Blue Badge Eligibility
Overview
Background & policy context:
In April 2005, the (then) Mobility and Inclusion Unit of the Department for Transport commissioned a research project to undertake an evaluation of the eligibility for the Blue Badge Scheme. The Blue Badge Scheme was then designed to provide on-street parking concessions for people who are unable to walk, have severe difficulty in walking or are blind, and this is reflected in the existing eligibility criteria for a badge. The objective for this project was to assess whether people with certain disabilities which do not necessarily affect their physical ability to walk, nevertheless have significant mobility difficulties that could be alleviated if they were to become eligible for the Scheme. Such concessions might entail entitlement to the full benefits of the Blue Badge Scheme, or a more limited entitlement, if appropriate. This was an acknowledgement that many disabled people have impaired mobility for reasons which might be “invisible”.
There were five groups of people for whom eligibility for parking concessions was considered:
- People with autism, and parents and carers of autistic children
- People with Colitis or Crohns disease, or similar conditions
- People with Alzheimers Disease, or similar dementia, and their carers
- People with learning disabilities and people with mental health difficulties
- People who are partially sighted.
Objectives:
As well as examining the mobility needs of the above groups of disabled people, the project assessed the impact of extending the Scheme on the viability of the Scheme as a whole, evaluating the impact of any increase in the number of badges both on the ability of badge holders to make use of the Scheme, and on non badge holders.
Furthermore, the research sought to investigate ways in which the severity of different conditions could be measured, so that a fair, workable and unambiguous means could be devised for identifying people who should be newly eligible for parking concessions.
The reason for developing criteria for limiting the extent to which eligibility should be extended related to concerns as to the potential negative implications for increasing the number of people entitled to parking concessions, and these concerns were investigated during the impact assessment phase of the research.
Methodology:
Focus Group discussions and telephone interviews were undertaken to ascertain the needs and interests of individuals that fall within the groups being considered for eligibility of parking concessions. Blue Badge holders and non Blue Badge holders were consulted through a series of Focus Group discussions to establish how “real” customers think and behave, obtain initial reactions to the possible extension of the eligibility criteria for the Blue Badge Scheme, and identify the reasons underlying attitudes. Organisations representing the interests of some disabled people were also consulted and a wider consultation with key stakeholders was undertaken as part of the assessments to establish user needs and impacts. Consultation was carried out by means of telephone interviews, face-to-face interviews and email correspondence.
Share this page