A Facebook page has gone viral. In just two weeks, the number of its followers has gone from 300 to over 90,000.
So what, you may ask? Viral Facebook or web pages are a dime a dozen. However, people with large followings are normally associated with glamour, fame, scandal or notoriety. But this particular page was started by a blind woman -- and her dog -- with none of those attributes.
In fact, she is one of those disabled people who, under normal circumstances, are virtually invisible. People may give them a fleeting look and move on.
The fact that makes her stand out from other disabled people is that she has a guide dog, who has become a public curiosity and sort of a celebrity himself.
Before I go any further, full disclosure is in order. The blind woman in question is my daughter.
To be clear, I'm not trying to promote my daughter. We don't need or seek celebrity. I'm writing this article to promote her cause, which is to seek equal treatment for the blind and the disabled in general and, equally importantly, to change the public mindset about the disabled.
Last week, the Bangkok Post published a video about Kirin Techawongtham, or Sai, and her dog Luther. I had no part in the online editor's decision. As a matter of fact, her story had already appeared in more than a dozen media outlets by then and more requests for interviews continue to pour in.
Since Sai lost her sight at the age of 13 due to a brain tumour, we have learned first-hand the world the disabled live in -- where things we take for granted become chores and minor obstacles mountains to climb.
Two years ago, Sai obtained a guide dog from a US foundation called Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Since then Luther has been her constant companion, not only to guide her but also to give her emotional support.
When Sai brought Luther to Thailand last December, we found that most public places have closed their doors on them. Many people are not aware that a law on disabilities states plainly that guide dogs are a tool for the blind and are allowed anywhere publicly accessible.
Most establishments, such as shopping centres, restaurants, and hospitality businesses, simply ignore the law's existence.
Guide dogs are not well known enough to give establishment operators the confidence that they are different from pet dogs. They refuse to be swayed by assurances that guide dogs have gone through rigorous training not to disrupt human activities or cause damage.
Even taxi drivers are similarly discriminatory. When we arrived in Thailand after participating in Sai's graduation ceremony at her college in the US, we emerged from Suvarnabhumi airport at about 1am.
After a 30-hour trip, we were dead tired and just wanted to go home. But no taxi drivers would take us.
The experience of being rebuffed so very often has led Sai and her mother to create a Facebook page to demand public acceptance of guide dogs as an essential tool for the blind. They named the page Pom Chue Luther (my name is Luther) or @guidedogluther.
In the back of our mind, the aim is not just to get Luther admitted into public places but to amplify the lack of public empathy regarding the difficulties faced daily by the disabled.
We started slowly, going out to meet concerned people such as Prof Wiriya Namsiripongpun, the first blind person to have a guide dog in Thailand, and officials dealing with disability.
So, too, has the page's fan base built up slowly. It took almost a week to gain 100 followers, and almost a month to reach 200. A week after the duo appeared on the stage at the Thailand Social Expo organised by the Social Development and Human Security Ministry, the number climbed to 300.
Then their story started to reach news media after which the number of followers started to shoot up and now stands at nearly 100,000. This number, of course, is multiplied manifold by the number of shares each post has received.
We were baffled by the exponential increase in followers but also delighted. It means our message is making an impact.
The message that Sai emphasises in every interview is that the disabled do not need sympathy. What they need is the right environment, opportunities and tools to help them realise their full potential and be independent.
Therefore, the public and officialdom need to adopt the right mindset when dealing with the disabled and issues of disability.
Both Luther, who exudes calm, confidence and loyalty, and Sai, who is articulate and presentable, make for an effective team of unofficial spokespersons for the disabled in general and the blind in particular.
The most significant impact of the duo's campaign is refocusing public attention on the issue of disability and giving visibility to the disabled community.
Eventually, we hope, Thai society will not look at disability and the disabled in the same way again.
Wasant Techawongtham is former news editor, Bangkok Post.