Michigan, visit this website.
If you have a question, suggestion, or contribution, feel free to comment below. You can read last week’s roundup article [HERE] and check the list of our other articles under "Accessibility Uncovered"
Happy 5th Birthday, Connect!!!
