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Parking

With inaccessible sidewalks and public transit, cars were the best way for people with mobility disabilities to get around by themselves. To park, disabled drivers needed enough room to get out of their vehicle safely. Advocates worked to change laws state by state before the ADA. They also worked to change the public’s perception of handicapped parking as a “perk” instead of a safety issue.
A color group portrait of twelve members of the Disabled In Action Singers posing with musical instruments and a handicapped parking sign in front of a maroon accessible van.

Date: 2003

Image Description: The color cover photograph for the Disabled In Action (DIA) Singers’ 2003 album, “… and the Parking Spots Are Nothing But the Best.” A diverse group of twelve disability rights activists and singers—including children and adults, several using manual or motorized wheelchairs—pose together outdoors in front of a maroon conversion van with its side doors open. One member sits elevated inside the van’s doorway next to a blue “Handicapped Parking – Permit Required” sign, while others hold a guitar and a recorder and smile at the camera.

Creator: Disabled In Action Singers

Source: Disabled In Action (DIA) Collection

The front cover of a booklet titled "New Jersey Handicapped Parking Laws" featuring an illustration of a reserved parking sign over a teal silhouette of New Jersey.

Date: 1989

Image Description: The front cover of a booklet titled “New Jersey Handicapped Parking Laws (Revised Edition),” published by the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association. Set against an off-white background with a light teal map outline of the state of New Jersey, the cover illustrates a signpost bearing two stacked signs: the top sign reads “RESERVED PARKING” above the International Symbol of Access, and the bottom sign reads “PENALTY: $100 1ST OFFENSE / SUBSEQUENT OFFENSES: $100 MIN. AND/OR UP TO 90 DAYS COMMUNITY SERVICE / TOW-AWAY ZONE.” At the bottom is the EPVA logo depicting a person racing in a wheelchair and the text “Published by the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association.”

Creator: Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (EPVA)

Source: Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (EPVA) Collection

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