IN my job of raising awareness of disability and the disabled, I’ve come across various responses from the able-bodied. One of the best, I recall, was an e-mail from a datin who wrote: “I’m one of those people who can’t resist parking in a disabled-parking spot when I see it empty. However, your stories in your column pricked my conscience and I realised how self-centred I’ve been, and vowed never to do this again.”

I admired her guts in writing in with a sincere apology. It’s one thing to make mistakes; it takes a great person to own up to it, and promise never to repeat it.

But, sadly, not everyone is as humble or remorseful when they do wrong, as I found out recently.

A close friend’s therapy dog was rushed to the veterinary clinic a couple of weeks ago. I got there as soon as I could to offer some moral support.

Fortunately, the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) had built an excellent wheelchair ramp to access the rows of shops in the area. It came complete with a covered car park to protect handicapped drivers from the elements.

But alas, when my friend who drove me there reached our destination, a non-disabled driver’s car was parked in the special slot despite the two “loud” signboards which clearly indicated that the parking bay was reserved for the handicapped.

Then it started raining. After a few minutes, we saw someone running into the car with an umbrella. He had obviously seen my car with a disabled sticker on it. But instead of clearing the lot, he moved his car a few inches so that we could squeeze into the spot. As a result, I was left with no shelter when I got out of the car and into my wheelchair, and I got wet.

When I went into the vet’s clinic, I found the culprit – a physically fit man in his late 20s – sitting cool as if nothing had happened. When I told him to remove his car, he argued that he had given me enough space to park my vehicle. But the car park bay is designed for only one vehicle.

It wasn’t until I warned him that I would call MBPJ to fine him or have his car towed away that he dashed out and removed his car.

I encountered a similar situation a few days later at a local shopping centre. A restaurant had stacked more than a dozen unused chairs and tables on the side of a ramp that was built for wheelchair access. That effectively prevented wheelchair-users from accessing other shops in the vicinity.

I called the manager of the outfit as well as the management of the shopping complex, and asked that the barriers be removed immediately.

It was unbelievable what happened next. The restaurant manager blamed the shopping complex management for not informing him of his violation. Would such an obvious hindrance to customers in wheelchairs be something that needed reminders or instructions from the top?

There was actually ample room in the restaurant for them to store their stuff without having to block the ramp in the first place.

Something good came out of all this, though: the management of the shopping complex decided to work with MBPJ to come up with an audit access of all the stores in their premises.

They will also work out a plan to educate the retail outlets on how to become more disabled-friendly to special-needs customers.

• AirAsia X offers free tickets to any destination for initial public offering to retail investors
• If you want to go far work early and hard on personal branding
• Doc held for posing as cop to extort businessman
• Cyclone takes the heat for hot weather
• Allianz aims for RM150mil in new premiums
• Couple upset over baby’s death
• Malaysia's I-Bhd and Thailand's CPN in mall joint venture with GDV of RM580mil
• From tomorrow, city cabbies can pick up passengers from KLIA
• Najib wants Chinese in Cabinet
• Todd was under treatment for depression, public inquiry told