Ohio Handicap Parking Dwindling

August 20, 2009

According to the Ohio Department of Motor Vehicles, the number of handicapped license plates and placards increased by 23 percent between 2003 and 2007. However, the number of required parking spaces has remained the same. Many handicapped individuals in this state have complained that they often have to wheel themselves from the back of the lot to the store- seriously inhibiting their independence.

Some of the decreases in available parking spots have been attributed to those individuals who use their family members’ handicapped permits or continue to use temporary passes, even after their injuries have healed. However, experts agree that the most likely cause for the decline in parking spaces has been the aging process of the baby boomer generation. Record numbers of Americans are aging and requiring handicapped permits for parking. This problem is being faced not only by Ohio, but by every state in America.