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I used to work at the Mass. Commission for the Blind, and it was, alas, not unusual to hear about the "invisibility" problem from blind people who came to us. Some even reported store clerks talking to their guide dogs -- "And what kind of sandwich would we like today?" no kidding. Our literature recommended that the blind person speak up politely but firmly and say, "I'd like to place my own order." (After they stopped laughing and/or grinding their teeth.) Friends were easier, although they had to be told such things as, it's much better for the blind person to take a sighted person's arm than vice versa. Sighted people don't know that unless they've had training, so it's important to tell them. The Commission for the Blind had a pretty good video, about 20 min. long, that went over these points, and we showed it to volunteers. If none of the PD organizations has such a video, perhaps one could be tracked down that would be useful for PD, MS, etc. Or perhaps some of the books, like Glenna Atwood's, have information we could excerpt or summarize. Educating people on such issues is never-ending, but worthwhile. Many people treat PWP and others as if they were invisible because they simply don't know what to do. Maybe some PWP would like a large button that says something like "Please speak to me as you would to any other human being. I can hear and I can speak." The clever folks on this list could think of something shorter and snappier. Best wishes to all, Delda White ([log in to unmask])