Haben Girma

World Braille Day

Damian Sian holds up a Princeton University jumbo braille poster as Haben reads it with two hands. She’s sitting on a chair with a braille computer on her lap

Celebrating the 210th birthday of Louis Braille, a brilliant teacher who developed a tactile reading system. Blind children and adults learned to uncover the treasure trove of knowledge stored in books through our fingers. We continued innovating, and now we also have digital braille to read articles, websites, & apps. Happy birthday, Louis Braille!

Surfing in Hawaii

Haben's Seeing Eye Dog Watches Her Surf in Hawaii

Surfing as a Deafblind person feels like I’m alone with the ocean. The exhilaration of connecting with such a powerful force of nature is unlike anything else I’ve experienced. My whole body listens to the ocean through the board, constantly adjusting as it tilts and sways. I can’t see where the ocean takes me, but I ride anyway, trusting that everything will work out. I know that my water guides are somewhere nearby, ready to help when I need it.

My surfing journey began in high school when a nonprofit called Ride-A-Wave introduced me and other kids with disabilities to the joy of tandem surfing. The waters of Santa Cruz felt freezing, but I still wanted to go back. Tandem surfing has a beautiful communication aspect that comes from sharing a surf board with someone. Over the years I did more tandem, all while wondering if it would ever be possible for me to surf on my own board. I tried some tentative lessons with Surf Diva and Richard Schmidt. Solo surfing started to feel possible, and I began imagining myself riding the warm waters of Hawaii.

Access Surf Hawaii turned that dream into a reality. It was a dark and stormy day, but we hit the waves anyway. The waters of Waikiki still felt warm despite the pouring rain. Ryan coached me through the process of standing up on a moving board, using a combination of voice and ProTactile to communicate. Eddie stayed nearby as I rode the waves, swooping in to guide me whenever I wiped out. I surprised myself by not only standing up, but riding waves for a good long while. I’m incredibly grateful to Access Surf Hawaii for braving the rain to help me grow as a surfer. I will carry these marvelous memories with me into 2019 as a reminder to keep daring myself to go further than I’ve ever gone before. Mahalo.

Video Description


A Seeing Eye dog sits on a sandy beach as he stares longingly at the ocean. The pointy ears of the German Shepherd are even twitching. The sound of crashing waves is loud and powerful. Mylo squints and stares, searching for his human. The camera pans to the water.
This scene has about twenty surfers in the water. Three begin riding a wave. One fist pumps and topples over. Another sits down cautiously. Haben rises to her knees, then her feet, spreads her arms out, and rides the wave all the way.
Mylo spots Haben and Ryan walking out of the water. His tail wags furiously as he runs over to Haben and begins licking her.
Photo of Access Surf Hawaii members Eddie Murai, Aaron Murai, Ryan Chahanovich, and Haben and Mylo. They’re all smiling and standing in front of surf boards.

Haben Meets with the Hawaii Deafblind Community

Twenty members of the Hawaii Deafblind community, from high school students to grandparents, stand together. Haben is wearing two leis gifted to her by the kupuna, the elders. One has smooth kukui nuts, the other has orchids, carnations, and tuberoses that smell AMAZING! Mylo, Haben’s Seeing Eye dog, is stretched out on the floor in front of Haben

Hawaii’s Deafblind community held a “Talk Story” where we shared our experiences. Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome, and a special thank you to Mellanie Lee for bringing us all together.

A Service Dog Holiday Song

Mylo visited a beach for the first time this week, and the experience inspired a new spin on a holiday classic: Dashing through the sand My guide dog will never stray Harness in my hand Laughing all the way Collar tags bounce and ring Large waves roll ashore A four-legged pal can always bring A … Read more

Hey, Texas. Students need to learn about Helen Keller. Don’t remove her

I am Deaf-blind, and I almost missed my first lesson about Helen Keller. In second-grade U.S. history, my teacher scheduled Helen Keller’s story after a lesson in square-dancing. I remember my heart racing as I danced a do-si-do with my not-so-secret crush. So when our teacher told us about Keller, I was not-so-secretly distracted. But … Read more

I’m asking Texas to keep Helen Keller’s story in the K-12 curriculum

Last week the Texas State Board of Education took a step to remove Helen Keller from the K-12 social studies curriculum. The second largest state in the nation may soon stop teaching students about one of the most widely admired disability rights heroes. She is often the only disability rights advocate kids learn about. Kids … Read more

It’s a boy! Meet Mylo, my new Seeing Eye dog

Haben and Mylo are sitting on a bench. Mylo is a black and tan medium-sized German Shepherd dog. He’s wearing a leather harness, and Haben is holding his leash. Behind them is a large grassy field with trees in the distance

“You just came back from dog jail, huh?” Aunt Nunu nudged my arm. I laughed. “Exactly!” I’d just spent three weeks training at The Seeing Eye, the world’s oldest guide dog school. “We had to wake up every morning to take our dogs out at 5:30 AM.” “Are you kidding me?!” “I wish. We worked … Read more

Voice, Sign, Type: The Lively Communication Dance

Haben Girma, Treshelle Edmond, and Carmen LoBue are smiling and leaning in for the camera. Haben holds up the sign for “I Love You” in American Sign Language. Photo by Treshelle Edmond.

My friend Treshelle Edmond is a Deaf actress and phenomenal communicator. We met up after her performance in “Children of a Lesser God,” now playing on Broadway. The play spotlights Deaf culture, and many Deaf actors, directors, and community members contributed to the show’s success. Treshelle introduced me to her friends. One after another, each … Read more

Maxine, the sweetest, smartest, sneakiest Seeing Eye Dog

Maxine is looking up at Haben with her paw on Haben's arm. Haben is kneeling beside Maxine

Maxine, the sweetest, smartest, sneakiest Seeing Eye Dog died on Monday April 16, 2018. Maxine loved wearing her harness and going on adventures. If I wanted to walk with her, though, I had to earn that right. In our first week together she crashed me into planters, chairs, and even stairs. “It takes time to … Read more

The Helen Keller Achievement Award

Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Haben Girma, and Jeff Wieland are each holding up a Helen Keller Achievement Award in front of a blue backdrop that says AFB American Foundation for the Blind. Photo by AFB.

On April 4, the American Foundation for the Blind presented me with the Helen Keller Achievement Award! Helen Keller has had a huge influence on my life — her books, her advocacy, and especially her incredible spirit. Receiving this award is a tremendous honor. I’m determined to devote my life to advocacy, just like Helen. … Read more