[NFBSF] A new PSA: Everyday ableism, a coffee order, and an invitation

[Karen Rose]

This is great! I’ve always wondered as a person born totally blind what I do that appears so helpless that everyone seems to want to help me, but when I ask a cited person if I can help them, you think I’m strange lol
WWW.career-therapy.net

> On Oct 1, 2026, at 10:38 AM, Laura Millar via NFBSF <nfbsf at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi everyone,
> 
> I wanted to share a short public service announcement inspired by a
> transportation discussion I attended the other day at the East Bay Center
> for the Blind.
> 
> During the discussion, I raised a point: improving the built environment
> matters, but unless people’s attitudes change too, we will still have an
> ableist transportation system that is challenging to navigate. Physical
> access is only part of the picture.
> 
> One community member asked why we were relying on others to do this
> education. Why weren’t we doing it ourselves?
> 
> If you know me well, you know I’ve spent about the last ten years educating
> in the community about ableism and having these conversations.  But that
> question sparked something: I could use AI to help turn some of those
> everyday experiences into short public Service announcements. So I went
> home that night and created this one.
> 
> Watch my short PSA about everyday ableism on YouTube
> <https://youtu.be/KLQm2HrBDRw>
> 
> The PSA tells a coffee shop story through A number of illustrated scenes
> with voice-over narration. It explores everyday ableism and
> microaggressions: comments or actions that may seem small or well-intended
> but communicate low expectations about blind people.
> 
> The story explores:
> 
>   - Being treated as inspirational for doing an ordinary activity, like
>   getting coffee.
>   - The gap between someone’s intentions and how their comments actually
>   land.
>   - The difference between the polite response we give and what we really
>   want to say.
> 
> There’s a personal side to this, too. As part of my therapy and personal
> development, I do Internal Family Systems work, sometimes called “parts
> work.” When ableist situations happen, different parts of me show up. One
> is angry. Another says, “Be nice. Educate.” As an educator, that second
> part gets a lot of airtime.
> 
> What actually comes out of my mouth is rarely everything I want to say.
> 
> Then I watched a clip of President Obama with his anger translator at the
> White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and the light bulb went off. An ableism
> translator! A way to share both the polite response and the thoughts
> running through my head, using humor to open up a conversation.
> 
> I’m thinking this could become a series of short PSAs and comic strips.
> 
> If you have ideas, everyday situations you’d like to see explored, or an
> interest in collaborating, I’d love to hear from you. There’s room for our
> community’s stories, humor, voices, and creativity.
> 
> I  curious what public service announcements would you like to be seen put
> out for Blindness equality achievement month?
> 
> Warmly,
> 
> Laura Millar, MPH, MA
> 
> Pronouns: she/they
> 
> Public Health Professional and Sexologist
> 
> Learn more about my work at lauramillar.com. <https://lauramillar.com/>
> 
> Second Vice President of the San Francisco chapter of the National
> Federation of the Blind.
> 
> Board Member of the National Federation of the Blind of California.
> 
> Phone: 925-321-8804 <+19253218804>
> 
> Email: laura at lauramillar.com
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