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Kitchen Table Kibitzing April 19, 2026 [1]

['Side Pocket', 'View Profile', 'Back Of Bourke']

Date: 2026-04-19  

ADA

he Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is a landmark civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and public/private places open to the general public. We all gradually became aware of this law, but most obviously in the appearance of handicap parking spaces and signs listing the fines for violations. The fines were proportionately very high compared with regular parking tickets. Due to high rates of non-compliance, particularly in California, there is a push for stricter enforcement and higher penalties. If it works, this will link to the detailed rules: https://www.ada.gov/topics/parking/

ADA parking rules are frequently violated, with studies and reports suggesting that as much as one-third of formal accessibility complaints involve issues with accessible parking and routes. I have read many discussions from folks with non-visible handicaps who suffer stares and even opprobrium as they leave their cars. The placards are sometimes abused. In California, it was estimated that 1 in every 8.8 licensed drivers had a disabled placard, with some estimates suggesting that when including temporary or abused placards, it was closer to 1 in 7.

I bring this up because I have a handicap placard due to my spinal stenosis, and I have found it to be a godsend. When I get out of the car, there’s no doubt at all that I needed the assistance that the ADA has provided. It’s not only the fact that the space is there. The spaces (by the rules) are closest to the destination, requiring less walking. Of course Kaiser has its own situation: many handicap spaces, but many, many people who need them.

As I age I’m increasingly aware how tough it can be to deal with bodily failings, and although the placard can be abused, all in all it’s a good thing.







https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50112671136_b799899d33_z.jpg

Attribution: Public Domain The International Symbol of Access (ISA), also known as the (International) Wheelchair Symbol, consists of a blue square overlaid in white with a stylized image of a wheelchair.

There are still a lot of buttons I don’t dare push, but here’s my first story.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/19/800023635/community/kitchen-table-kibitzing-april-19-2026/

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