On BBC Breakfast talking about Blue Badges
So there has been an announcement that Blue Badge rules are going to be looked at to make it easier for people with an invisible disability to get them.
I think this is great news, and Scope have said it is “A victory for common sense.”
I was invited onto the BBC Breakfast couch on Sunday 21st January to talk about my experiences of the blue badge and why I think it is a good idea. It was an honour to go on BBC Breakfast again, I was there a couple of years ago talking about accessible toilets and so it was great to be back!
Timm came with me and filmed some of the day and put together a great video, apologies for the quality of the interview itself as we had to use one recorded by a family member off her TV!
Take a look here
If you want to have your say then please take part in the Blue Badge consultation, you need to do this before the 18th March.
For more support on this matter, you can head over to the Scope Community and chat with other members about how this will affect you.
You can chat with me about this on my facebook page or on twitter.
Sam xx
Love the video, well done on the interview xx
Hi Sam, you were fantastic today. Well done and thank you from me and I am sure many others who who having a blue badge would not only help physically but also mentally as I am scared to leave my home as I had cancer and had to have most of my rectum removed. I have to plan my journey’s and go to the nearest car park and I am so scared I will have an accident. Unfortunately I can not always park near my home even though I have spoken to my council they will not number our spaces so I am fighting for this as once I get the courage to go out, I am not guaranteed a parking space when I am home. So maybe a blue badge would help with this if I was entitled to one. Once again you are great Sam. xxx
Thank you so much!!
I had a three month letter conversation with Iain Duncan Smith and the DHSS about whether as a Crohn’s patient suffering a major flare with almost monthly partial small bowel blockages I was (and others like me) eligible for a Blue Badge after having a traffic warden be abusive to me as I had stopped in an electric car charging bay on a high street as I was totally unable to safely continue driving until the waves of collicky burning stabbing pain from a stricture slowly squeezing some food through stopped.
Nope. Apparantley that was not a valid excuse and if I didn’t move on she’d fine me. I didn’t, and she did.
Long story short IDS even after my local MP got involved (Gisela Stuart who despite my views on Brexit was a fantastic constituency MP) said “No. Crohn’s Disease/IBD is not considered enough of a disability”. Which is odd considering I work for Birmingham City Council and there occy health department consider it so under the Equalities Act.
I then see some acquaintances lording it up over their Blue Badge and admit they don’t need it, but what the Hell?! It’s free right?!