Why Are There Handicap Parking Places In Front Of The Skating Rink? – ‘The Why’

Welcome to today’s edition of The Why.

Everywhere you look the media is pushing you telling you who to follow, what to watch and when to watch it.   You’re even sometimes told how to do it all.  Truth is, here at American Live Wire we do a bit of that too.  The big difference is we also tell you why.

You ask the questions.  We provide the answers.

“Why are there handicap parking places in front of the skating rink?” you ask? Don’t expect verbal chastisement over the word “handicap” here either. This is one column that does not fear the overly-PC crowd.

“Why are there handicap parking places in front of the skating rink?” /Image: FigureSkatingAbout

Seriously, “disabled” sounds sad and serious. “HandiCAPABLE”? Please!  No offense, but if they’re truly capable then why do they need special parking anyway?

No one is perfect.  No one can do everything well.  Most people can’t do everything whether they can walk or not.  Everyone sucks at something.

No. “Handicap” is fine. It actually sounds kinda “athletic” if you think about it. People get handicaps in sports right? OK then, we get it. No stress.

“Why are there handicap parking places in front of the skating rink?” First off, businesses get tax breaks when they have these spaces. It’s ADA-related. (If you don’t get the whole ADA thing then you missed the other handicapped edition of this series and should read it ASAP.) They are there so the owner gets the tax breakâ€"duh!

You don’t like the cynical response to our question “Why are there handicap parking places in front of the skating rink?” Fair enough. Let’s consult a Yahoo Question respondent or two.

One person who shall remain unnamed thought maybe “a handicapped Mom is driving her kids to the skating rink.” After all, he pointed out “a twelve-year-old kid (doesn’t drive) “his or her own car.”

Really? If you are married with children why would you make your handicapped spouse do the driving? Besides, if the person is able to drive the vehicle rather than just be a passenger he or she is not all that disabled, huh?

“Why are there handicap parking places in front of the skating rink?” Another mystery man suggested a more realistic retort. He said the spaces are possibly “for family members that go to watch their loved ones skate”.

Let’s ask an expert our question: “Why are there handicap parking places in front of the skating rink?” Our anonymous respondent sums it up quite nicely as he is both a “federal and state registered disabled person with disabilities.”

“Why are there handicap parking places in front of the skating rink?” /Image: Facebook

He states: “The reason why there are Handicapped Parking Spaces in front of a skating rink is for wheelchair users, Disabled persons who are able to walk that still have a legitimate need for a Handicapped Parking Space, and for Non-Disabled persons who are transporting Wheelchair users and/or Disabled persons who are able to walk that still have a legitimate need for a Handicapped Parking Space.”

Odds are that the handicapped folks aren’t skating. They could, however, want to watch. Chances are they aren’t going to drive themselves. Therefore, there can be a need for special spaces at the front of the building for special off-loading of people and equipment. The building owner gets a tax break and is made to look like he cares as well.

“Why are there handicap parking places in front of the skating rink??” Now you know.

You ask the questions.  We provide the answers.

American Live Wire . . . Listen and be heard.