Handicap Parking Sign (Accessible Parking)

The handicap parking sign, more properly called the accessible parking sign, features the International Symbol of Accessibility (ISA) — a white wheelchair figure on a blue background. These signs mark parking spaces reserved exclusively for people with disabilities who have a valid disability parking placard or license plate. Accessible parking spaces are wider than standard spaces to accommodate wheelchair ramps and mobility devices, and they're located close to building entrances to minimize walking distance. The spaces often include access aisles — the hatched areas between spaces — that must never be blocked because wheelchair users and people with mobility devices need them to enter and exit their vehicles. Illegally parking in an accessible space is not just wrong — it directly harms people who depend on these spaces for independence. The penalties are severe and enforced by both law enforcement and private parking lot operators. Some accessible spaces are van-accessible, marked with a separate sign indicating the larger space and access aisle needed for wheelchair-equipped vans. The number of accessible spaces required in a parking lot is determined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) based on the total number of spaces available.