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First Deaf and Blind Harvard Law Graduate Says Accessibility Isn't Charity

Salem Solomon

   WASHINGTON - Haben Girma, a lawyer born deaf and blind, has advocated
   for accessibility from her hometown of Oakland, California, all the way
   to the White House. Now, she has written a book about her journey.

   In a phone interview with VOA, Girma read questions on a braille
   keyboard after they were typed out by an interpreter. She said her
   parents, immigrants from Ethiopia and Eritrea, refused to listen to
   those who said she could not do certain things.

   "One of the biggest challenges is people's attitudes. People would say
   to my parents, oh, poor thing, she'll never go to school, she'll never
   get a job. And that was really hard for my parents to hear. It's hard
   for me to hear, too," she said. "Kids with disabilities want to hear
   that they'll be successful. But society often tells us, from very
   young, that we won't do anything."

   Girma said she was fortunate to grow up in California's Bay Area, where
   disability rights are well-established and numerous resources exist.
   She went to public schools where braille books, typewriters, assistive
   software and a special resource room were available. Still, she
   encountered challenges. In middle school, she discovered she was
   failing a class because she could not hear assignments the teacher was
   making from the back of the classroom. Later, at Lewis Clark College in
   Portland, Oregon, she could not read the menu at the school cafeteria
   because there was no braille version available.

   The challenges made her want to make a difference for others. In 2013,
   Girma became the first deaf and blind student to graduate from Harvard
   Law School.

   "There's a lot of discrimination against people with disabilities. And
   I wanted to help change that," she said. "Getting a law degree,
   building up your advocacy skills is a great way to build up the tools
   to help other people."

   Taking Scribd to court

   In 2014, Girma put her legal skills to use when she sued Scribd, an
   online publishing platform and book subscription service, for
   discrimination because they weren't making texts accessible to the
   blind. Girma argued the service wasn't complying with the law under the
   1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination
   against those with disabilities. The company claimed that because it
   operates online and doesn't provide services in a physical space,
   [1]the ADA laws didn't apply.

   Ultimately, a U.S. district court ruled that the ADA applies to digital
   services and online businesses must make their services accessible to
   all.

   "That was a really exciting victory to help blind people get access to
   more books. I love reading. Books are a powerful way to learn more
   about our world," she told VOA. "I want to help make sure more people
   had books, and also for me, because when we remove barriers that also
   helps those of us with disabilities who are also advocates."

   The following year Girma was invited to the White House by
   then-President Barack Obama to [2]celebrate the ADA's 25th anniversary.

References

   1. https://www.nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-applauds-ruling-scribd-case
   2. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/champions/educational-excellence-for-african-americans/haben-girma

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