# Advice please on Disabled Badge



## peter poppet (Mar 6, 2018)

Hi all, I was just wondering if you are entitled to a Disabled Badge for your vehicle if you have diabetes T2.  The reason I am asking this is although I have T2 diabetes and at the moment I am reasonably fit although I have been quite ill recently with  non alcoholic fatty liver disease , I do not want the badge for myself , I want the badge so that I can use it for my wife as she has Crohns Disease and there can be times when she may need to make a quick exit from shops etc and go and sit in the van while I continue shopping etc. The system is wrong and it does not allow a disability badge for people with crohns disease.


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## Amigo (Mar 6, 2018)

peter poppet said:


> Hi all, I was just wondering if you are entitled to a Disabled Badge for your vehicle if you have diabetes T2.  The reason I am asking this is although I have T2 diabetes and at the moment I am reasonably fit although I have been quite ill recently with  non alcoholic fatty liver disease , I do not want the badge for myself , I want the badge so that I can use it for my wife as she has Crohns Disease and there can be times when she may need to make a quick exit from shops etc and go and sit in the van while I continue shopping etc. The system is wrong and it does not allow a disability badge for people with crohns disease.



In honesty they’d be no chance Peter. You have automatic qualification if you have high rate PIP mobility component (scored over 8 points) or high rate mobility component of the DLA. My area automatically gives them to the over 80’s and blind people to be used in the vehicles they travel in. They no longer seek your GP’s opinion and anyone applying for a Disabled Car Badge would need to demonstrate (usually by interview with an OT or medical person), very significant problems with walking or have a condition which actually makes walking any distance hazardous (like serious cardiac problems). They’re really cracking down on awarding them now.
The person seeking the badge has to have the qualifying medical condition, you can’t have a badge for a vehicle, it has to be for that person (unless you’re an organisation or charity transporting disabled people).

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...t_data/file/197719/can-i-get-a-blue-badge.pdf


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## peter poppet (Mar 6, 2018)

Amigo said:


> In honesty they’d be no chance Peter. You have automatic qualification if you have high rate PIP mobility component (scored over 8 points) or high rate mobility component of the DLA. My area automatically gives them to the over 80’s and blind people to be used in the vehicles they travel in. They no longer seek your GP’s opinion and anyone applying for a Disabled Car Badge would need to demonstrate (usually by interview with an OT or medical person), very significant problems with walking or have a condition which actually makes walking any distance hazardous (like serious cardiac problems). They’re really cracking down on awarding them now.
> The person seeking the badge has to have the qualifying medical condition, you can’t have a badge for a vehicle, it has to be for that person (unless you’re an organisation or charity transporting disabled people).
> 
> https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...t_data/file/197719/can-i-get-a-blue-badge.pdf





Thanks for your reply Amigo, Although the badge would have been in my name, my wife cannot drive and so it would be me using the badge. This was just something I thought i would ask on here . The way some things are decided  just sucks sometimes. As my wife suffers from crohns disease , this can  mean that she may need a toilet at very , very short notice although she does manage to control herself most of the time but it can also cause her severe stomach pains. Being able to park in disabled spaces would be a life saver for her but unfortunately the system does not cover people with this disability as she can walk more than 500 yrds or what ever the distance is when she is not suffering. I also forgot to mention that I have COPD , pleural plaque and asthma although I could possibly use this to get a badge I would feel like i am cheating the system as  although I have difficulty with breathing sometimes , I have it under control and I also play golf regularly and I could never give that up.  Thanks anyway.


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## Amigo (Mar 6, 2018)

peter poppet said:


> Thanks for your reply Amigo, Although the badge would have been in my name, my wife cannot drive and so it would be me using the badge. This was just something I thought i would ask on here . The way some things are decided  just sucks sometimes. As my wife suffers from crohns disease , this can  mean that she may need a toilet at very , very short notice although she does manage to control herself most of the time but it can also cause her severe stomach pains. Being able to park in disabled spaces would be a life saver for her but unfortunately the system does not cover people with this disability as she can walk more than 500 yrds or what ever the distance is when she is not suffering. Thanks anyway.



I understand your wife’s situation Peter but just to clarify, you don’t need to be able to drive to qualify for a disabled car badge...they can be used by the disabled person in a taxi for instance. If they’d been any application, it would have to be for the person using it, i.e your wife and as you know, Crohns isn’t a qualifying condition in itself. Diabetes certainly wouldn’t qualify unless there were significant walking problems. The badge is not applied for a specific vehicle. Regards, Amigo


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## pav (Mar 7, 2018)

I went through the form myself as was told with other underlying illnesses I should qualify for a blue badge. I just gave up as it now appears to be a lot harder to actually qualify for one, yet I know where my mom lived some had Blue badges that were far more able bodied than myself and many others who could not get one.  I am shortly moving to a bungalow for health reasons, but still would not qualify for a blue badge.


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## Amigo (Mar 7, 2018)

pav said:


> I went through the form myself as was told with other underlying illnesses I should qualify for a blue badge. I just gave up as it now appears to be a lot harder to actually qualify for one, yet I know where my mom lived some had Blue badges that were far more able bodied than myself and many others who could not get one.  I am shortly moving to a bungalow for health reasons, but still would not qualify for a blue badge.



I think many people still have blue badges from the old system (I used to have authority to issue them back in the day) but it’s a different criterion now and many will be refused renewal.


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## HOBIE (Mar 7, 2018)

peter poppet said:


> Hi all, I was just wondering if you are entitled to a Disabled Badge for your vehicle if you have diabetes T2.  The reason I am asking this is although I have T2 diabetes and at the moment I am reasonably fit although I have been quite ill recently with  non alcoholic fatty liver disease , I do not want the badge for myself , I want the badge so that I can use it for my wife as she has Crohns Disease and there can be times when she may need to make a quick exit from shops etc and go and sit in the van while I continue shopping etc. The system is wrong and it does not allow a disability badge for people with crohns disease.


Good luck PP there is always a problem


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## mikeyB (Mar 14, 2018)

The Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease websites have “Need to go” cards. Most shops recognise these, and will direct you to the loo, if you show the card. It’s less embarrassing than asking. Few, if any, will refuse. I’ve done it.

Needless to say, this is a frequent topic on those sites. The fact is that the blue badge is for people who have difficulty walking any distance. Full stop. Neither of these conditions restrict walking ability. The system isn’t wrong, it does what it’s intended to do. 

It’s worth adding that when I worked in War Pensions, which was embedded in law, rather than simple regulation, if anyone with those conditions applied for the mobility addition, it was always refused.


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## trophywench (Mar 14, 2018)

Pete, my husband has a 'Need to Go' card too - post prostatectomy chaps are prone to such problems, which are rife for all of them just after their op and also during and after radiography treatment - and it was one of the useful things in the Bumper Bundle he was handed the day he was given his diagnosis.

He's never had to use it so far - but he has it there as a safety net should he need it, and that's the important thing.


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## peter poppet (Mar 15, 2018)

mikeyB said:


> The Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease websites have “Need to go” cards. Most shops recognise these, and will direct you to the loo, if you show the card. It’s less embarrassing than asking. Few, if any, will refuse. I’ve done it.
> 
> Needless to say, this is a frequent topic on those sites. The fact is that the blue badge is for people who have difficulty walking any distance. Full stop. Neither of these conditions restrict walking ability. The system isn’t wrong, it does what it’s intended to do.
> 
> It’s worth adding that when I worked in War Pensions, which was embedded in law, rather than simple regulation, if anyone with those conditions applied for the mobility addition, it was always refused.




To a degree , I agree with what you are saying about  conditions regarding having a mobility badge, there is so much abuse with regards to the way people use the badges that they are a probably at least 50% of users abusing their use . I think that people with crohns disease  should be issued with these badges. Unless you are a sufferer or relative of one , you will  probably be unaware of the  embarassment  that can occur with this disease. I suffer with copd, asthma , and plueral plaque , I have had severe breathing problems over the last few months although it is now getting better , I could apply for a disabled badge and probably get one but I feel that I would be cheating other drivers if i had one and used a driving space and i could walk  fairly good distances on certain days .


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## mikeyB (Mar 15, 2018)

Peter, I have Ulcerative Colitis, so I am more than well aware of the problems. You seem not to have responded to the “need to go” card suggestion that would solve your problem, it did for me. There’s a lot of us about, and not just for bowel problems, as Jenny says. Shops are used to them - what’s not to like?


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## peter poppet (Mar 16, 2018)

mikeyB said:


> Peter, I have Ulcerative Colitis, so I am more than well aware of the problems. You seem not to have responded to the “need to go” card suggestion that would solve your problem, it did for me. There’s a lot of us about, and not just for bowel problems, as Jenny says. Shops are used to them - what’s not to like?



I agree with what you are saying mike. I know about the cards although I personally would find it embarrassing to have to almost plead with a shop assistant or anyone in order to ask to be able to use their toilet in an emergency.  Also there may be times when  a toilet is  to far away to be able to make it in time. Having a disabled badge would allow people with crohns disease  to be able to park their motor somewhere nearer to where they are going so that they would be able to get to their motor sooner so that they could sit down in their own privecy to a degree.


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## trophywench (Mar 17, 2018)

It's no more embarrassing than doing an insulin jab in public and honestly mate, if you like a safety net - invest in Tena for Men products.  They don't come on prescription either - but are a LOT less obtrusive when worn than the cheaper, bulkier generic ones that are available on the NHS where necessary too.


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## Amigo (Mar 17, 2018)

I think the problem is the sheer number of people who could claim an urgent need to use the loo. People with severe IBS, women with a prolapse, people with spinal issues impacting on the nerves, pregnant women, elderly people with incontinence issues and even me with a hugely enlarged spleen from leukaemia which impacts on my bowel. I’m not convinced that all public toilets are close to disabled parking spaces either to be honest.

However Peter, if you have COPD, try applying!


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## trophywench (Mar 17, 2018)

There are two public toilets in Bedworth, neither with adjacent public parking though there is a supermarket carpark within 100 yards of one of them, very often you can't find any spaces on it even if you intend to shop there, disabled or not.

However Tescos carpark usually has spaces and quite a good number of disabled ones, so you'd be nearer to park, walk into the building and up in the lift and hang a left to where the loos are.  Much nicer ones than the public loos any time.  That's a fair bit closer once you park, than either public one (one of which they are closing this year to save money)


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## peter poppet (Mar 18, 2018)

Well I have had enough of talking crap now so I think I will drop out of this thread. Thanks for your replies everyone..


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## mikeyB (Mar 19, 2018)

Amigo said:


> I think the problem is the sheer number of people who could claim an urgent need to use the loo. People with severe IBS, women with a prolapse, people with spinal issues impacting on the nerves, pregnant women, elderly people with incontinence issues and even me with a hugely enlarged spleen from leukaemia which impacts on my bowel. I’m not convinced that all public toilets are close to disabled parking spaces either to be honest.
> 
> However Peter, if you have COPD, try applying!


Though Peter has given up on this thread, his applying for a blue badge is somewhat hampered by playing golf. It’s the degree of disablement, not the condition that’s important.


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## Amigo (Mar 19, 2018)

mikeyB said:


> Though Peter has given up on this thread, his applying for a blue badge is somewhat hampered by playing golf. It’s the degree of disablement, not the condition that’s important.



This is true Mike. I was simply responding to his ‘severe breathing problems’ as possible qualifying criteria. I wasn’t aware of his sporting hobbies (don’t some golfers use those carts to get around the course?).


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## Vince_UK (Mar 20, 2018)

My oldest friend has Industrial emphysema and COPD as a result. He has PIP and Motorbility and a diabled badge but he cannot get a need to go card.
This neccesitates the need for hm to carry a plastic bottle in his car when he goes out which I find totally dehumanising for him in many ways.
When I get back I will try again for him.


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## Amigo (Mar 20, 2018)

Vince_UK said:


> My oldest friend has Industrial emphysema and COPD as a result. He has PIP and Motorbility and a diabled badge but he cannot get a need to go card.
> This neccesitates the need for hm to carry a plastic bottle in his car when he goes out which I find totally dehumanising for him in many ways.
> When I get back I will try again for him.



Just make him one Vince. They’re hardly legal documents, just a plea for a quick pee (and some consideration!).


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## Vince_UK (Mar 20, 2018)

Amigo said:


> Just make him one Vince. They’re hardly legal documents, just a plea for a quick pee (and some consideration!).


Hadn't thought of that to be honest @Amigo 
I actually had a video call with him last evening and told him to call the CAB today and see what he can do.
If that fails, I will see if I can find if I can find an example and get one made for him or as you suugest Amigo, make one for him, email it and he can prinit it off and laminate it.
Excellent suggestion Amigo, thanks, that thought just hadn't crossed my usually resourceful and scheming  mind. Must be getting old.


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## trophywench (Mar 21, 2018)

Just a thought - is it there to see on the Prostate UK website?


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## Vince_UK (Mar 21, 2018)

trophywench said:


> Just a thought - is it there to see on the Prostate UK website?


Thanks for the pointer TW. WIll look if I can get onto it


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## Vince_UK (Mar 21, 2018)

Cannot get onto it TW must be being strangles which seems strange but that's life  WIll try from home tonight.


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## Vince_UK (Mar 21, 2018)

Just found that you can actually download the card from 
https://www.bladderandbowel.org/help-information/just-cant-wait-card-app/
Sent him the link this morning
Thanks for all the help everyone.


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## trophywench (Mar 21, 2018)

Oh, good Vince!


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## Vince_UK (Mar 21, 2018)

Just spoken to him video link and he has already downloaded the app
Thanks again, one problem solved.


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## mikeyB (Mar 22, 2018)

I’ve just had a look at the app. That’s brilliant, cos I can’t find my card after my last flare up of UC. I’ll probably download it and never have another flare up.


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## Amigo (Mar 22, 2018)

I should have had one for Specsavers the other day when I was there for an age but they wouldn’t let me use their loo and made me walk the length of the shopping centre to the public toilets with dilated eyes! Rotten sods!


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## Vince_UK (Mar 23, 2018)

Amigo said:


> I should have had one for Specsavers the other day when I was there for an age but they wouldn’t let me use their loo and made me walk the length of the shopping centre to the public toilets with dilated eyes! Rotten sods!


That is nasty of them @Amigo


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## mikeyB (Mar 23, 2018)

For those with a blue badge touring the highlands, the Corran ferry is free if you have a blue badge. Saves £8.20 for a five minute hop. There are loos at each end, but none on the ferry. No bar on the ferry, either, or a passenger lounge for all that money. Government run, of course.

Saves an eighty mile detour.


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## HOBIE (Mar 24, 2018)

Good luck PP. The genuine people always seem to get a hard time.


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## C&E Guy (Mar 27, 2018)

trophywench said:


> However Tescos carpark usually has spaces and quite a good number of disabled ones, so you'd be nearer to park, walk into the building and up in the lift and hang a left to where the loos are.  Much nicer ones than the public loos any time.  That's a fair bit closer once you park, than either public one (one of which they are closing this year to save money)





Don't get me started!!!

Our local Tesco has several disabled spaces - although they are often populated by vehicles with no blue badges - even commercial vans. If you complain, Tesco say that a third party manages the car park, i.e. there's nothing they can do.

Also, you get a disabled space near the door - but where are the trolleys?  All over the car park and none at the door!!


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## Paul Taylor (Aug 23, 2018)

They are very difficult to get.
I got one 3yrs ago, but im on a PiP. Getting a PiP itself is a marathon in the application process. I have 2 artificial hips, have had 7 hip operations and have resulting small and large nerve damage. So i got the PiP on my lack of mobility. Then you use the pip form to get the blue badge from your local council.
For me its been a life saver. I can now park close to places i am visiting, which means less stopping to get rest. Since i can only walk in small batches before the hip muscles give out.
Even more handy in London, as having a badge escapes the congestion charge.


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## HOBIE (Aug 25, 2018)

You deserve it Paul. Keep at it


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## KARNAK (Aug 25, 2018)

Hey Paul I feel for you, glad you got your badge .


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## Dave W (Aug 25, 2018)

mikeyB said:


> For those with a blue badge touring the highlands, the Corran ferry is free if you have a blue badge. Saves £8.20 for a five minute hop. There are loos at each end, but none on the ferry. No bar on the ferry, either, or a passenger lounge for all that money. Government run, of course.
> 
> Saves an eighty mile detour.


And on CalMac ferries cars get  25% discount with a blue badge and if a passenger has a _'plus 1'_ card the passengers travel free. Saved us about £80 return on the Barra ferry.


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