Amputee was scolded for parking in a handicapped spot. Her powerful response is a lesson for us all

Jessica Long (@jessicatatianalong), a Paralympic swimmer, was accused of faking her disability. In a video, she revealed how a woman called her out for parking her vehicle in a handicapped spot. Long remained calm and informed her about being an amputee, but the rude lady just brushed it off as if the athlete was faking it for convenience.

The swimmer was parking her car when a woman looked at her as if she was committing a crime, parking at the spot exclusively meant for disabled people. Long showed her the handicap pass, told her that she didn't have legs, and had been using prosthetics. "But she just kind of rolled down her window and proceeded to be like, 'You shouldn't park here,'" the athlete recalled. Long didn't really have to give that lady an explanation, but she went ahead and tried justifying why she parked her vehicle there. "And she just kind of drove off, but I just... this happens a lot," she confessed. The athlete said she was never bullied as a child, and had never anticipated being called out for parking in a handicapped spot. Moving on, Long said, though she doesn't really talk about the difficulties, managing prosthetic legs is indeed challenging. "So to all the handicapped police out there, just be kind; you don't need to know why someone's parked in a handicap spot," she added. 

This wasn't the first time Long had faced bullies because of her disability. In fact, she said, once an older couple followed her around a grocery store and kept passing comments because they wanted the handicap spot she had taken. "I even explained I had two prosthetic legs, and they told me I was a liar," Long shared in an Instagram post. The 18-time Paralympic champion also explained that disability isn't always visible, and such people shouldn't be questioned for parking in a handicap spot. "I shouldn’t have to justify myself to strangers every time I use my handicap pass while wearing long pants. There’s nothing wrong with showing some kindness and assuming you don’t know the full story and that it’s not your job to figure it out," she continued.

A 2019 survey by the Accessible Parking Coalition (APC) found that 85% of surveyed disabled people struggle to find accessible parking in their community. It was also revealed that 70% said access to suitable parking spots affects their decision to ride or drive, and 62% confessed they would be more likely to drive or ride if parking were more available. This explains that people with disabilities, anyway, have a tough time finding an accessible parking spot, and when they have spots exclusively for them, others tend to accuse them of using them, just like how Long was treated.

Meanwhile, reacting to Long's response, @elkem230 commented, "I don’t get the current mindset of everyone thinking they need to police others. Yes, everyone needs to just be kind." Similarly, @lowkeyyyvee wrote, "You are way too nice about this lol, but good job for remaining calm and collected while explaining yourself even though you owe it to no one." @queenbtid asked, "Omg! Why can’t people just focus on themselves? Stay in your own lane, y’all! You never know what someone is going through!"

You can follow Jessica Long (@jessicatatianalong) on TikTok and Instagram to follow her life updates.

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