I have been advised by my current employers that I need to apply for a blue badge if i wish to continue to have a reserved space at work as they have now decided to make them disabled spaces even though it is not an on street parking facility. They have advised they need to be fair to the other members of staff.
I have spoken to the local blue badge office and they have confirmed that i will not be succesful in my application as I can walk 100 yards. The council have confirmed the same to my employers, who insit i apply.
I have queried if I can have a reserved space as a reasonable adjustment? I have had 2 OT reports and doctors and specialsist confirm that it would be a good idea for me to have the space. But these are only recommendations which can be ignored.
I have had the space for at least two years previous to this!
I am worried that if i dont get the blue badge (which I wont) I lose the space and have to walk and come into contact with my triggers that I will be an asthma attack waiting to happen.
Any advice - comments greatfully received.
14 Replies
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Is the car park further than 100 yards from your entrance? If you are saying you can walk 100 yards but it is further than this, I would have thought they would need to make provision for you... but if its within the 100 yards you say that you can walk, they they probably think you have the same ability as others.
If it was just a risk, rather than inevitable, then I probably wouldnt fight it.. but thats just me.
Lynda
Sorry i didnt make it very clear.
The car park I park in... I have a space right near the door.. so 2 secs and im in work. But the car park gets really busy and if you dont get in before say 8.10 you dont get a space and then its basically find a space on the road somewhere up the road which is defo more than 100 yards.
I have done the blue badge form online and i just done meet the criteria (which i am thankful for)
The space i have means that i dont have to walk far, i dont have to walk past the bus station with all the fumes etc.
xx
Hi,
Have your employer referred you to occupational health?
I found them very good when my employer did this and they were basically there to let my employer know how they could help me and what changes I needed at work.
One of these was the use of a disabled space right near the entrance of my building (we have exactly the same parking issues as your work).
X
Hi Angelica.
Yes i have two occupational health reports and recommendations from the doctor and consultant at leeds but work have advised they are only recommendations.
xx
Hmm... I was in a similar situation at work. We had a huge car park, so in order not to have to walk a long way, lugging all my stuff I would need to get in very early to get a space closer to the office. I might get shot down in flames for saying so, but I didn't see why I should have different treatment, when I could get the space I needed by getting there early - just like everyone else would have to do if they didn't want to have to walk a long way. It also meant I missed the traffic
I wonder if your employers are just thinking that if you got there in plenty of time, you could get the space you wanted? Im not saying thats right or wrong, just that it gives you the same chance as everyone else.
Lynda
Hi,
I cant get in any earlier as i have to drop my son off at school.
I have contacted the council and I dont pass the criteria for a blue badge.
Bizarre is a word for it!
I dont know what to do.
If i arrive at work and there are no spaces, have to park down the road, get wheezy etc... then what?
No-one might stop to help.
I think that by continuing to let me have the space they are helping me to go to work and without it.. I dont see how i can.
I am not sure who reads this so I dont want to say too much. But if there is a way of doing a private chat I will.
Like I said, Im not saying its right or wrong, Im just saying thats what I did, with my own chronic health problems. Frosty was asking for comments, I was sharing *my* experience.. and offering a potential train of thought for her employers decision...
Nurse furby, sorry i didnt mean any harm etc in my response. I am grateful fo any help and guidance.
xx
hey.. dont stress! the posts timings got mixed, I was responding to Strays post xx
Differing points of view thats all. I didn't think I needed to be treated differently, and looking back, I still don't. My way around it was to get to work early, if I could adapt to the situation without 'special treatment' I would (I don't think I am special at all... and nothing annoyed me more than being treated so). I now have high rate DLA and therefore a blue badge - things have changed and my needs are different now.
Frosty, in that case the only thing I can think of is to put in a formal grievance with hr. Do you belong to a union? If you do speak to them about this, don't let your employer behave in this unreasonable way.
I too had to drop my son off qt school so couldn't get in to work early to get closer so that disabled space near the building quite literally made the difference between me making it to work or not as at times the walk from the main car park to the office was enough to trigger a full on attack that needed an ambulance.
Good luck. X
would they rather you keep having time off work?
Hi Angleica,
I am not part of a union and am thinking of the other option but have no real idea where to start.
Joan -no idea!
xx
Harvey, your staff handbook should have a section on how to raise a formal.grievance.
In reality this is really just writing a letter to hr stating that you want to do this and stating why.
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