A welcome crackdown on handicap parking scofflaws

I was quite pleased to read Justin Fenton's article on Anne Arundel County's handicap parking violators ("Target: handicap parking violators," May 29). If anything, however, he let violators off too easily by concentrating solely on infractions that pose a harm to the disabled.

Handicap parking placards are an important component of society's attempt to integrate individuals with disabilities into the mainstream of American life. Indeed, laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 recognize that integration of individuals with disabilities into major life activities is a civil right.

When someone misuses a handicapped parking permit, he or she is interfering with the civil rights of the disabled.

I have multiple sclerosis and earned a handicapped parking placard the hard way. While I too am frustrated by those who use handicapped permits to snag better parking spots at shopping centers and fast food outlets, what is particularly galling are those individuals who use a spouse's permit to park at their place of employment.

That effectively prevents someone who is truly disabled from using the spot all day.

David Durfee Jr., Gambrills