Inspired by an article in the Seattle Times yesterday regarding the large amount of abuse of disabled parking permits and new measures passed to curb such abuse, I thought it pertinent to pass on the following information:
MORE THAN 1 MILLION active disabled-parking permits are in circulation in Washington. To get a permit — for which there is no charge — an applicant must have a physician, licensed physician assistant or registered nurse practitioner determine that the person has a qualifying condition.
From the Washington State Department of Licensing website, here is a list of the type of conditions that qualify you for a permit:
“You may receive disabled parking privileges if you have a disability that limits or impairs your ability to walk and you meet at least one of the following criteria:”
1. You cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
2. Your ability to walk is severely limited due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition.
3. You are so severely disabled that you cannot walk without the use of or assistance from a brace, cane, another person, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or other assistive device.
4. You use portable oxygen.
5. You are restricted by lung disease to such an extent that forced expiratory respiratory volume when measured by spirometry is less than 1 liter/second or the arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at rest.
6. You are impaired by cardiovascular disease or cardiac condition to the extent that your functional limitations are classified as Class III or IV under standards accepted by the American Heart Association.
7. You have a disability resulting from an acute sensitivity to automobile emissions which limits or impairs your ability to walk. Your physician, physician assistant, or advanced registered nurse practitioner must document that the disability is comparable in severity to the others listed above.
8. You are legally blind and have limited mobility.
9. You have acute sensitivity to light associated with a form of porphyria that would significantly benefit from a decrease in exposure to light. Porphyria refers to a group of inheritable metabolic disorders in which exposure to light can result in burning, blistering, swelling, and scarring of the skin.
For additional information visit the Washington State Department of Licensing:
www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/parking.html
