Having a handicap parking placard for MS doesn’t make me ‘less than’

Anne Rosales is a mother, grandmother, and community volunteer, as well as a certified Aging in Place specialist. She was diagnosed with MS in her mid-50s. (Photos courtesy of Anne Rosales)

Day 6 of 31

This is Anne Rosales’ story:

My handicap parking placard arrived a few months ago. I stuck it in the glovebox and tried to forget about it. In my mind, hanging it from my rearview mirror would mean I was giving in to my multiple sclerosis (MS). It was accepting a label I hated, admitting to being a disabled person.

Rosales is pictured cutting vegetables in her kitchen.

I didn’t want the handicap permit, but my husband frequently insisted on dropping me off before looking for parking. So, I asked my doctor to approve my request for a DMV-issued disabled person placard. I applied for it thinking it might help my husband as much as it would me.

I’ve often judged people I’ve seen parking in handicapped spaces if they looked pretty fit as they left their cars. Now I would be one of those people. Others might judge me as cheating on the handicap permit system.

Most days, I’m fine walking several blocks to my destination or carrying packages from the mall to my car, but sometimes walking is harder. I have no control over when I’ll feel strong or won’t, so having a handicap permit in my glovebox is reassuring.

I’m finally getting comfortable with using the permit occasionally. I most frequently pull it out when I visit a doctor’s office. Even when the regular clinic parking lot is full, several handicapped spaces are still available.

Rosales is seen leaving her house in the morning.

At the same time, however, having a disabled person placard announces that I’m somehow less than. It spells out what many of us with MS feel, at least from time to time: that our physical challenges prevent us from being whole. Even though logic tells us this is wrong, it’s hard to extinguish the feeling that we’re missing out, contributing less, not carrying our weight.

The truth is, a disabled person is still a whole person. We can choose to wear our diagnoses as labels, or we can decide to make them just another aspect of who we are as whole people.

In recognition of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month in March, the MS Community Spotlight campaign features a series of stories highlighting the real-life experiences of people affected by MS, written in their own words. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Pinterest for more stories like this, using the hashtag #MSSpotlight, or read the full series.