Access Denied for Disabled Oklahomans

By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Metro disabled drivers said they're alarmed at who they're finding using handicapped parking spaces reserved for them.

After fighting off polio for nearly all her life, it was post-polio that became too much for Pam Henry.

"I had to go from crutches to a wheelchair," Henry said.

But one battle she never thought she'd be fighting is over handicap parking spots.

"There have been times when I've gone to a luncheon or a store and there was no van accessible spot ready and I couldn't improvise my own and I've had to go home," Henry said.

Lois Jackson is on a team of 13 civilian officers in the Oklahoma City Police Department. There job is to catch people illegally parking in handicap spots. Jackson said the number of tickets they give out every day is high.

"It's very seldom that I'm out an hour and don't write at least two or three," she said.

Jackson said the places where she sees the most violators are at some of the bigger stores. She said those places are where she has also heard some of the biggest lies.

"One of the things I run into especially up here are people are in a hurry to go into Sam's and say, 'I'm only going to be a minute.' There's no such animal as, 'I'm going be in Wal-Mart for a minute,'" Jackson said.

According to Steven Stokes who runs the office of Disability and Concerns, outside of Oklahoma City and Midwest City no other towns in Oklahoma are keeping a close eye on the problem.

"The city officials feel it is not an issue. Some cities deny they even have people in their communities with disabilities," Stokes said.

Glynda Chu is a spokesperson with the Edmond Police Department. She said Edmond does not have a major problem with handicap parking violators.

"What we have now we take care of any problems. Anyone parking in a handicap spot knows they're going to be ticketed," Chu said.

If the disability commission is right and other cities have the same handicap parking problem as Oklahoma City does, then not only are the cities turning their back on handicap drivers but they are losing out on thousands of dollars.

Six thousand tickets are handed out in Oklahoma City every year. At $150 per ticket, Oklahoma City is bringing in close to $900,000 a year.

But Henry said the money will always be secondary.

"I hope people understand that these spots are there for a reason," Henry said.

The Disability and Concerns Commission is looking into putting a disabled person's picture on their placards in an effort to curb violators from parking in handicap spots.