There are three things you need to know before we can get to the meat of this story.

1. Kalai Venan

Kalai Venan is a national Paralympic powerlifter.

He represented Singapore in the ASEAN Para Games — his first time doing so — when we hosted it in December 2015:

He lost most of his left leg when he suffered from cancer at the age of 29, and so has been using elbow crutches to aid his mobility.

Now 58, the personal trainer won Singapore's first-ever medal in powerlifting at the 2015 Games, clinching a bronze after lifting 140kg. And he achieved all this while being the oldest competitor in his group.

2. The car park label scheme for persons with disabilities

Most of us should know that there are special parking spaces for drivers with disabilities. They're big, positioned right next to a building's lift lobby, and usually have the image of a person on a wheelchair painted on them.

Here's why they exist:

"... these persons are required to be medically certified to be using a bulky mobility aid for outdoor ambulation. Due to the required use of such aid, they need to fully extend the vehicle door in order to get into/out of the vehicle. They can do so only in accessible parking lots which are wider than standard parking lots."

Now, obviously, correspondingly, the question of who gets to park in those special spaces would come up. This is determined by something called the Car Park Label scheme for Persons with Disabilities.

Under this, there are two classes of labels —

1. Class 1: For drivers who themselves have certified physical disabilities, and require mobility aids like wheelchairs or crutches of various kinds.
2. Class 2: For drivers who do not themselves have physical disability, but who ferry persons with physical disability.

3. The latest changes to the aforementioned scheme

So, on July 27, the Ministry of Social and Family development (MSF), who oversees this, announced it is tightening the criteria for who should qualify to drive with a Class 1 label.

From November 1, the existing scheme will be made stricter. Only people who use wheelchairs, walking frames and lower-limb prostheses will be given Class 1 labels.

Folks with medical conditions like muscular dystrophy, poliomyelitis and cerebral palsy can also apply for Class 1 labels based on their needs.

Here's what the two types now involve:

1. Class 1: For drivers with physical disabilities that require the use of bulky mobility devices only. These labels allow a driver to park for any duration.
2. Class 2: For people or volunteer welfare organisations who drive people with physical disabilities that require the use of bulky mobility aids. These new labels only allow a person to park in the wheelchair-marked space for an hour, tops. They look like this:

So here's what's happened:

Unfortunately, the plain listing of the three types of mobility aids (there are many more, of course) gave rise to the idea that for folks like Kalai, who for instance uses elbow crutches, they will no longer be eligible for Class 1 labels.

He took to Facebook with a strongly-worded post, thinking he would have to instead start using a walking frame — clearly far more cumbersome than a pair of elbow crutches, for instance.

Here's Kalai's full post:

Thankfully, though, we checked in with the MSF folks, and they've since clarified that he actually does still qualify to continue driving with a Class 1 label.

Here's what a spokesperson told us (key sections bolded):

"There has been a rising demand for accessible lots, and this increase will be further accelerated with our ageing population. We have been setting aside more accessible lots in areas of high demand where feasible, and providing alternatives for Class 2 label holders, such as more accessible pick-up and drop-off points. The National Council of Social Service has also run public education campaigns to increase awareness on the appropriate use of accessible lots. To curb indiscriminate use of accessible lots, stiffer penalties have been in place since December 2015, when the fine for first-time offenders was increased from $50 to $200.

Given our physical constraints, there is a limit to how many more accessible lots we can have. MSF and MND had thus consulted existing Class 1 and 2 label holders as well as Voluntary Welfare Organisations such as Handicaps Welfare Association, Disabled Persons Association and SPD as part of the review of the CPLS. There was general agreement that we should reserve the accessible lots for persons with disabilities who require the additional space to board and alight from their vehicles and are therefore more in need of such lots.

We have reached out to some members of the public such as Mr Kalai Vanen and Ms Janet Puah who have provided feedback on the revision to understand more of their concerns. We have clarified that they would still be eligible for Class 1 Car Park Labels under the revised criteria for CPLS based on their conditions. In addition, we will also work with the VWOs to provide greater clarity to persons with disabilities on the revisions to the scheme. MSF is also prepared to consider any deserving cases who may require the Class 1 label given their condition, even if they do not fully meet the default eligibility criteria."

Not so bad la, hor?

Top photos via Kalai Venan's Facebook page