Disability and Somerville

It’s easy to think someone is fooling you, faking a disability. They probably are not.

Mobility impaired people

A while back, I was talking to a local friend. The topic went to the usual people we meet, who are asking for money in our local business area. I knew the man she was talking about, when she said:

She: “I used to give him money, but I found out he’s a fake.”

Me: “What makes you think he’s a fake? Does he not need money?”

She: “He might need money, but he doesn’t need a wheelchair. He has a wheelchair, but I saw him walking.”

Me: “Ah, don’t you realize that not everyone who using a wheelchair is paralyzed? Some use a wheelchair, some of the time, because walking causes pain, or their legs are too weak for sustained walking. It is hard, but healthy for people like that to walk as much as they are able.”

There are people who can’t walk 200 feet without stopping for a rest. Don’t assume they are faking if you see them walk 100 feet without a noticeable limp. They also may be having a particularly good day — people with autoimmune days experience flairs of pain and disability and other times when they can do a bit more.

Visually impaired people

The same thing is true for people who are blind. Many blind people are not totally blind – black, see nothing. Blindness is defined as blurriness (with best correction) not better than 20/200 – That means they can’t read the big E at the top of the eye chart. Or blindness is being able to see (looking straight ahead) in a field of only 20 degrees or less – normally sighted people see about 180 degrees. So, when you meet a blind person who flinches when there is a sudden movement, they could be legally blind; they are not faking it.

Hearing impaired people

Deaf people, too. Many deaf people hear something. What they can’t hear is sounds of human speech, even with the best hearing aids. Some deaf people will startle at sound. They are not faking it.

What are the criteria for getting a handicapped parking placard in Massachusetts?

Qualifying Medical Conditions:

• Inability to Walk 200 Feet: You must be unable to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
• Need for Assistance: You must be unable to walk without the assistance of another person, prosthetic aid, or other assistive device.
• Chronic Lung Disease: You must have a lung disease that results in a forced (respiratory) expiratory volume (FEV) in 1 second of less than 1 liter when measured by spirometry.
• Portable Oxygen Use: You must use portable oxygen.
• Cardiac Conditions: You must have a Class III or IV cardiac condition according to the American Heart Association standards.
• Arthritis Conditions: You must have Class III or Class IV functional arthritis or Stage III or Stage IV anatomic arthritis according to the American College of Rheumatology standards.
• Legal Blindness: You must have been declared legally blind.
• Limb Loss/Permanent Loss of Use: You must have lost one or more limbs or permanently lost the use of one or more limbs.

“Approximately 6,400 Somerville residents live with a disability. While available estimates indicate that the total number of people with disabilities in Somerville is decreasing, the incidence of disability poverty has increased.” [Somerville Housing Needs Assessment 2021]