​Why Appearances Can Be Deceiving:

Many people assume they can determine who "deserves" a handicapped parking permit simply by looking at someone. This assumption is not only incorrect but also harmful, as it perpetuates discrimination against individuals with invisible disabilities. Understanding the various medical conditions that qualify for these permits, along with examining our own biases, can help create a more compassionate and informed society.

## Invisible and Non-Visible Disabilities

Numerous legitimate medical conditions warrant handicapped parking permits despite being invisible to observers. Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia can cause severe exhaustion that makes long walks impossible. Heart conditions may require individuals to minimize physical exertion to prevent dangerous complications. Lung diseases like COPD or severe asthma can leave people breathless after just a few steps.

Autoimmune disorders create unpredictable flares that can suddenly render someone unable to walk long distances. Chronic pain conditions affecting mobility aren't always apparent to outsiders, nor are balance disorders or vertigo that make navigation difficult. Severe arthritis in joints not immediately visible can be debilitating, while neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis may be in early stages where symptoms aren't obvious.

Post-surgical recovery periods and cancer treatments causing weakness or nausea also qualify individuals for parking accommodations, even when their conditions aren't immediately apparent to strangers.

## Intermittent and Temporary Conditions Many qualifying conditions fluctuate in severity. People with chronic illnesses experience good days versus bad days, where their mobility needs vary significantly. Medication side effects can change over time, and certain conditions worsen with weather changes or stress levels. Recovery periods between treatments may require temporary accommodations.

Temporary permits address short-term needs following recent surgeries with healing restrictions, injuries requiring limited walking, pregnancy complications, and recovery from various medical procedures. These situations remind us that disability isn't always permanent or visible.

## The Problem of Assumptions and Disableism

People with hidden disabilities owe no one an explanation for their permit use. The decision to issue a handicapped parking permit represents a private matter between an individual and their healthcare provider, not subject to scrutiny from self-appointed parking enforcers.

Disableism pervades society and manifests in many ways, including the harmful assumption that disability must be visible to be valid. This discrimination creates additional barriers for people already navigating significant health challenges. There is already sufficient stigma surrounding disabling medical conditions without adding the burden of public judgment from strangers who operate from a foundation of ignorance about another person's medical reality.

## Questions for Self-Reflection

Rather than policing others, individuals should engage in honest self-reflection about how they developed these discriminatory preconceived notions. Moving from assumption-based thinking to fact-based reasoning would benefit everyone involved.

Those inclined to judge might consider these pointed questions: What gives you the authority to diagnose someone's medical needs from across a parking lot? When did you earn your medical degree that qualifies you to override a doctor's assessment? Why do you believe your five-second visual assessment trumps extensive medical documentation? What makes you think your comfort is more important than someone's genuine medical need? How does your parking lot vigilantism help anyone other than feeding your own sense of superiority?

## When the Judge May Also Have Disabling Medical Conditions That Affect Them

Ironically, those making harsh judgments about others may themselves be affected by medical conditions that impair their judgment and empathy. Several disorders can contribute to patterns of rigid thinking, reduced empathy, and increased tendency toward judgment.

Frontal lobe disorders can affect executive function and social reasoning. Autism spectrum disorders may impact understanding of others' experiences, while narcissistic personality disorder can lead to lack of empathy and feelings of entitlement. Obsessive-compulsive disorder often creates rigid rule-focused thinking patterns.

Chronic pain conditions frequently reduce patience and increase irritability. Depression affects cognitive flexibility and compassion, while anxiety disorders can create hypervigilance and control-seeking behaviors. Traumatic brain injuries may impact social judgment and impulse control, and certain medications can affect mood and social cognition.

This possibility should give pause to anyone quick to judge others - they may be dealing with their own unrecognized medical challenges that affect their ability to show compassion and understanding.

Moving Forward with Empathy

The uncomfortable truth is that parking lot vigilantism reveals more about the judge's character deficits than it does about the permit holder's legitimacy. Taking time to understand disableism and examining one's own biases can help prevent perpetuating these harmful attitudes.

Rather than assuming fraud or making snap judgments, practicing empathy and understanding that appearances can be deceiving benefits everyone in the community. The simple recognition that we don't know what we don't know about another person's medical situation should guide our interactions and prevent harmful assumptions about who does or doesn't "deserve" accommodation

Perhaps it's time to remember the timeless wisdom many of us heard growing up: tend to your own business and keep your nose out of other people's affairs. You have better things to do with yourself than policing strangers in parking lots. Focus that energy on understanding, compassion, and addressing your own biases instead.