Call for disability parks at schools
A tense exchange during the school run has a Lower Hutt mother with a progressive auto-immune disorder questioning the accessibility of schools for parents with limited mobility.
Sharon Shattky, 37, had another parent take photos of her car and threaten to report her on Monday, after she parked her front wheels on a broken yellow line.
‘‘I said to him, ‘I have a disability and I cannot walk very far’. He basically said, ‘Well, you want to be treated equally, you need to obey the road rules’.’’
It was an intimidating exchange outside Belmont School, where Shattky’s five-year-old daughter attends. The problem means she’s been parking up to an hour before the 3pm bell goes just to get a good spot.
Once the school learned of her situation it painted a disability park in the teacher’s car park area, hoping to address the problem. But as Shattky’s disease progresses and her children grow, she’s concerned about how others might respond. She lives with scleroderma, an auto-immune condition that has her skin tighten and joints stiffen progressively.
The condition is not immediately obvious, and it makes her life harder than most. Shattky’s hands are fixed, the tightness has spread to her arms and face, and everyday she is in pain.
On some days, particularly during winter, the stiffness makes walking onto the school grounds difficult.
Roadside parking is at a premium at the school, and none are set aside for disabled permits. So Shattky and her twoyear-old son arrive at 2pm each afternoon to get a close park.
She was granted access to the teachers’ car park, but major construc- tion work at the school complicated that. Even then, she received some comments.
‘‘I’m doing the best I can, like any other parent or guardian, to make sure my child gets to school on time and is getting the best education they could get.
‘‘And I get criticised because I’m not able to walk far enough to park where I thought this man should be parking.’’
Shattky considers herself largely able-bodied now, but anticipates being in a wheelchair by the time her daughter is at intermediate school - which will mean a second school run.
The Ministry of Education does provide guidance to schools, saying disability car parking close to entrance ways needs to be provided.
As far as Shattky knows, none of the three primary schools within minutes’ reach of her home have disability parks. She contacted the Ministry to query this. ‘‘They were lovely, they just weren’t able to help ... Why aren’t schools already planning for these things?’’
Belmont School principal Robin Thomson quickly arranged a disability car park when Shattky spoke of her struggle on Thursday.
She said peak time brings a lot of traffic to the school, and Hutt City Council would consider a roadside disability park.
‘‘We’ve been working on the council with the whole traffic issue, and although it’s slow, it’s progressing.
‘‘Some things can be done straight away ... but it’s the things that require having to go to committees, that all seems to take time.’’
Thomson said a dedicated disabled park on school grounds allowed greater ease of access.
‘‘Modifications are made very easily in schools for children. It’s the equity of access that probably needs a bit of further investigation, in terms of parents with disabilities who want to be able to bring their children into school.
‘‘That is probably something that could be raised and build upon.’’