Latest Stories
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Take a Tactile Tour of the Healthy Materials Lab
Blind and sighted people can learn about cutting edge textiles at the Healthy Materials Lab. Taking a tactile tour introduced me to textures I’d read about but never felt, and…
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Designing with Disability Pride: Professor Sugandha Gupta & Haben Girma at Parsons School of Fashion
If you’ve ever felt isolated and wondered how to build community, if you’re frustrated with ableism and dream of designing in ways that no longer marginalize people, then you’ll appreciate…
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Apple’s Impressive AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aids Launch a New Era of Health Tech
Apple gave me early access to their groundbreaking AirPods Pro 2 hearing aids, and the chance to talk to Vice President of Health Dr. Sumbul Desai and Director of Global…
Author
The New York Times, Oprah Magazine, and TODAY Show featured her best-selling book, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. The story takes readers on adventures around the world, including her parents’ homes in Eritrea and Ethiopia, building a school under the scorching Saharan sun, training with a guide dog in New Jersey, climbing an iceberg in Alaska, fighting for blind readers at a courthouse in Vermont, and talking with President Obama at The White House. Warm, funny, thoughtful, and uplifting, this captivating book is a testament to Haben’s determination to resist isolation and find the keys to connection.
Speaking & Consulting
Choosing accessibility is not just about legal requirements, it’s also good business. Disabled people are the largest historically underrepresented group, numbering over one billion worldwide. Reaching a group of this scale creates value for everyone. Organizations that prioritize accessibility benefit by gaining access to a much larger audience, improving the experience for both disabled and nondisabled people, and facilitating further innovation. Haben explains in this article, originally published in the Financial Times, “People with disabilities drive innovation.”
Haben believes disability is an opportunity for innovation, and she travels the world teaching organizations the importance of choosing inclusion. She has spoken at Apple, Bottega Veneta, Disney, Gartner, Oxford University, Visa, and so many more. Her engaging presentations ignite audiences to make positive changes in their communities.
What People Say About Haben
“Thank you so much, Haben, for that amazing introduction, and for working to make sure that students with disabilities get a world-class education, just like you have. So please give Haben a big round of applause.”
President Barack Obama
“She got out of Harvard, and you know what she’s doing? She is an advocate for opportunities for people with disabilities. Because in fact they have enormous ability, and all over the world that ability is going untapped, diminishing their lives and the rest of ours as well. So let’s give her a big round!”
President Bill Clinton
“I wish to take this opportunity, as well, to recognize you for your lifelong advocacy for people with disabilities, especially for the deaf-blind community. As a teacher and Prime Minister, I am particularly grateful for your work to ensure that students with disabilities have access to the tools they need to thrive at school and beyond. When our society is inclusive, we are all better off.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau