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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend February 17, 2007 Sharon McChrystal, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, received a parking ticket when she forgot her handicapped parking placard. She�ll face a $450 fine if she forgets it again. (Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell) Handicapped-placard penalty Woman says the disabled are often unfairly punished, wants license plates issued By john darling for the Mail Tribune A handicapped parking permit is supposed to make life easier for the disabled. But one Medford woman says laws governing the permit penalize the very people they're trying to benefit. Sharon McChrystal, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, was ticketed recently after she forgot her placard. Her first citation can be reduced to $20 if she proves she is handicapped by sending in a copy of her placard and her driver's license number. But the ticket leaves McChrystal in a precarious position: If she forgets the permit again, she faces a wallet-whacking $450 fine. "That anyone would have to cough up $450 is inexcusable," McChrystal e-mailed to a slew of legislators. "This matter needs to be addressed and changed. I am truly shocked that it has not been taken care of before now!" Advertisement McChrystal is asking legislators to make available handicapped license plates that would be on view all the time. "We have two cars and sometimes it's hard to remember to take the permit back and forth between them," said McChrystal, who walks with braces and a cane. The state does not issue duplicate placards for permit holders, however, because of past abuse by non-handicapped family members, she said. Of the 442 citations last year for parking in a handicapped zone without a permit, half of them turned out to be handicapped people who forgot to bring or display the placard, said Medford Municipal Court Clerk Denise Bostwick. "The law actually predicts Ms. McChrystal's situation by providing a special provision for someone who really does have a placard, but fails to display it," said Bill Seely, customer services manager for Driver and Motor Vehicle Services, in an e-mail. "It is that section that allows the fine to be reduced, one time only, to $20. That too was intentionally done. The disabled community wants to make sure that those with valid placards aren't adding to the culture of misuse by routinely parking without their permit showing. "Please note that these provisions aren't DMV provisions — it was largely the disabled community leaders who outlined how this should work." The fine for a non-handicapped person parking in a handicapped zone without a permit is a minimum $180 and $450 for the second offense, Bostwick said. If a non-handicapped friend or family member uses the placard in a handicapped zone, it's $450. John Le Bel, who has multiple sclerosis and volunteers with Medford police to cite illegal handicapped parking, said it's "not a slam dunk" to spot non-handicapped drivers using a permit because many handicaps, such as heart conditions, are not visible. "We can't ask if they're handicapped," Le Bel said. "We can ask to see the driver's license and compare it to the number on the permit, but people complained about having their license number in view on the permit, so that's stopping." The idea of handicapped license plates will be studied this summer by a task force headed by Rep. George Gilman of Medford. But Oregon had handicapped license plates before and shifted to placards because they're portable and because of abuses by non-handicapped people, said a staff e-mail from Sen. Alan Bates, D-Ashland, to McChrystal. "The general thought behind the portable placard versus a stationary license plate, is that it allows the placard to go anywhere with the disabled individual, rather than tying them to only one automobile. This way when family or friends come to transport an individual to appointments, it allows them choice and flexibility in their transportation," the e-mail noted. Handicapped parking license plates are available for disabled veterans, however. Le Bel said handicapped license plates weren't favored by the disabled community in California, where he lived in the 1990s, because they couldn't be used when the permit holder took a different car or went with friends. And if someone broke down on the highway, "it advertised your limited ability to fight off someone who wants to do you harm," he said. "Of course, you have to remember California has a different mind-set about being neighborly." According to the Medford DMV office, handicapped permits are issued to anyone "without question" who gets an application and has a doctor sign it, verifying his condition merits the privilege. John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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