Changes to Blue Badge Scheme Will Benefit People with Hidden Disabilities
Changes to the Blue Badge scheme now offers local authorities more clarity around rules which affect people with hidden disabilities.
Although people with hidden disabilities such as autism or mental health conditions may have already been awarded a Blue Badge, the way criteria has been interpreted by councils on a local level meant people in some parts of the country will have been awarded one whilst others haven’t.
The scheme has now been given a major overhaul – the first one since the 1970s – with new criteria aimed specifically at people with hidden disabilities.
“Blue badges are a lifeline for disabled people, giving them the freedom and confidence to get to work and visit friends independently,” Transport Minister Jesse Norman said.
“The changes we have announced today will ensure that this scheme is extended equally to people with hidden disabilities so that they can enjoy the freedoms that many of us take for granted.”
The announcement has been met with a mixed response online, showing that many people are still not aware about the barriers people with conditions such as autism experience when out of the house.
“Just leaving the house is a challenge for many autistic people, involving detailed preparation – and sometimes overwhelming anxiety about plans going wrong,” Jane Harris, Director of External Affairs at the National Autistic Society explains.
“And some autistic people might not be aware of the dangers of the road or become overwhelmed by busy or loud environments. The possibility of not being able to find a parking space near where you’re going can mean you can’t contemplate leaving the house at all.
“Just leaving the house is a challenge for many autistic people, involving detailed preparation – and sometimes overwhelming anxiety about plans going wrong. And some autistic people might not be aware of the dangers of the road or become overwhelmed by busy or loud environments. The possibility of not being able to find a parking space near where you’re going can mean you can’t contemplate leaving the house at all.”
The National Autistic Society anticipates the regulation changes will make a ‘massive difference’ to the 600,0000 autistic people in England, as well as the people supporting their needs.
The Blue Badge scheme has been aimed at people with physical disabilities, helping them become mobile and independent by allowing them to park closer to where they need to be.
The new criteria will now include those who cannot travel without a serious risk of harm to their safety or that of others.
People with autism can experience overwhelming psychological distress and have difficulty walking due to sensory processing difficulties, extreme anxiety, rigidity, social and communication difficulties and other co-morbid conditions that frequently runs alongside the condition.
More than 6000 people from around the country took part in the eight-week consultation into the Blue Badge scheme and forms part of the government’s Inclusive Transport Strategy to make the UK’s transport network fully inclusive by 2030.
More from Chopsy Baby
Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/chopsybaby/
Follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/chopsy_baby
Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/chopsybristol
Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chopsybaby/
Like our Sensory Space ideas on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sensoryspace
Go Home http://www.chopsybaby.com