Blue badge

[paw]

Purplesheep, I was going to a new doctor a couple years ago and my walking varies a lot from one day to another and gets a lot worse after I walk a little. I decided to go early and walk around the building before going inside. That was all it took to throw me fully into "broken" mode. My whole gait changes and it's easier to see than to try to explain it with words.

You could go for a little walk before your appointment and it would give an honest idea of what you face when you go out. Keep in mind there are two parts to every outing, the getting there and the getting home and they are not always the same.

[sheppeyescapee]

I had a new blue badge issued just before xmas. Do I have to get one of the new ones or keep current one until it runs out in 2014?

[trekster]

i didnt realise they were doing new blue badges mate.

[sheppeyescapee]

yeah they are changing how the system works. check google there has been about it especially on the bbc website.

[trekster]

Looks like it only applies to the new badges so i would wait until they contact you. I'm really annoyed at some
of the comments on the bbc site about the blue badge. 1 person complained about disabled people parking in
a leisure centre hopping out to do something then coming back!

[sheppeyescapee]

The thing is that changing the badges in the ways proposed wont make all that much difference, it is enforcement thst iz a problem. most authorities do not effectively enforce the blue badge rules. we've never been asked to show the photo on he other side by traffic wardens. the amount of times i've seen the majority of blue badge bays taken by cars without a blue badge is rather annoying.

[trekster]

grrr re people abusing the system thats meant to help us.

[Purplesheep]

I've finally had verbal confirmation today that my blue badge has been approved

I’ve been waiting since November and had an OT assessment for it over a month ago, so it’s about time! They have messed me around so much and I am convinced they only gave me the badge so I would finally stop harassing on the phone If they had turned me down, I definitely would have had grounds for appeal anyway, as not only had the OT assessing me not done any research into EDS whatsoever, she hadn’t even read my application form! She also asked lots of questions about my national origin and current citizenship status, which is completely irrelevant to my application.

Could anyone tell me how long it took for them to receive a badge when it has been approved? The OT refused to tell me this on the phone. Just wondering how long it will be!

[Fiona-Jane]

i was told that the whole application procedure should take around 6weeks, incl the time taken by the government department to issue them (the councils dont do this anymore, its issued by a central gov office). i was predicted a week or so for it to actually be issued but mine took considerably longer cos it got lost in the post and had to be re-issued.... in the end my badge was 9 weeks late, half the fault of the council for processing my form late and half the post office.

but the new badges look good- all printed on the card like the driving licence is, so no plastic edges to fray and look like i've been tampering with it, and as there is no plastic border around the badge its a bit smaller and so fits into my holder loads easier. and the clock is a plastic material too,which should last tons longer- i usually pull off the little tabs on the dial pretty quickly and have to get a new clock sent out to me every few months, hopfully i wont need to do this now


fi

[bree]

Hi


Just got the application form for my blue badge. I can walk without aids but need to stop a lot, am always in pain and often get dizzy, light-headed and short of breath on walking due to quite bad pots. I also have arthritis of spine, ?hip and mild curve of the spine and eds. I also have difficulty bending down, as I get so dizzy and holding arms up. Do I stand a chance of blue badge and what do I need to emphasie when applying.

Really appreciate any advice from those who have had the joy of applying for this. They don't half make these forms impossible!!

Thanks

Breex

[Fiona-Jane]

i got my 1st badge before my mobility dropped enough that i needed to use a wheelchair, pretty sure i wasnt even using 2 crutches back then....

i'd emphasise everything that makes walking hard, even breathlessness, fatigue and pains. i always err on the side of caution and tell them everything, even if it doesnt seem to be a big problem

i've seen the new forms and they specifically ask you how far you can walk in meters or feet without severe discomfort, how long it takes you to do that distance etc so try and be as brutally honest as you can. i never like to admit how bad my walking has got....


fi xx

[bree]

Thanks Fi.

I hate filling out these forms, always a reminder of how bad things really are but still anything to make life a bit easier now must be worth it.

[nataliejane81]

I keep starting to compete the blue badge application form online & then stopping- I am so ure I won't get it!

The thing is I CAN often walk almost 1/2 a mile before I really need to stop & rest; that's how far away my daughter's school is and I usually just about make it, though I'll be sweating with the pain it causes. I can't do the school run there & back more than twice (ie approx 800m there, rest, 800m back home, rest repeat in afternoon) if I want to make it home and cannot do much during the day and walk to school. I have to drive much more often than I would like, about half the time in fact. I do suffer for it & walking more than that hurts so Much that I rarely leave the house to go into town or similar without my husband in case I can't make it back to the car. If I'm going to town I have to take a crutch (need to hold hands with my 3-year-old so can only have one) because I'll inevitably have to be on my feet or more than the 20minutes or so I can usually cope with without something giving way...

I suppose what I'm saying is yes I can walk a bit but I'm hardly doing anything outside of the house due to the pain & fear of falling over so a blue badge would really help; I could park close to places so I could actually go out. However I still can't picture me getting one... Do you think I stand any chance?!

[Rosie]

Hi all

When I filled in my blue badge application, i empahsized that it wasn't a matter of how far I could walk, with or without aids like crutches, but the amount od pain that it causes me, and the fact that that it is accumulative, so each walk means less energy for later on, or the next day, or maybe the next week...
I got my badge before my official diagnosis, and before I had an electric wheelchair, so it is worth applying. The worse they can do is say no

Rosie

[AnnaH]

On the arthritis forum there was a guy I really empathised with, who has lost his BB and as a consequence, is finding he is going out much less, using his wheelchair much more (thus getting much less exercise) and feels he has lost his independence.

I feel it is really important that the Powers that be understand this - it isn't just a case of us being lazy so-and-sos who want to park near the shops, a BB can actually mean we get out more and get more exercise, not fearing we'll end up too far away from the car and will have to struggle to get back. I have told him he should appeal and I hope he gets his BB back - its not even as if the government is going to save much money allowing people like him and us to have a BB.