The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

More Ohioans receiving handicapped parking permits

Ralph Doud, who lives on the west side of Hamilton, show off the handicap parking permit he was issued due to heart and knee problems.

Greg Lynch/Staff photographer Ralph Doud, who lives on the west side of Hamilton, show off the handicap parking permit he was issued due to heart and knee problems.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Man, 68, drowns at Caesar Creek Lake
5/26/12
Water rescues prompt warning from health officials
5/25/12
Beach Waterpark sued for failure to deliver
5/25/12
Raleigh Trammell’s defense opens in felony trial
5/25/12
UD to move satellite campus to Dublin
5/25/12
> More headlines

By Kareem Elgazzar and Rick McCrabb, Staff Writers 10:54 AM Monday, July 25, 2011

More Ohioans are receiving handicapped parking permits, and the increase coincides with Ohio’s aging population.

The number of Ohio motorists who were issued handicapped placards soared to 320,000 last year, up about 87 percent from 2001, when only 171,000 permits were issued, according to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Latest statistics from the 2010 census indicate the state’s median age went up by 2.6 years, from 36.2 years to 38.8. The population of those older than 60 jumped 14 percent since 2000 to 2.2 million people.

Geoff Dutton, spokesman for Ohio Department of Public Safety, which oversees the BMV, said the increase is due in part to Ohio’s aging population and also the law’s requirement that permit-holders reapply more frequently for the placards.

The permits can be issued for between 60 days and five years and require a doctor’s note each time they are renewed, he said.

“Even if you have a permanent disability, you need a doctor’s note every time,” Dutton said. “It reduces the chances placards are abused by people who don’t need them.”

From January to October 2010, the number of placards issued in Butler County reached 35,116 — up from 34,443 in 2009. For the same time in Warren County, 17,578 were issued in 2010 — up from 16,773 in 2009.

The permits allow drivers to park in designated spots closer to businesses and facilities.

Handicapped permits are issued for specific reasons defined by state law, such as a motorist or passenger not being able to walk 200 feet without needing a rest.

Nearly 1.2 million Ohio residents, or 10 percent of the state’s population, held valid handicapped parking permits in 2010.

To be eligible, those applying must be an Ohio resident, must complete an application form and “the application must be accompanied with a prescription from the health care provider,” according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

The prescription must indicate the length of the disabling condition. If the condition is more than six months, a permanent placard will be issued. Otherwise, a temporary placard will be issued, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

While a placard only costs $3.50 for a deputy registrar processing fee, those seeking the more expensive license plate seem undeterred by the price. The number of disabled licensed plates, which include disabled veteran motorcycles and disabled veterans, in Butler and Warren counties has been steadily increasing between 2006 and 2010, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

There has been a nearly 37 percent increase in issued disabled license plates in Butler County between 2006 and 2010 and a 35 percent increase in Warren County, DPS records indicate. The cost of a disabled license plate starts at $36.50, plus county and license taxes.

Seven months ago, Angela DiCristoforo broke her left hip, and ever since, she has used a handicap placard. Sometimes, she said, it’s frustrating when there are no handicap spaces available, and she sees what appears to be perfectly healthy people walking to their cars parked in handicap spaces.

“That’s not right,” DiCristoforo said last week after leaving the Middletown Senior Citizens Center with her husband, Gino. “Those people should know better.”

She walks with a cane, and hasn’t been cleared to drive yet. She depends on her husband for transportation, and the sticker to afford her a parking space close to the door, she said.

Based on the national guidelines, the center must have four reserved handicap spaces, but it has six, said John Stugmyer, finance director of the center. When he sees a space being misused, it “infuriates” him, and makes him want to call the police, he said.

“I couldn’t do without it,” said Lorna Hahn of Hamilton, who has held a placard for about six years and can’t walk very far. “I always take it along,” she said, because it’s portable and if she is getting a ride she still can park close to the door.

Karen Smith, the executive director of Abilities First, an agency based in Middletown that helps disabled people throughout the area, said awareness could be another reason for the increase in placards.

“Over the years, people with disabilities became more aware of the options available to them, and they’re more aware because they are seeking out new avenues,” she said.

Cindy Wallace, 83, of Springboro, a shopper at Towne Mall in Middletown, said she wasn’t surprised by the increase in demand of the placards. Still, she said, at most of the businesses she patronizes, there are empty handicap spaces.

Ralph Doud, who has a handicap placard because of his knee and heart problems, said while there are plenty of spots at the Hamilton Prime Club lot, at other places it’s no so easy to find accessible parking.

“Around the grocery stores they are (all full), half or more of the time.”

Hamilton police Officer Kristy Collins said misuse of handicapped placards is not considered a serious issue in Hamilton. She said it’s a minimum fine of $250 and a maximum $500, if someone is using a card illegally.

“If there’s a complaint, we investigate,” Collins said. “If we have down time, and we’re a pretty busy city, officers can go through parking lots and check.”

Middletown police Lt. Leanne Hood echoed Collins’ sentiments.

“Every now and then we receive complaints,” Hood said. “I guess it depends on what people perceive is a violation.”

Staff Writers Hannah Poturalski, Greg Lynch and Eric Robinette contributed to this report.

Share this article