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National Council on Disability Frequently Asked Questions http://www.ncd.gov/faqs.htm
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Handicapped Parking - all you ever wanted to know - Questions & Answers
Why are some
handicapped parking permits plates and others, placards?
A: Personal choice. There are two types of handicapped permits: one that
is a placard must be hung in the center of rear view mirror, which is
transferable & usable from car to car. The second type is a plate
permanently attached above the bumper. (The on the dash cards are invalid
since 2000, should be replaced & could receive a fine.)
Placard etiquette: The individual it is issued to must be present AND EXITING the vehicle. If you are picking up a prescription for the disabled you may NOT use the placard as he/she sits in the car. (Fine =$500)
Why are there
striped off areas adjacent to a blue handicapped space? 
A: This is called the crosshatch area. Many disabled people do not have
the range of motion to bend their legs; the door needs to be fully ajar
to exit the vehicle to utilize a cane or crutch. This is most importantly
the case when a Wheelchair-user needs to pull up the chair tightly into
that open door to perform a transfer or to re-assemble the chair in reach.
Cross Hatch area etiquette: Every proper disabled space comes with this loading zone. This is never a place to park - with or without a permit! When the zone is blocked, the disabled driver cannot get back into the vehicle till YOU return. It is also not a place to neither shovel snow into nor leave a grocery cart. (In the photo it demonstrates the need for a "Van Space" - an adjoining larger loading zone to a space for a van to deploy its 3ft ramp and a turning radius to exit off that ramp.)
Van Space etiquette: If you have a permit and a car, please take the NON-van space first. If you see a van taking up two regular spaces, they are not being rude; drivers may do this when left with no other choice. Imagine if YOU could not exit your car once you arrived at your destination?
Sometimes I
see people using disabled spaces with permits but they sure don't LOOK
disabled, how is it they get a space?
A: There are many invisible disabilities to be mindful of. The gentleman
who appears to walk fine and without aid, may have a prosthetic leg under
his chinos, the 40-ish woman may have M.S. and needs to be back in air
conditioning to avoid a flare up of symptoms on a hot day. It is possible
that the elderly man with a lively step is recovering from coronary disease.
But if you suspect otherwise, you can always write down or photograph
the permit and call it into the registry. Medical Affairs Branch, PO Box5889,
Boston, 02205
Is it safe
for disabled drivers to be driving and how do they drive anyway?
A: All drivers who have sustained an injury to one or more limbs loses
their right to drive, UNTIL they return to the Registry with adaptive
equipment and take and pass a "Competency Road Test". If you
suspect that a driver should no longer be on the road, urge the family
of that driver to sign up for a Competency Test (617-351-9222). The test
could point out something as simple as the need for new eye glasses!
Disabled driving etiquette: Many newly disabled individuals falsely lose all their independence because of a lack of understanding of the full range of equipment that can get a cognitively competent driver back on the road to his or her independence. Please seek our Marblehead Disability Commission for resources, we are here to help.
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