The general qualifications for the accessible parking spaces include those using chairs, walkers, crutches, canes and assistive dogs. Nonetheless, most of us do not realize they also include certain impaired functions of the heart or lungs, as well as conditions which are worsened to a specified impairment by walking a certain distance.
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There are millions of people who are forced to contend with serious illnesses, injuries and circumstances, which have left them with mountains to climb every time they take a step. Most people do not realize a person can have hindrances on the inside, that may not visible on the outside. Their restrictions may not be conspicuous at a glance, but their pain, limitations and inability to function normally can be debilitating.
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What may seem easy to you, may seem like a 14,000 foot hurdle to them. Many even collapse in stores, become very dizzy and weak or even black-out. Being able to park close to the entrance of a building when they need to, allows them to run an errand they otherwise would not have been able to conquer.
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For many, the shortened distance from the parking lot allows them to: walk into a building to use an electric cart or wheelchair; avoid dangerous exposure to heat, cold and exhaust fumes; use their energy for shopping; get back to their car when they have used up all of their energy inside.