CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — On Tuesday, Caterina Potts, her husband, and their kids were shopping at HomeGoods.
They parked in the handicap spot in front of the store. Their son, Callen, needs a wheelchair.
“For certain stores, we decide if it’s better to carry our son or to bring his wheelchair in,” Potts said.
They just carried their son into HomeGoods and placed him in a cart. She said he has quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy.
“He requires full-time caretaker assistance to the toilet, eat, dress,” Potts said. “He’s full-time care.”
They have a handicap placard to legally park in handicap spaces.
But when they came out of the store, her husband noticed a note on the windshield.
It said, “Follow the rules. You’re not handicapped, just lazy. Walking will help you. Ticket soon, mail.”
The Potts were stunned.
“Lazy wouldn’t fall under the category that I would use to describe us,” Potts said.
Other shoppers at HomeGoods couldn’t believe it when Channel 11 showed them a picture of that note Friday.
“It was appalling!” said Kimberly Dering of West View. “Don’t judge when you don’t know someone else’s situation. Mind your own business.”
As for the threat of getting a ticket in the mail, Potts said she called Cranberry Police and the Butler Sheriff. She was told no one called them and was reassured she would not receive a ticket.
She also had a message for anyone who considers writing something like this note for someone else.
“I would save my energy in writing and maybe offer them a hand if they need help getting into a store, if they need assistance opening the door or maybe getting the heavy wheelchair out from the vehicle,” she said.
While she hopes no other families who have children with disabilities get a note like this, she hopes they stay strong if they do.
“Provide them with the best possible life that you can and keep getting them out there, even if there’s people who don’t believe that they need to be.”
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