Disability Awareness

1. Be observant and considerate. Whenever a pedestrian guided by a dog or carrying a white cane is crossing or attempting to cross a roadway, every vehicle should come to a full stop at the crossing to allow the pedestrian to cross safely.
2. Take extra precautions when traveling alongside wheelchairs and scooters. Individuals must often resort to traveling in the street due to sidewalk defects, limited availability, or obstructions.
3. Check twice when backing up. A person in a wheelchair is generally only 4’6” tall when seated in the chair..
4. Keep sidewalks and curb ramps in front of your home and place of business clear of ice and snow. Failure to do so may pose an insurmountable obstacle to a disabled person, and is dangerous for all walkers.
5. When parking, do NOT block curb ramps. These are essential access points on sidewalks for those in wheelchairs.
6. Do NOT park in designated accessible parking spaces even for a short time. Not only is it illegal, it may prevent the disabled person the ability from reaching his/her destination.
7. Do NOT park in cross-hatched areas of an accessible parking space, even if you have a disability parking placard or HP plate. The cross-hatch area enables vans with wheelchair lifts to operate.
8. False use of a disability placard has its consequences. If you do not require a placard, you are precluding a person in need from having an accessible space. Misusing a disability placard is subject to a $500 fine, revocation of the placard, and a 30-day suspension of a driver's license for a first offense. Repeat offenders face a $1,000 fine and up to a one-year license suspension.
9. Help ensure proper enforcement/use of disability placards. If you know someone is misusing a placard, file a complaint form with the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
10. Not all disabilities are visible to an observer (e.g. heart disease). Many people who have disability plates and placards have difficulty walking distances but do not limp, use canes, crutches, or wheelchairs.