Haben Girma was the first deafblind student to graduate from Harvard Law School. Today the Eritrean-American fights for better education for deafblind people worldwide.
Haben says: “My mother grew up during the 30 years of war in Eritrea, where Eritreans struggled to gain independence from Ethiopia. And when she was 16, she took the very dangerous journey, walking three weeks through the deserts of Eritrea. And then a reparatory organisation helped her come to the United States.”
Haben Girma
Lawyer
Haben, 27, was born in the US after her mother fled Eritrea as a refugee in the early 1980s.
She was the first deafblind student to graduate from Harvard Law School.
Haben is now a lawyer with the non-profit group Disability Rights Advocates in California.
Haben says: “I am an attorney here and I grew up facing access barriers as a deafblind person, and that inspired me to become a lawyer.
And when I first started at Harvard Law School, there were very few deafblind attorneys. I couldn't turn to older deafblind individuals and ask. I had to figure it out a lot on my own.
So graduating from Harvard Law School says a lot about what can be done when people have the right attitude.”
One of Haben’s priorities is to help deafblind people communicate through better access to technology.
Haben says: “There are so many forms of communicating information. And if we’re creative and open-minded, we’ll find those forums.
I use a digital braille display and QWERTY keyboard for communication. The braille display shows in digital braille, mechanical dots pop up to form braille letters. And, as I am reading, my assistant Chris types on a QWERTY keyboard when there are conversations going on.”
Haben says: “At the White House celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, President Obama met with me and he used alternative technologies to communicate with me.”
Haben says: “That sends a very empowering message - it reminds the rest of the United States and the world that having an inclusive attitude ensures that people with disabilities can contribute their talents to society.”
Haben says: “My mother grew up during the 30 years of war in Eritrea, where Eritreans struggled to gain independence from Ethiopia. And when she was 16, she took the very dangerous journey, walking three weeks through the deserts of Eritrea. And then a reparatory organisation helped her come to the United States.”
Haben Girma
Lawyer
Haben, 27, was born in the US after her mother fled Eritrea as a refugee in the early 1980s.
She was the first deafblind student to graduate from Harvard Law School.
Haben is now a lawyer with the non-profit group Disability Rights Advocates in California.
Haben says: “I am an attorney here and I grew up facing access barriers as a deafblind person, and that inspired me to become a lawyer.
And when I first started at Harvard Law School, there were very few deafblind attorneys. I couldn't turn to older deafblind individuals and ask. I had to figure it out a lot on my own.
So graduating from Harvard Law School says a lot about what can be done when people have the right attitude.”
One of Haben’s priorities is to help deafblind people communicate through better access to technology.
Haben says: “There are so many forms of communicating information. And if we’re creative and open-minded, we’ll find those forums.
I use a digital braille display and QWERTY keyboard for communication. The braille display shows in digital braille, mechanical dots pop up to form braille letters. And, as I am reading, my assistant Chris types on a QWERTY keyboard when there are conversations going on.”
Haben says: “At the White House celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, President Obama met with me and he used alternative technologies to communicate with me.”
Haben says: “That sends a very empowering message - it reminds the rest of the United States and the world that having an inclusive attitude ensures that people with disabilities can contribute their talents to society.”
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