COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Under the Chris Hinds Act signed into law in 2018, Colorado drivers with disabilities can apply for purple placards. Those placards allow them to no longer have to pay for parking at meters across the state.
With the help of a local disability advocate organization, Independence Center, one Colorado Springs driver with disabilities and lawmakers updated the law so that it could help more people with disabilities.
"I can't barely see the numbers. I can't reach," said Jim Vacik.
Vacik has been using a wheelchair for more than 40 years. He says paying for parking at meters has been challenging.
"On a wheelchair, you can't access parking meters. You can't see them. The screens are LED, and they are tilted. As a wheelchair person, you are not tall enough to look," Vacik said.
Vacik says the Chris Hinds Act is important for drivers with disabilities because it exempts them from paying for parking at all meters.
"(I am) more active as a board member for the Independence Center, which brought me to Downtown more," Vacik said.
However, he says he's seen hiccups under the existing purple placard law.
"I have two vehicles and two license plates, so to get a purple placard, I would have to give up one of my plates," Vacik said.
The new law, effective November 2024, allows people with disabilities to have up to two purple placards that exempt them from paying parking fees.
Those purple placards do not count toward the total number of disability plates or placards that a person can obtain.
"We saw a problem. We brought it to a legislature. (It) went through the process, and it was resolved," Vacik said.
Qualifications for purple placards are a person who is limited to controlling a vehicle in both hands, limited to reaching a height of 48 inches from the ground because of a lack of strength or mobility, and limited to accessing a parking meter because of a wheelchair.
"Seeing a problem and working it all the way through was challenging. It was rewarding to see the problem solved," Vacik said.
Find more information on how you can apply HERE.
Gun control bill passes Colorado Senate
A major amendment added in the second reading last week removes the ban and now requires buyers to take certain training and more background checks.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
