Global Accessibility Awareness Day is May 20th, and throughout the month accessibility advocates will be introducing more people to inclusive design. If you are new to digital accessibility, beware of companies claiming to provide quick and easy automated accessibility “solutions.” An alarming number of companies, nonprofits, and government agencies have fallen for this. Millions of [...]
If you’re organizing a virtual event, plan to include captioning. Deaf people deserve access, too. If you invite two accessibility lawyers to speak AND still don’t provide captioning… Annapolis, we have a problem. A link to my memoir, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law Video transcript
I normally don’t follow the Oscars, but this year’s nominations include a short film with a Deafblind character. Depictions of underrepresented groups in movies influence how the mainstream public treats us. Feeling Through features a Black teen taking advantage of a Deafblind man, perpetuating the dangerous “Black criminals" stereotype. The portrayal of deafblindness also advances [...]
I was born Deafblind, but I wasn’t born an advocate. Resisting ableism, racism and other forms of oppression is exhausting, ongoing work. We all face the choice to accept oppression or advocate for justice. Video created and directed by Oge Egbuonu. Music by Phantogram. Portrait photography by Shaniqwa Jarvis. Campaign by Levi’s. #LevisBecoming Video description [...]
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
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 & [...]
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. [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
