The incident has prompted her to speak out to raise awareness of MS and other invisible illnesses.

Bethany Lamont, a foster carer, said she was asked by a man whether she was allowed to park in the disabled bay and he even questioned whether her disabled parking permit belonged to her parents.

"[He said] 'you look fine to me, you're just making stuff up, people try and get these things, it's a con'," the 36-year-old said. "I can't say my reaction was one that was well thought out [as] I didn't think I was going to have to deal with this scenario.

"I could understand that some people may look at you and think 'but she looks young and OK', but to actually confront me and bombard me and harass me and make accusations ... it was horrible.

"It was being completely judged by someone who knows nothing about my circumstances and obviously has no awareness of MS or other invisible illnesses."

Ms Lamont said she only recently received the disabled parking permit and the incident occurred the first time she used it.

"Previously my issues were with my arms, so I didn’t need a disability permit, but as more and more has happened with my leg and the issues with it and the pain, I had to get one," she said.

"It’s the first time since my diagnosis four years ago, that I actually went 'right, I need to get this now'.

"Taking on the foster baby means that I need to conserve more energy because my body does tend to get fatigued more when you’re picking a baby up and down, so the doctor agreed and said it's time to get you that parking permit."

The traumatic incident a few weeks ago left Ms Lamont so shaken, she reported it to the shopping centre's security and police.

"The police officer was horrified that someone would do that, but unfortunately they can't charge them with anything," she said,

Ms Lamont spoke out publicly to raise awareness ahead of World MS Day on Wednesday, which coincided with a new awareness campaign called Seeing MS, which was prompted by a woman's experience eerily similar to that of Ms Lamont.

Ms Lamont said she received a flood of support after posting about the incident on social media.

"I don’t think people should have to deal with someone bullying and harassing them when they’re just trying to go about their life and they've got enough on their plate to deal with," she said.

"We should be supportive of those members of the community.

"I can understand [saying something] if someone doesn't have a permit. But if someone has a permit, it's probably better to keep your thoughts to yourself because you have no idea what their circumstances are or what they might be dealing with."

Ms Lamont was living in Sydney, having just embarked on an exciting career in travel when she was diagnosed with MS.

"I had to stop work, I lost the use of my right arm and I'm right handed so I couldn't hold a pen, I couldn't do up buttons," she said.

"The muscle actually atrophied and ended up being about four centimetres smaller than my left arm."

MS is a chronic disease that randomly attacks the central nervous system - the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves - stopping the brain from communicating with the rest of the body.

No two cases of MS are the same and symptoms can vary from person to person.

Following her diagnosis, Ms Lamont decided to return home to Canberra. She is upbeat about her future and is now studying and caring for a six-month-old foster baby.

"I'm studying law and what I hope to do with that qualification is for those that don’t have a voice, be able to provide it. Having the background that I have as a woman, being mixed-race and having a disability, and now having a foster child, I think that makes me a pretty resilient character," she said.

Ms Lamont said campaigns such as Seeing MS and World MS Day were critical for raising awareness.

About 1000 Australians are diagnosed with MS each year and although there is no known cause or cure, there are several treatment options available to help manage episodes and symptoms.

Ms Lamont urged people to donate or participate in MS Australia's walk and fun run on June 1. For more information, visit ms.org.au.

Not-for-profit organisation People With Disabilities ACT advocates on behalf of people with disabilities. They encourage anyone experiencing discrimination or problems with issues as disabled parking to contact them on 6286 42223 or by email on pwdact@shout.org.au.