My condo gave me an assigned spot. There are six handicap spots in front of my building. Normally I leave in the morning and I’m back in the mornings, I get a spot back. However if I go out towards the afternoon, sometimes I don’t get a spot. The other close spots could also get taken pretty easily especially at night. If I’m having dinner with a friend, when I come home, parking is a problem. I can’t walk that much. That would mean I need the scooter. at this point, I don’t have a car equipped to put my full scooter in. That will be my next car. My travel scooter does break down and fit in the trunk. The problem with the travel scooter, I now lack the arm strength to pull it out of the trunk and put it together by myself. If I go out later in the evening, putting that scooter together would be my only option. Unfortunately, for me it’s not an option. So you see how parking created quite an issue for me. The weekends were even worse. Nobody leaves in the front of the building where I park. However if I pull my car out, never fails somebody takes my spot. Then I can’t park.

I contacted the condo management company sometime back in March about getting help. I didn’t even necessarily request one of the six handicap spots, just something that was close enough to the door that was mine. Right across from where the handicap spots are I could also make the walk. What’s nice about where the spots are. You walk into the entrance the elevator is right there and my condo is right off the elevator. They decided with the condo board to give me one of the handicap spots that was right next to the entrance. They did this for both me and another resident who also had medical medical issues that limited her walking.

I was very excited when my sign when up. I spoke to one of my friends in my building, who is on the board, she said it created, as expected, a terrible conflict with other residents in the building. People who have been here for 30 years that don’t have their own spot as well as those with handicap tags have also complained and created quite a fuss over these signs. The other day I came back to the building and saw this.

Turns out the president of the board made this sign and is giving another handicapped spot away to another resident. They’re sign is on order. This is not going to go well. The condo now gave away three handicap spots. They have to now make three more handicap spots to continue to meet handicap accessibility guidelines.

What can I do? I desperately needed the spot, but they can’t give them all away. I’m just keeping my mouth shut using my spot until someone tells me otherwise. According to my friend on the board, the condo board does not have to give special consideration to me or anybody else for spots. They are required to have a certain number of handicap spots and it’s a first come first serve basis. So, we will see what will transpire with theses reserved spots. I will be grateful for mine for as long as I have it.