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 [...]
After writing, editing, and rewriting for over two years, I’m thrilled to bring this book into the world. Publishers Weekly, the insider’s guide to the book world, released an enthusiastic review: “With wit and passion, Haben, a disability rights lawyer, public speaker, and the first deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law, takes readers through [...]
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 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 [...]
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.
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 [...]
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 [...]
“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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
