I don't like the word disabled either. Billy, you are out-voted on this one.

I'm going to cut right to the meat of this post -- that you made a lebowski reference.

And that's why I love you.

You have a cane and a husband. If need be, lean on the husband and whack the miscreants with the cane. The husband's also an attorney, which should help with the assault charges, but you'll have gotten your point across.

I like handicapped better, too. It makes me think of a golf handicap- (practically)everyone's got one, it's just that some handicaps are worse than others.

I have question for you that's a little off topic...handicapped bathroom stalls...I'm not handicapped and normally don't use them, however when I have my 3 year old with me I use them so that there is room in the stall to have her with me, also she is potty training so I use them when she needs to go as well, again so we can both go in the stall...I was just wondering what your take on that would be? Is it ok to use it in that situation? Thanks!

My best friend has a six year old with a number of disorders, disabilities, handicaps, whatever. When she gets out of their van, she has been cussed out a number of times--when she pulls out her daughter's wheelchair and puts the little girl in it, no one, not once, has ever apologized. She just ignores it now, but it has always seemed to me like adding insult to injury.

Wow, what great posts! This is such a sore subject with me, though I must admit to earlier days of youth and ignorance when I would question someone's integrity seeing them, appearing to have no disability at all getting into or out of a properly marked vehicle parked in a handicapped space.
Thankfully I can say I have now grown up and have learned. I don’t care if someone jumps out of a vehicle doing cartwheels, if the have the placard they have the right to park there. Shame on those friends and family members that abuse the right.
After driving my ill grandmother around in her last few years, (everyone in our county should be thankful that I did) I dealt with stares and glares when getting back into the car alone when she just couldn’t walk anymore and I needed to drive to the front of the store to pick her up.

Now I watch as my boyfriend, who unless heavily medicated cannot walk more than five minutes without being drenched in sweat due to pain, refuses to get a placard because there are people out there that are more handicapped than he and he’d feel guilty using one. Besides, he has to deal with enough discrimination with his health. People look at him and see a big strong looking man that usually looks as healthy as a horse – except for his color may be a bit off. If only he’d be willing to strip they’d see more scars than they’d thought possible on one person’s body.

Handicapped? Am I? I had a 90 pound roll of roofing paper fall two floors 12 years ago and got hit in the head. At the time, it wiped out about 20 years of memory, smushed the discs in my neck and back. Had to go 4 miles to therapy every day, but would get two miles down the road and couldn't remember where I was going, when I did, couldn't remember how to get there. Had to buy a tape recorder to sort things out. I have had days where my legs just collapsed under me, and I have days, where I can get out on the dance floor and dance the ass off ya. Because of the bad days, the doctor gave me a handicapped card. If I feel not quite up to par, I use it. One morning, having left the card hanging on my mirror from the day before, I pulled into a non handicapped spot. This guy bitched me out for taking his spot and not parking where "I belonged". So, I guess there are all kinds, I just told him to "Stick it" in so many words.

I think a lot of the handicapped ones are the ones who make comments to you in the lots.