If you've been around Bangkok over the past few months, you may have seen a young woman accompanied by a black Labrador riding the BTS Skytrain or strolling through some department stores. Her story with Luther, her guide dog, has gone viral on social media.
In clips provided by media outlets including the Bangkok Post, the woman, named Kirin Techawongtham, was seen walking with her four-legged friend.
With his help, Ms Kirin should theoretically able to independently access several places just like other visitors. But the places that open their doors to Luther remain limited.
Ms Kirin told the Bangkok Post in January how her life changed when she took a break from her studies to go to Bangkok with Luther.
When studying in the US, Luther's assistance enabled her to live independently. But when she brought him to Thailand during a school break, the dog was hardly welcome.
Several places display "no pets allowed" signs, but Luther is no pet. Her family had to call establishments in advance, informing them their daughter would be accompanied by a guide dog, which are rare in Thailand. Some of the phone calls were without success.
Being denied access to a place because of having a pet dog is one thing, but rejecting a visually-impaired person because of a guide dog is a breach of the person's rights as the canine acts as their eyes.
Upon learning of Ms Kirin's plight, Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang said he directed city officials to look into the laws and regulations concerning access to BMA-run areas for visually-impaired people accompanied by guide dogs, the results of which will be known by Aug 5.
Her story and the governor's reaction has confirmed the reasons why we rarely see people with disabilities (PWD) in public places. Average PWDs can hardly leave home by themselves, let alone access public transport and facilities, including places of education.
According to the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, there were about 1.9 million people with disabilities in Thailand as of 2018.
About 900,000, or half of the total, are of working age, but only 76,675 have jobs.
While the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities says 195,646 visually impaired people are registered, the Association of the Blind estimates that only 20% of them have jobs. Businesses that often employ visually impaired people include traditional massage parlours.
I know Thais see themselves as people who always have namjai, the characteristic of showing kindness and helping others, especially PWDs who are considered to be less fortunate. But I'm sure that PWDs like Ms Kirin want to live an independent life with dignity, without having to receive special treatment as a result of insufficient infrastructure.
The sight of train officials lifting a person on a wheelchair or through a BTS station, or assisting a blind person along a pavement to avoid a road sign or cross the street may pull at the heartstrings of onlookers, but this is a testament to how our city is so unfriendly to these people.
To be fair, Bangkok is learning quickly with the efforts of Ms Kirin's supportive family and media attention. Within just six months after her story first appeared in the media, Ms Kirin's life has become a little easier in Bangkok, while Luther is welcome in a few more places, including on BTS trains.
The Central department store chain was quick to announce earlier this week that its outlets, with their universal design, welcome everyone.
Ms Kirin hasn't requested anything special. She hasn't requested any special access to BTS stations, public parks or government buildings. All she and her family want is the right to live like everyone else.
Let's not make her a special case, but use her story as a reason to help people with disabilities gain equal access.
The governor should be grateful that her presence with a guide dog in public places shows it's possible for a person with disabilities to live like everybody else, if the state provides enough facilities to accommodate them.
Instead of keeping Ms Kirin waiting until Aug 5 to know whether she is able to access parks, hospitals or city buildings, the governor should start thinking about how to immediately improve city infrastructure to allow people with disabilities to access everything more easily.
Perhaps the BMA should start with pavements that can connect them to the outside world.
The city should provide even surfaces with braille signs, as well as functional ramps for people in wheelchairs, and make sure that pathways are free of motorcycles so that people with disabilities can have full access without risking their lives.
Sirinya Wattanasukchai is a Bangkok Post columnist.