Able-bodied people tend to freeze up when someone with an unfamiliar disability shows up in their environment. They suddenly turn away, speak foolishly, or bumble too aggressively in our direction. The result is awkward – and sometime dangerous.
Questions arise: Should I help someone by pushing their wheelchair? Can blind people cross the road without assistance? What do I do if I don’t understand someone with a speech limitation?
The disability etiquette that answers these questions is our starting point with our guests this week.
Laura Millar and Bobbi Pompey, two activist/service providers from the disability community, don’t stop with etiquette. They use these common questions to open doors to fundamental issues. Going deeper than Miss Manners ever did, they’ll talk about assumptions, the limits of assistance, stereotypes, the beneficent helper syndrome and more.
Join Eddie Ytuarte for a validating and challenging thirty minutes.
Biography of Laura Millar: Laura Millar a blind sex educator, community organizer, researcher and self-proclaimed disruptor! With a Master of Public Health as well as a
Masters in Human Sexuality, Laura conducts research and facilitates conversations that examines how individuals who are blind or low vision learn about and navigate the world of dating, sex and intimate relationships.
Laura offers everything from one-on-one education to in-services, trainings and workshops, for individuals who are blind or have low vision, their family members and the organizations that serve them. Laura is committed to ensuring that sexual health information and services are comprehensive, inclusive and accessible for everyone. If you have questions or would like to talk to
Laura directly you can email her at [email protected].
Let’s create a culture of consent together.
Bobbi Pompey is a Rehabilitation Teaching Specialist at San Francisco’s Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
This program was produced and hosted by Eddie Ytuarte.