Steph Curry is reading my memoir!
I was born in Oakland and grew up never imagining my work would be celebrated this way. I'm deeply honored Stephen Curry & his book club will read Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law
Deafblind Students at Gallaudet University Protesting Injustice
Gallaudet University, based in Washington, D.C., describes itself as “the only university in the world designed to be barrier-free for Deaf and hard of hearing students.” I first learned about Gallaudet from the guidance counselor at my high school who told me it would be perfect for students like me. I ultimately attended Lewis & [...]
Talking with TIME 100 and Walking with Autonomous Robots
TIME Magazine celebrated my disability justice work by including me in TIME 100 Talks, a video series spotlighting influential people. I was surprised and honored. My excitement turned to disappointment when I checked the video — no captions, no audio descriptions, and no transcript. The TIME 100 video featuring me was not accessible to me. [...]
My First New York Times essay, plus book updates
I published my very first essay in the New York Times! The essay appears in the Times’ special edition celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act: “What the A.D.A. Means to Me.” Today Hachette Book Group is releasing the paperback version of my book, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. [...]
One of my Oldest Fears: Snakes
On Saturday Seeing Eye dog Mylo, Gordon, and I explored a new Bay Area neighborhood with woodsy trail-like sidewalks. The sun slid past the horizon as we made our way back to the car. Gordon walked on my right, swinging a flashlight. Mylo moved ahead on my left, guiding with his usual confidence. Then Gordon’s [...]
Service Dog Teams Need Your Help, and You Can Do This From Home
As we stay home and practice physical distancing, there is something we can do to help protect our ability to fly with our dogs in the future. The U.S. Department of Transportation has proposed adding new restrictions for service dogs traveling on airplanes, chipping away at the freedoms advocates fought for decades to protect. My [...]
Applauding Crip Camp, the New Netflix Doc on Love, Community & Justice
We received another ray of hope this week. On March 25 Netflix released Crip Camp, a documentary that dives into the wild lives of disabled teens who grapple with isolation, find love at a summer camp, build community, and grow into fierce advocates for equality. Their joyous laughter, their tenacity, their creative ways of supporting [...]
We were on Jeopardy!
On Monday January 27, host Alex Trebek presented this clue on Jeopardy! Heather Nelson, a math teacher from Lake Oswego, Oregon, responded immediately. “What is Harvard?” The TV screen showed a photo of me with my first guide dog Maxine. She and I shared many walks through Lake Oswego when we lived in Portland. Congratulations, [...]
My Book is in Stores Now, and it’s getting great reviews!
The Today Show featured my book on Monday, and the video of my interview is now online. For an in-depth review, The Wall Street Journal published this excellent piece on my book and work. And there’s more! The New York Times’ list of New and Noteworthy releases included my book! This terrific taste in books [...]
Mylo and I Imagine Driving an Autonomous Car
I’m excited for a future where accessible self-driving cars are a reality. People with disabilities stand to benefit the most from self-driving cars, but developers are not making accessibility enough of a priority. Waiting until a product is “finished” to start thinking about accessibility is like completing construction of a skyscraper and then tearing part [...]