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A BLUE badge holder has told how he deals with ‘Karens’ who give him grief over using disabled spaces to park his work van.
Sean, 32, from Glasgow broke his back in a car accident in 2017.
He returned to work as an engineer a year later but he says he has had hundreds of people approach him about parking in Blue Badge spots – despite displaying a valid permit in his work van.
Speaking to the Scottish Sun, Sean says the issue comes down to preconceptions of what people think a disabled person should look like.
He said: “I get abuse every single day.
“I’ve got rods in my back, I work full time but some days are worse than others.
“On the days where I am struggling a little bit, if I feel like I need to be parked up closer to work, I will.
“But because I am in a work van I get some amount of abuse, I think the Blue Badge people assume you should be driving a car.”
Fed up Sean set up a TikTok account to document- what he calls -the ‘Karens’ and ‘Jeffs’ across Scotland who have approached and challenged him over his legitimate blue badge.
In just two weeks, he has accumulated millions of views on his account @karensdestroyed that has highlighted the judgement and discrimination he has received for being a young disabled man.
In one video, that has racked up over 30k likes, a Coatbridge woman snaps at Sean for being parked in a mobility space.
The TikTok footage shows her approach Sean’s van to ask: “Do you have a Blue Badge, do you know this is a mobility bit? Can you move the van now please?”
Sean replied: “I’ve got a badge.
She responded: “Where is it, it should be shown on your wind screen mate, I am not being funny with you.”
Sean calmly replies: “I do, do you want to have a wee look?”
The woman backs off, saying “Never mind, I’m just tired that’s all,” before leaving him alone.
Sean believes the response he gets from people who challenge him on his parking could be their judgement on how he looks.
He continued: “I look younger than most folk who typically have a blue badge.
“I think that is possibly the judgemental side of things.
“It’s not just older people, I’ve had parking wardens come out and shout at me.
“People demand to see my photo to prove it is me but unless they are a warden then I don’t need to show them.
“When I call them out on it, they instinctively think it is not my badge.”
Sean has had people threaten to share his photograph on Facebook and has even had some phone his workplace to complain about him.
He said: “Some people get to me more than others, they threaten to put me on Facebook when I’ve done nothing wrong.
“One woman took a picture of me, my badge and my van and said I am going to put you on social media.
“I’ve been taking abuse for years, they even phone my work to complain that I shouldn’t be parked places.
“I’ve actually had so many people making complaints to my work.
“Half the time I don’t park in disabled places because of the grief I get.
“My TikTok account is a chance to present my side of things.”
And since starting @karendestroyed, Sean has received a mainly positive response for viewers who are shocked by the way he has been treated by strangers.
He added: “A lot of people have sided with the way I have acted, people have their phones out anyway, I try and remain polite and respectful as I can.
“They are judging me with the way I look, I think a lot of people online have been fairly decent with their responses and seen my side of it.”
One commenter on a recent video said: “Well handled mate, people are unreal honestly.”
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A second agreed, and said: “Some people just think they are entitled.”
A third added: “Daughter has one and me and the wife always get looks when we get her out because she ‘looks normal.'”
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