‘He tells me you look too young to be disabled’: Man criticizes woman for parking in ADA spot—until she shows him why
A woman on TikTok has gone viral after claiming a man questioned her right to use an ADA parking space because she “looked too young to be disabled.”
The video, posted by TikTok user Allison E. Lang (@allisonelang) begins with Lang seated in her car, as she recounts the ordeal. “I can’t believe someone just did this to me,” she begins. “I'm parking at Walmart, and I park in the accessible [parking space], and I hang my pass. And this middle-aged man comes up to my window and knocks on my window.”
"I don't roll my window down because it scared the shit out of me," Lang continues in the video. "And through the glass, he's telling me, 'Miss, you can't park there. You can't use your grandma's pass and park in handicap.'”
Lang alleges she opened her car door to reveal her prosthetic leg, stunning the man into apology as he realized his mistake. “He's like, 'Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't know.' He tells me, 'You look too young to be disabled.'”
The man’s apology, laced with the assertion that she looked “too young to be disabled,” obviously didn’t sit well with Lang. “First of all, sir, not every disability is visible. There’s invisible disabilities, so don’t judge,” she says in the video.
Lang’s message is clear: Disability does not discriminate by age. In the video’s description, she continues, “I’ve been disabled my whole life… was I too young to be disabled at birth? Disability doesn’t have an age - anyone can become disabled at any age.”
@allisonelang Second of all sir, I’ve been disabled my whole life… was i too young to be disabled at birth? Disability doesn’t have an age - anyone can become disabled at any age. Please stop approaching people in parking lots and calling them liars. When i wear pants you cant see my disability. #disability #disabilitytiktok #disabilityawareness #amputee #accessibleparking ♬ original sound - Allison E. Lang
Viewers can resonate
In the comments section of the video, viewers shared going through similar experiences. One of them wrote, "I’m 29, chronically ill for 10 years & I’ve gotten the ‘you’re abusing your grandparent’s placard’ comment.”
“Mom had the parking pass. She looked young so occasionally she'd get dirty looks from old people when she would park in the spot,” a second commenter alleged.
A third remarked, “People really gotta mind their own business sometimes. this has happened to my mom before.”
Most disabilities are invisible
This is not a new topic on TikTok. Other users have gone viral after sharing their experiences of being discriminated against because their disabilities aren't immediately apparent. In February, another TikToker with a prosthetic leg shared a similar story of how she was questioned for parking in an accessible spot.
As a matter of fact, most disabilities are invisible. According to the DirectEmployers Association, one in six people have a disability; 80% of those are "invisible."
The Daily Dot has reached out to Allison E. Lang via email for comment.
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