We were on Jeopardy!

A blue background with white text that reads, "Haben Girma, who advocates for disability rights, was the first Deafblind person to graduate from this law school."

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, … Read more

Why I Never Tell People With Disabilities to “Just Work Harder”

Portrait of Haben

“We shouldn’t have hired you.” The manager’s words sent chills down my spine. When I flew to Juneau, Alaska, after my second year of college, I thought I had this cool job leading tours of the Capitol Building. The recruiters knew about my deafness. My public speaking skills impressed them, and we agreed I would receive … Read more

Guide dogs don’t lead blind people. We wander as one

Mylo & Haben Walking Through a Park

My guide dog crossed the street, then jerked to a halt. “Mylo, forward.” My left hand held the leather harness that wrapped around his shoulders. “Forward,” I repeated. The harness shifted, and I knew he was peering back at me. Some barrier, unseen and unheard by me, blocked our passage. Cars created little earthquakes in … Read more

My Book is in Stores Now, and it’s getting great reviews!

The book cover shows Haben Girma in profile, confidently facing forward in a blue dress. The background is a warm red, and white text over the bottom half of the image says, ‘Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. Haben Girma.’

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 … Read more

Mylo and I Imagine Driving an Autonomous Car

Haben is casually reading a page of braille in the driver’s seat of a car. The driver’s seat doesn’t have a steering wheel, just a touchscreen tablet. In the film Haben controls the tablet with her braille computer. An adorable German Shepherd dog is on the floor, his head peaking up over the central panel.

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 … Read more

My new book received a glowing review!

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 … Read more

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