Perry is an expert. Paralyzed in an accident just before her senior year of college, she has used a manual wheelchair since 1986. Married and a mother of two, this former elementary teacher is as independent as she can be and is always ready with ideas to improve conditions for the disabled. I love to shop but it can be aggravating. With the number of Americans with physical disabilities rising, just parking is often a hassle, she adds.
People literally fight over the handicapped spots.
I've been reduced to tears by rude people. She knows the trials of parking in a handicapped stall near a store entrance and then having to wheel a couple blocks out of her way to get to a curb cutout. She knows the frustration of parking in a handicapped stall, only to find someone parked in its yellow hash marks. One such motorist suffered the consequences. As I dropped my lift, it clawed right into the side of her car.