Haben Girma

{{short description|Eritrean-American disability rights advocate}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Haben Girma

| image = Haben girma.jpg

| caption = Girma in December 2019.

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|7|29}}

| birth_place = Oakland, California, U.S.

| education = Lewis & Clark College (BA)
Harvard University (JD)

| occupation = Lawyer
Disability rights advocate

| website = {{URL|habengirma.com|Official website}}

}}

Haben Girma (born July 29, 1988){{cite web |last=Bondy |first=Halley |title=Deaf-Blind Harvard Law Grad Slays Every Expectation, But Don't Call Her An "Inspiration" |url=http://www.oxygen.com/blogs/deaf-blind-harvard-law-grad-slays-every-expectation-but-dont-call-her-an-inspiration |website=Oxygen |accessdate=April 21, 2017 |date=October 13, 2016}} is an American disability rights advocate, and the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School.{{cite web |last=Shapiro |first=Joseph |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/07/31/428075935/she-owes-her-activism-to-a-brave-mom-the-ada-and-chocolate-cake |title=She Owes Her Activism to a Brave Mom, The ADA and Chocolate Cake |publisher=NPR |date=July 31, 2015 |accessdate=July 28, 2016 }}

Early life and education

Girma was born in Oakland, California in 1988 to an Eritrean immigrant family. Her father Girma Kidane Adgoy was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and her mother Saba Gebreyesus was born in Asmara.{{cite web |title=Deaf Person of the Month |url=https://www.deafpeople.com/dp_of_month/HabenGirma.html |website=www.deafpeople.com |accessdate=16 May 2020}}{{cite web |title=Eritrea: Haben's First Book |url=https://asmarino.com/alewana/5189-eritrea-haben-s-first-book |website=[AIM] Asmarino Independent Media |date=21 August 2019 |accessdate=16 May 2020 |language=en-gb}} Her mother fled the Province of Eritrea to Sudan among many other Ethiopian refugees in 1983 during the Eritrean War of Independence and Ethiopian Civil War. Her mother met her father, who was born and raised in Addis Ababa, in California. Haben's parents are fluent in three languages; Tigrinya, Amharic, and English.

Girma lost her vision and hearing as a result of an unknown progressive condition beginning in early childhood. In a news article Girma states, "I was frequently left out of the spotlight, unable to fully engage in a world that seemed to forget I existed." She retains 1% of her sight.{{cite magazine |last1=Wright |first1=Robin |title=Who is "Worthy"? Deaf-Blind People Fear That Doctors Won't Save Them from the Coronavirus |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/who-is-worthy-deaf-blind-people-fear-that-doctors-wont-save-them-from-the-coronavirus |magazine=The New Yorker |accessdate=16 May 2020 |language=en}}

Growing up in the United States, Girma benefited from civil rights laws including the Americans with Disabilities Act. She also had accessible technology, such as a digital Braille device—something her elder brother Mussie Gebre, who is also deafblind, did not have access to in Eritrea. She graduated from Skyline High School, a mainstream public school, in 2006.{{cite web |title=Haben's Story |url=https://lighthouseguild.org/about-us/our-clients/habens-story/ |accessdate=16 May 2020 |website=Lighthouse Guild}}

At the age of 15, Girma traveled to Mali to do volunteer work, building schools with buildOn.{{cite news|last1=Stasio|first1=Frank|last2=Campbell|first2=Nicole|title=First Deaf-Blind Student At Harvard Law Pursues Dreams|url=http://wunc.org/post/first-deaf-blind-student-harvard-law-pursues-dreams|accessdate=April 21, 2017|newspaper=WUNC|date=November 1, 2013}}

Girma attended Lewis & Clark College, where she successfully advocated for her legal rights to accommodations in the school cafeteria.{{cite web|last1=Bacon|first1=Katie|title=Launching a career at the intersection of law, education and civil rights|url=https://today.law.harvard.edu/haben-girma-13-launching-a-career-at-the-intersection-of-law-education-and-civil-rights/|website=Harvard Law School|accessdate=April 21, 2017|date=July 1, 2013}} She graduated from Lewis & Clark magna cum laude in 2010. She then became the first deafblind student to attend and graduate from Harvard Law School, earning her J.D. in 2013. She states, "Many schools didn't know how to teach me, and I was often told I would not succeed."

Career

In 2013, Girma joined Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) in Berkeley, California as a Skadden Fellow. She worked there from 2015 to 2016 as a staff attorney, working on behalf of people with disabilities.{{cite web|url=https://dralegal.org/staff-members/haben-girma/ |title=Haben Girma | Disability Rights Advocates |publisher=Disability Rights Advocates |accessdate=July 28, 2016}}{{cite web |title=Haben Girma – The Journey from Self-Advocate to Legal Advocate to Educator |url=https://www.americanbar.org/groups/diversity/disabilityrights/initiatives_awards/spotlight/girma_h/ |accessdate=April 21, 2017 |website=American Bar Association}}

Girma says she became a lawyer in part to help increase access to books and other digital information for persons with disabilities.{{cite web |last=Ochieng |first=Akinyi |url=http://ayibamagazine.com/becoming-champion-change-haben-girma/ |title=An in-depth chat with Harvard Law's first deaf-blind graduate |work=Ayiba Magazine |date=July 20, 2015 |accessdate=July 28, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304151246/http://ayibamagazine.com/becoming-champion-change-haben-girma/ |url-status=dead }} She now works to change attitudes about disability around the world, including the development of accessible digital services: "Digital information is just ones and zeroes...It can be converted into any kind of format. And those people who develop these services—programmers, technology designers—they have an incredible power to increase access for people with disabilities. And I hope they use it."

While working for DRA in July 2014, Haben represented the National Federation of the Blind and a blind Vermont resident in a lawsuit against Scribd for allegedly failing to provide access to blind readers, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.{{cite news|last1=Adwar|first1=Corey|title=26-Year-Old Deaf-Blind Lawyer Sues Scribd For Alleged Discrimination|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/haben-girma-sues-scribd-2014-8|accessdate=April 21, 2017|newspaper=Business Insider|date=August 20, 2014}} Scribd moved to dismiss, arguing that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) only applied to physical locations. In March 2015, the U.S. District Court of Vermont ruled that the ADA covered online businesses as well. A settlement agreement was reached, with Scribd agreeing to provide content accessible to blind readers by the end of 2017. "I found my voice when I was given the tools to learn," Girma emphasizes. {{cite web|title=National Federation of the Blind, et al. v. Scribd, Inc.|url=https://dralegal.org/case/national-federation-of-the-blind-et-al-v-scribd-inc/|website=Disability Rights Advocates|accessdate=April 21, 2017|date=July 14, 2016}}

In 2014, Girma gave a talk at TEDx Baltimore.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvoj-ku8zk0 |title=Why I work to remove access barriers for students with disabilities, many students like me remain invisible without policies that prioritize inclusivity," | Haben Girma | TEDxBaltimore |author=TEDx Talks| publisher=YouTube |date=February 28, 2014 |accessdate=July 28, 2016}} She confronted TED for not readily providing captions for all of their recorded TEDx talks, including her own.{{cite web|last1=Strochlic|first1=Nina|title=TEDx Talks Have a Disability Problem—but This Incredible Young Woman Is Working to Change That|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/05/tedx-talks-have-a-disability-problem-but-this-incredible-young-woman-is-working-to-change-that.html|website=The Daily Beast|accessdate=April 21, 2017|date=November 5, 2014}}

In January 2015, Girma was appointed to the national board of trustees for the Helen Keller Services for the Blind.{{cite news|last1=Jiang|first1=Amy|title=Deaf, blind Berkeley resident appointed to national organization's board of trustees|url=http://www.dailycal.org/2015/01/26/deaf-blind-berkeley-resident-appointed-national-organizations-board-trustees/|accessdate=April 21, 2017|newspaper=The Daily Californian|date=January 26, 2015}}

On July 20, 2015, Girma met with US President Barack Obama at the White House to highlight the importance of accessible technology. She provided introductory remarks on the occasion, the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.{{cite web|last1=Girma|first1=Haben|title=Presidential Remarks on the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (C-SPAN)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61HzFPs2LXQ|website=YouTube|accessdate=April 21, 2017|date=November 20, 2015}}

In April 2016, Girma left DRA to take up non-litigation advocacy full-time.{{cite web|last=Girma|first=Haben|url=https://habengirma.com/2016/04/25/announcing-a-career-change/ |title=Announcing a Career Change | website=Haben Girma|date=April 25, 2016|accessdate=April 21, 2017}}

In June 2016, Girma gave a talk on accessible design at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.{{cite web|title=Disability and Innovation: The Universal Benefits of Accessible Design|url=https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2016/104/|website=Apple Developer|publisher=Apple Inc.|accessdate=April 21, 2017|date=2016}}{{cite news|last1=Kelly|first1=Heather|title=This deaf-blind lawyer thinks your app needs work|url=https://money.cnn.com/2016/07/11/technology/haben-girma-apple-accessibility/|accessdate=April 21, 2017|newspaper=CNN|date=July 11, 2016}}

In 2018, The Washington Post published an op-ed by Girma directed at the Texas State Board of Education, which had voted to remove Helen Keller from the social studies curriculum. The board ultimately reversed its decision.{{cite news |last1=Girma |first1=Haben |title=Hey, Texas. Students need to learn about Helen Keller. Don't remove her. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/hey-texas-students-need-to-learn-about-helen-keller-dont-remove-her/2018/09/19/e8b85d3a-bb76-11e8-bdc0-90f81cc58c5d_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |accessdate=26 October 2019 |language=en |date=19 September 2018}}{{cite web |last1=Boyette |first1=Chris |last2=Holcombe |first2=Madeline |title=Texas students will learn about Helen Keller, Hillary Clinton, afterall |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/14/us/texas-curriculum-hillary-clinton-helen-keller-trnd/index.html |website=CNN |date=14 November 2018 |accessdate=26 October 2019}}

In August 2019, she released a memoir, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law.{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/deafblind-trailblazer-haben-girma-has-a-vision-of-inclusion-11564761224|title=Haben Girma Is a Trailblazer for the Deaf and Blind|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=August 2, 2019|first=Emily|last=Bobrow|accessdate=September 18, 2019}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/books/review/new-this-week.html|title=New & Noteworthy, From Prince Albert to a Bird's-Eye View of the Apocalypse|work=The New York Times|date=August 6, 2019|accessdate=September 18, 2019}}

Personal life

Girma enjoys participating in physical activities including surfing, rock climbing, kayaking, cycling, and dancing.{{cite news|last1=Starrs|first1=Jenny|title=VIDEO: Deaf-blind Harvard-trained lawyer who made waves now rides them, too|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/01/04/video-deaf-blind-harvard-trained-lawyer-who-made-waves-now-rides-them-too/|accessdate=April 21, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=January 4, 2016}}

Girma uses the assistance of a guide dog. She was matched with her first dog, a German Shepherd named Maxine, by The Seeing Eye in 2009. After Maxine's death in 2018, she adopted Mylo, another German Shepherd.{{cite web |title=Disability Rights Advocate and LSC Alum Haben Girma on making her way in the world with help from her guide dog. Haben Girma has had several mentors, including Lainey Feingold and Daniel Goldstein, who she says are both disability rights lawyers. Girma has also mentored students with disabilities in the United States and abroad. Girma states, "I thrived when people believed in my potential," as she considers the allies and mentors who helped her on her journey. |url=https://blogs.harvard.edu/clinicalprobono/2019/09/10/disability-rights-advocate-and-lsc-alum-haben-girma-on-making-her-way-in-the-world-with-help-from-her-guide-dog/ |website=Clinical and Pro Bono Programs |accessdate=16 May 2020 |date=10 September 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Girma |first1=Haben |title=Guide dogs don't lead blind people. We wander as one.

|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/guide-dogs-dont-lead-blind-people-we-wander-as-one/2019/08/07/0be20cf2-b545-11e9-951e-de024209545d_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |accessdate=16 May 2020 |language=en}}

Awards and recognition

2013 – Recognized by the Obama administration as a Champion of Change{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/champions/educational-excellence-for-african-americans/haben-girma |title=Haben girma | The White House |publisher=Whitehouse.gov | date=January 4, 2016 |accessdate=April 20, 2017}}
2016 – Forbes 30 Under 30, Law & Policy{{cite web|title=Meet The 30 Under 30: Law & Policy|url=https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30-2016/law-policy/|website=Forbes|accessdate=April 21, 2017|date=2016}}
2016 – Top 30 Thinkers Under 30, Pacific Standard{{cite magazine|last1=Andrews|first1=Avital|title=The 30 Top Thinkers Under 30: Haben Girma|url=https://psmag.com/the-30-top-thinkers-under-30-haben-girma-e5a193603d63|magazine=Pacific Standard|accessdate=April 21, 2017|date=March 14, 2016}}
2017 - Girma was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2017.{{Cite web|date=2017-12-07|title=100 Most Influential Africans: Ten Kenyans Including CJ David Maraga Listed|url=https://answersafrica.com/100-most-influential-africans-list.html|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Answers Africa|language=en-US}}

References

External links

{{official website|habengirma.com}}
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o_SoareHuQ Video: Haben Girma speaks at the 2017 American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvoj-ku8zk0 Why I work to remove access barriers for students with disabilities | Haben Girma | TEDxBaltimore]

Category:1988 births

Category:Activists from the San Francisco Bay Area

Category:American people of Eritrean descent

Category:California lawyers

Category:American deafblind people

Category:American disability rights activists

Category:Living people

Category:Harvard Law School alumni

Category:Lewis & Clark College alumni

Category:Activists from Oakland, California

Category:African-American activists

Category:American women memoirists