A quiet and slow start to 2008. I have found it hard to get motivated, especially with the beautiful weather we are having.
Coupled with a severe case of writer’s block, I have not had a good week. One of my favourite and most expensive dishes has been broken, and I have lost my most expensive ever pair of sunglasses! And I missed an important conference call.
Still, the Year of the Rat will be a busy and interesting election year to look forward to. My Mum turns 90 in March. Our younger daughter turns 21 in May, and we hope to visit our other daughter in Perth later in the year.
AccEase has some exciting new developments to get my teeth into, and Webstock will provide the proverbial shot in the arm in a couple of weeks. This year I can relax and enjoy it since I presented in the 8 X 5 session last time.
Among some of the government policy stuff which will affect disabled people has been the announcement that Government will more than triple fines for people parking illegally in mobility parks from $40 to around $150. A good thing too. But it probably won’t fix the really annoying abusers of private parking spaces such as those in malls and supermarkets. Clamp them and tow them I say! Being towed is a real pain in the neck, (and the wallet). It might encourage mobility park abusers to think twice in future.
Interestingly, CCS Disability Action has found that those who abuse mobility parking represent a cross-section of the NZ population. Half of the cars parked in mobility parks were parked illegally. Their research found that “New Zealand’s rate of the misuse of mobility parks is twice that of the UK. It’s an indication of how our society views disabled and elderly people.†Shame on them all!
