Chris Hadfield is a retired Canadian astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station. During one critical spacewalk, floating anti-fog got into Hadfield’s eyes, making him temporarily blind. Later, in his TED talk, Hadfield described his thought process: “Okay, I can’t see, but I can hear, I can talk, Scott Parazynski is out here … Read more
Unbeknown to most employers, people with disabilities sparked the creation of many of the technologies we use today. Through my work as a disability rights lawyer, and my personal experiences as a deafblind woman, I have spent a significant amount of time studying the disability experience. The biggest barriers in the workplace are architectural, digital … Read more
Maxine, the little legal rebel, is on the cover of the ABA Journal! It’s America’s leading legal affairs magazine. ABA journalist Stephanie Ward wrote this wonderful article about my disability rights work. Image Description: Maxine, a German Shepherd guide dog, sits front and center. Around her neck is an orange bandana that says, “Legal Rebel.” … Read more
BET and Black Girls Rock produced an amazing video celebrating my disability rights work. If you missed it on TV yesterday, you can watch it here. Also, here’s the video of actress Rutina Wesley honoring me with the Making A Difference Award. This award would not be possible without an incredible community of family and … Read more
I’m excited to announce that I will be on the Black Girls Rock Awards Show. Black Girls Rock is honoring me for Making A Difference. Solange, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Issa Rae, Roberta Flack, Yara Shahidi, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna, and many other amazing women will be celebrated. Tune in to BET, the Black Entertainment Television … Read more
Calming Fears & Sparking Connections with the Abilities We Have | Haben Girma
My deafblindness can be isolating, so I actively develop ways to connect with people. One solution is to offer people a keyboard paired with my braille computer, and as they type I’m able to easily read their words in braille. But what if a person who wants to talk to me has dyslexia?
During the Q&A after my keynote at The Shine in Los Angeles, a young man came on stage to ask me how I connect with people. The video above captures that fun conversation, including an audience laughing at our playful banter.
I was excited to learn that the Deaf character in the summer hit Baby Driver is actually played by a Deaf actor. This may signal a positive shift in Hollywood. Historically, most of the disabled characters in films were played by non-disabled actors, and a study by the Ruderman Family Foundation found that 95% of … Read more
The Eritrean Youth Initiative (EYI) invited me to Ottawa to keynote their inaugural fundraiser dinner. The sold-out event on June 24th raised scholarships for high school students heading to college. My friend Negash Haile and his colleagues at EYI brought together Canadians from diverse backgrounds to recognize students making a difference. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau … Read more
Haben Dome-Climbing at the City Museum of St. Louis
Here’s a fun video of me exploring the City Museum in St. Louis. Climbing the giant dome at the City Museum, every step brought a fun surprise! Because I’m Deafblind I climbed by touch. Also, my guide dog can’t climb ladders…yet! :)
I visited the City Museum while in St. Louis last month to serve as a keynote speaker at the American Alliance of Museums conference. Speaking to four thousand representatives from museums around the world, I explained how museums could reach a larger audience by making their programs accessible to the approximately 1.3 billion people with disabilities in our world. Some of the recommendations I shared include: removing architectural barriers to allow access for patrons with mobility disabilities, programming digital materials for accessibility by blind patrons, inserting captions to videos, developing exhibits that spotlight disability stories, and designing exhibits that engage patrons through sight, sound, and touch.
Most museums instruct patrons not to touch exhibits, denying access to blind patrons. By contrast, the St. Louis City Museum reaches a large audience by providing numerous hands-on exhibits. I had so much fun exploring the City Museum. Hopefully more museums around the world will work to make their exhibits accessible to blind people.
Video description: In the first scene, Maxine the Seeing Eye Dog guides Haben across an arched bridge with steep steps. A spiral staircase and blue sky is in the background. In the next scene, Haben begins climbing towards the ceiling of a massive metal dome, using a series of metal ladders with platforms at regular intervals. The zigzagging ladders slant near the top, leading into a metal cage right beneath the ceiling. In the center of the cage is a narrow ladder leading to the roof. Haben feels around the side of the cage until she finds the ladder, then begins to climb. After reaching the top of the ladder, Haben pulls herself up onto the roof of the dome. In the last scene, Haben slides down a long white slide.
