Blue Badge Parking Scheme To Include Autism
TreeHouse chair of trustees, Lord Clement-Jones, today in parliament secured a position from the Department for Transport that the proposed changes to the eligibility criteria for the Blue Badge Scheme, which provides a national arrangement of parking concessions for people with disabilities, will include consideration of carers of children with severe autism.Treehouse is the national charity for autism education and is keen for the scheme to include those with autism.
Lord Clement-Jones first raised the issue in the House of Lords in April 2007, as recommended by the Disabled Persons’ Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) in 2002.
Lord Bassam of Brighton responded by saying that a strategic review would be looking into this change to the scheme and would report back in September 2007.
Lord Clement-Jones said: “Parents that TreeHouse have spoken with have made it very clear that there are inconsistencies in the system, and many carers miss out on getting the Blue Badge because of the way in which the current criteria are applied.
“We know that access to a Blue Badge can make a vast difference to family life in those families who have children with autism.
“I will continue to ask the government about their proposals on the Blue Badge Scheme so that these families are taken into account.”
In September 2007, TreeHouse welcomed the advances in the Department of Transport in acknowledging that individuals with behavioural disabilities may also require support provided by the Blue Badge Scheme.
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