Haben Girma
habengirma.bsky.social
Haben Girma
@habengirma.bsky.social
Author of Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. Human of Mylo: the world-traveling Seeing Eye dog.

https://habengirma.com
Blind people can’t see the royal crown, so we should be allowed to touch it, right? Edinburgh Castle wanted to increase accessibility while managing the security concerns posed by large crowds. What do you think of their creative solution?

Transcript: habengirma.com/2025/11/12/w...
November 12, 2025 at 6:47 PM
I’m excited to deliver a keynote for Foothill College’s Disability Awareness Month celebrations! Join us on Tuesday October 21 in Los Altos Hills, located near San Jose. The event is open to all, free, and captioning + ASL interpretation will be provided.
October 16, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Reposted by Haben Girma
Axe-con is back! Join us on February 24-26, 2026, to come together with the global digital accessibility community.

Plus, we’re thrilled to announce this year’s stellar keynotes: @habengirma.bsky.social and @ranaelkaliouby.bsky.social! www.deque.com/axe-con/ #a11y
October 2, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Raise a glass to Braille! The only blindness organization with its own winery in France, Voir Ensemble crafted this red Bordeaux for the Braille Bicentennial.
youtube.com/shorts/pDHYz...
Taste a rare French wine crafted by the blind community
YouTube video by Haben Girma
youtube.com
September 25, 2025 at 1:16 AM
In France, Braille may refer to the tactile reading system, the surname of its inventor, or the call of a strange and gorgeous bird!

Descriptive Transcript: habengirma.com/2025/09/17/b...
September 17, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Reading Braille out loud over the radio, a young blind woman assists the Allies in the Netflix series “All the Light We Cannot See.” The show inspired me to visit Saint-Malo on my journey through France for the Braille Bicentennial.

Descriptive Transcript: habengirma.com/2025/09/10/b...
September 10, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Having a seat at the table doesn’t always mean being included. Deaf and Deafblind people often face dinner table syndrome — missing out because communication barriers build walls. Watch Haben Girma and Rachel Kolb break it down and share solutions.

Transcript: habengirma.com/2025/08/21/w...
August 21, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Join us in celebrating 200 years of Braille at the Coupvray castle park on September 20, 2025. Visit Coupvray’s website for more information about the Braille Bicentennial: www.coupvray.fr/evenement/sa...

Descriptive Transcript: habengirma.com/2025/08/19/d...
August 19, 2025 at 6:07 PM
The Lighthouse plans to cut more programs, despite having millions of dollars. #Blind people, #Deafblind people & allies are calling for the leadership team behind these brutal decisions to step down.

www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
Influential San Francisco nonprofit faces uncertain financial future
LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired has served people in San Francisco for over 122 years. Now, community members fear for the nonprofit institution’s future.
www.sfchronicle.com
July 28, 2025 at 1:20 AM
The San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind recently cut programs and terminated over forty people. If you want to know why blind people and allies are calling for the Lighthouse’s leadership to step down, read this investigative report by the San Francisco Standard. sfstandard.com/2025/07/17/l...
SF nonprofit went from $125M gift to fight for survival
A mysterious $125M gift transformed the San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind and Visually impaired. A decade later, layoffs, protests, and financial losses leave the nonprofit fighting to survive.
sfstandard.com
July 21, 2025 at 11:13 PM
I broke my ankle, and let me tell you: using a wheelchair while Deafblind is an experience for the next book! In honor of #DisabilityPrideMonth here are my favorite things about using a chair.

Shoutout to my friend Dr. H’Sien Hayward @drhsienhayward.bsky.social!

youtu.be/i2RIaNIUnZQ
I broke my ankle and now have 3 disabilities! My top 3 perks of using a wheelchair.
YouTube video by Haben Girma
youtu.be
July 15, 2025 at 9:05 PM
The first time I experienced a Braille map of a garden was in Seattle. While most gardens focus on sight, this one celebrates six senses!

Descriptive Transcript: habengirma.com/2025/07/10/m...
July 11, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Imagine a future where blind people building planes, flying planes, and shaping aviation policy is so common it ceases to be remarkable. Seattle’s Museum of Flight has a selection of planes both blind and sighted people are encouraged to touch. Descriptive Transcript: habengirma.com/2025/06/25/t...
June 25, 2025 at 11:23 PM
For many disabled people, showing up at a protest requires planning. Will there be an ASL interpreter or will you need to find a volunteer? Will the space be wheelchair accessible? For me, as a Deafblind person, I need a seat or table for my Braille computer and keyboard. 1/5
June 17, 2025 at 6:29 PM
It’s #InternationalGuideDogDay! Please share this video and encourage people to support The Seeing Eye. You can volunteer to help raise Seeing Eye puppies or make a donation by going to SeeingEye.org.

Descriptive Transcript: habengirma.com/2025/04/30/l...
April 30, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Thousands of bikes parked on sidewalks in Amsterdam force pedestrians into streets where they face even more bikes. Seeing Eye dog Mylo rose to the challenge! It’s my hope city planners around the world design obstruction-free pedestrian pathways, and implement policies so they stay barrier-free.
April 23, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Blind people and allies advocated for years to get cities to install accessible pedestrian signals. #Accessibility
April 16, 2025 at 1:04 AM
I am excited to deliver a keynote at the University of Hartford on April 9th! The university has generously opened up this event to all, and captioning & ASL interpretation will be provided. Free registration: www.hartford.edu/unotes/2025/...
March 27, 2025 at 10:30 PM
New York University is seeking a Director of Disability Inclusive Culture. Details about the job and how to apply: uscareers-nyu.icims.com/jobs/14540/j...
Director, Disability Inclusive Culture in New York, New York | Careers at US
NYU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver st...
uscareers-nyu.icims.com
March 16, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Fighting discrimination from coast to coast, Deepa Goraya is a disability rights attorney. We met when she was a law student and I was in college wondering if I, too, could go to law school. Deepa generously answered my questions about law school as a blind student, sparking a wonderful friendship.
March 8, 2025 at 8:23 PM
While blind people use tech, the creativity is ours.

Daniela Rubio Trujillo is an accessibility expert based in Barcelona who intentionally combines high tech and low tech elements in her engaging presentations.

Descriptive Transcript: habengirma.com/2025/03/05/w...
March 5, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Disability Rights California is hiring for a Senior Public Policy Advocate - Mental Health. The role is based in Sacramento/Hybrid. Share the job application with all the great advocates you know!

recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/J...
Disability Rights California - Senior Public Policy Advocate – Mental Health
Equitable and Inclusive Hiring at Disability Rights California (DRC)At Disability Rights California (DRC), we are committed to creating an equitable, accessible, and inclusive experience for all appli...
recruiting.paylocity.com
March 4, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Mental health and disability are connected. Thank you to the Berkeley Public Library for hosting this conversation between Haben Girma and Mychal Threets. Video and Transcript on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Il0...
Haben Girma and Mychal Threets: The Mental Health and Disability Connection
YouTube video by Haben Girma
www.youtube.com
February 26, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Grateful for all the lawyers working to ensure we all have equal opportunities, including @lflegal.bsky.social

www.lflegal.com/2025/02/16-s...
Top Lawyers in 16 States Push Back on anti-DEIA Executive Orders
February 13, 2025 brought welcome news in the ongoing resistance to the federal executive orders attacking diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. The Multi-State Guidance Concerning Diversi...
www.lflegal.com
February 19, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Deafblind people and allies protested outside the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind today. #Deafblind people explain what’s wrong with the Lighthouse in this new video, which includes ASL, audio, captions & a descriptive transcript.

#DecertifyLighthouseNow
youtu.be/kDM0i7qOjnM
DeafBlind Testimonies
YouTube video by Decertify LightHouse Now
youtu.be
February 8, 2025 at 12:52 AM