One of the realities I now had to face was that although I
had some good upper and lower body strength, I wasn't exactly graceful on
crutches. The farther I had to go, the more likely I was to wipe-out because of
a loss of balance. (But I have become pretty adept at hopping on one foot to
get it back, thanks to repetition).
Because of my physical condition and the parking situation where
I work, I knew it would be a challenge if I wanted to be able to drive myself
everywhere. So it became clear that I would need to get a temporary handicapped
parking permit.
A Three-Fold Process
To get a temporary handicapped parking permit in the State
of New York you need to coordinate with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV),
your local government (in my case, the town clerk's office), and your doctor's
office.
During an office visit, have your doctor sign DMV Form MV-644.1. This certifies that
you have an injury which requires the use of such a parking permit. Once that
document is signed, bring it to the appropriate person in your municipality. In
most towns, this is the clerk.
In my case, I simply crutched in, took the after-market
scissor jack lift to the second floor (how fitting), and submitted the document
along with my driver's license. Ten minutes later, I was crutching back out
with a handicapped parking permit.
Don't Be That Guy
Your handicapped parking permit applies to you, not your
vehicle. You do NOT have to be driving your vehicle for the permit to be in
effect, but you do have to be in it. And is there anything lamer than someone
who isn't handicapped using a handicapped spot? This is something that has always
been a pushbutton for me. The person who abuses the system to avoid a longer
walk through the parking lot should probably be getting more exercise anyway.
On the legal side, the DMV can fine you up to $75 (plus
court fees) for your first offense and up to $150 for your second. In addition,
your municipality can impose much higher, local fines as it sees fit. Forging
the documents so you can get a handicapped parking permit are also hefty
no-no's. These offenses are punishable by a fine up to $1000 and/or
imprisonment, as they should be.
Related Readings
(please note that hyperlinks
will not work until future blogs are posted):
Part 1 - My Achilles Heel - Achilles Tendon Rupture
Part 2 - To Cut or Not To Cut? Not Even a Question!
Part 3 - Sew Happy Together
Part 4 - Casting
Call
Part 5 - The
Process of Getting a Handicapped Parking Permit
Part 6 - The
Orthopedic Boot(y) Call
Part 7 - I'm
Going to Rehab
Part 8 - Preparing for the Breast Cancer Run
Part 9 - Results from the Breast Cancer Run
Resources:
http://nysdmv.com/forms/mv6641-mv6643.pdf
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Re: How to Get a Temporary Handicapped Parking Permit (Achilles Tendon Rupture – Part 5)
