Handicapped Parking and Disability
Handicapped parking is an option available to people who have some sort of disability that makes it difficult for them to get from a parking lot into a store. This option, in Indiana, is open to individuals who can prove that they have difficulties with mobility. These disabilities can be due to a heart condition, a problem with walking, arthritis, or some similar condition.
It is not a precondition for a handicapped parking spot or pass that a person also receive disability. There is a world of difference between being handicapped and being disabled. The second has a much more narrow definition that merely being handicapped.
A person can be handicapped if he or she is unable to walk great distances due to a variety of health reasons. Many people who are eligible for disability are actually ineligible handicapped parking. By the same token, many of the people who have handicapped parking are not on disability.
Disability refers more to a person’s ability to function in his or her daily life as well as hold down a job without interruption from health problems. Being handicapped, for the purposes of a parking spot, means that a person has mobility issues and needs to be permitted a guaranteed spot closer to the store or stadium.
The two definitions are not mutually exclusive or completely inclusive. A person can be handicapped without needing disability and a person can be disabled without being eligible for handicapped parking.