Haben Girma’s Post

Harvard University is hiring for a digital accessibility officer. Please share this link with accessibility experts. https://lnkd.in/gXgz8qvg

Join us at the Parsons’ School of Fashion for a lively conversation on accessibility, disability justice, and joyful designs. Registration is free, and wheelchair access, captioning, and ASL interpretation will be provided. RSVP: https://lnkd.in/g5S7R3k2 Excited to share the stage with Sugandha Gupta, an award-winning artist, Assistant Professor of Fashion Design and Social Justice, and a wonderful friend. Living with albinism and visual impairment fuels her innovative textiles and wearables that encourage audiences to engage through their sense of touch, sound, smell, and sight. Photo: On the left is the book cover for Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. On the right is text: "New York, Parsons’ School of Fashion, Wednesday, October 16, 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm.”

When hiring for executive roles at disability organizations, isn’t it better to select the most qualified leader regardless of whether they have a disability? Disability experience should be part of the qualification criteria for these jobs. These jobs involve representing the disabled community and speaking for the disability community. For example, the head of a blind organization should have a deep understanding of Braille, different screenreaders, cane travel, guide dogs, disability rights laws, alternative techniques commonly used, and the barriers facing blind people. Sighted people have the privilege of choosing how and when to engage with the blind community. By contrast, blind people live this every minute. When the clock strikes five, we’re still blind. When we go on vacation, we’re still blind and often encounter accessibility barriers that require us to keep advocating even while on vacation. So when disability organizations review job applications, the lived experience of disabled candidates deserves more weight. Join the campaign to increase blind leadership: unitedblindleaders.org #UnitedBlindLeaders. Join the campaign to increase Deafblind leadership: Deafblindleadershipnow.org #DeafBlindLeadershipNow. Thanks for the great conversation, Jane Britt GAICD! Descriptive Transcript: https://lnkd.in/gK9JZ_7e

Trying Vegemite for the first time. A blend of vegetable extracts, B vitamins, and beer production leftovers, the spread packs a strong punch! Australians have eaten Vegemite for over a hundred years now. Descriptive Transcript Seated at an outdoor cafe, Haben has a plate with toast covered in a dark brown paste. Haben: When I arrived in Australia: several people have been asking, “Have you tried Vegemite?” So I'm finally going to try Vegemite! And we have toast here – sourdough toast with butter and Vegemite. (She brings the toast close to her nose.) Haben: It smells kind of yeasty and salty. (She takes a bite.) Haben: That is fascinating! It kind of makes the butter more flavorful. (She takes another bite.) Haben: There's a sour flavor to it too. So kind of several layers of flavors from sour to yeast and salt. I'm also feeling more awake! (She holds a hand up to her heart and laughs.) Haben: Something about the flavor, the salt and the yeast, feels like an energy boost. Probably also the butter interacting with it too. And also maybe just the flavors being very new. I'm glad I tried this!

Happy International Week of the Deaf! It’s technically next week, but let’s celebrate every week! I’m learning Australian Sign Language (Auslan) from Vanessa Vlajkovic. We’re both Deafblind and tactile signing. Video description: Nessa and Haben sit on a stone pedestal, and behind them, with one monstrous paw on that same pedestal, is the scariest-looking koala. Black, white, and blue paint across his large body (possibly six feet tall) match the name the artists gave this sculpture: Darth Vader. His eyes glare with the face of an old, hooded person. The sculpture stands in the forest, and birds talk throughout the video. Haben’s Seeing Eye dog stands by, a bit bored. Haben (ASL): You sign (fingerspells in Auslan) K-O-A-L-A. Nessa (Auslan): Koala. (She crosses her arms in front of her and taps her chest twice with her palms, almost like hugging something to herself. Haben repeats the sign as Nessa adjusts her hands and confirms. When she gets it right, she laughs with delight.)  Nessa (Auslan): K-O-A-L-A C-U-D-D-L-Y. Yes. Haben (ASL): Not that one! (Haben points to Darth Vader.)  (Nessa and Haben laugh. A Kookaburra off-screen cackles.)

If you’re in the Cincinnati area, join us for Digital Inclusion Day on September 25. You can register for my keynote at this link. Registration is free. Captioning & ASL interpretation will be provided. https://lnkd.in/gYVEetHf Photo: On the left is the book cover for Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. On the right is text: "Cincinnati, University of Cincinnati, Digital Inclusion Day, Wednesday, September 25th 11:00 am to 12:00 pm.”

How does a building look like sails, shells, and boats? I’ve read many confusing descriptions, so I was thrilled to learn that the Sydney Opera House installed a tactile model for blind guests! Video Transcript Haben (Voiceover): The Sydney Opera House has a tactile model. She leans down to touch the bronze coated sculpture sitting on a low pedestal. The shape of the three buildings resemble billowing sails pressed together in a row. The two largest buildings have four of these flowing sails, and a small building, the restaurant, has two sails. As Haben studies the model, she speaks to Rebeka, their tour guide. Haben: It is very cool to actually feel the roof that people talk about and to actually experience it. Rebeka: Yeah, it's a very unique shape. Photo: A close-up of the model shows print and Braille along four sides. Haben: My friend Nessa reached out to them, arranging this tactile tour. Photo: Haben and Seeing Eye dog Mylo stand next to a young woman. They’re all smiling, and behind them is the Sydney Opera House, the bright blue water of the harbor, and the bridge. Haben: Which included going all the way up to the sail-shaped roof and feeling the tiles on the roof. Photo: A curved concrete shell covered in diamond-shaped tiles rises into the blue sky. Alternating white and cream colors create a slight checkerboard effect. Haben stretches her arm up to touch the tiles.

Will you try vegemite? ABC journalist Nas Campanella posed this question during our keynote at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. We discovered many similarities in the Australian and American disability experiences. Disability camps facilitate connection, allowing disabled people to share adaptive techniques and disability pride. But disability organizations need to do more to include those of us with multiple marginalized identities. The blind camp I attended regularly instructed campers to use their hearing, and I remember the disappointment of not knowing how to make hearing-centered activities like goalball accessible. Nas has a disability that makes reading Braille difficult, and at the blind camp she attended she faced the stifling expectation that all blind people should read Braille. Increasing accessibility at disability camps and beyond starts with acknowledging our rich diversity. Thank you to everyone who joined us! I loved meeting people from across Australia, and I appreciated all your recommendations for what I should do during my visit. Tremendous gratitude goes to the UNSW Centre for Ideas, and they will be publishing a recording and transcript soon! Last but not least, thank you for the wonderful conversation, Nas! I promise to taste vegemite! Photo: Two women sit on stage facing each other, and a small table with flowers is between their chairs. Nas has a laptop wired to an earpiece that allows her to read questions and notes using her screenreader. Haben sits with her fingers on a Braille computer, listening as Nas asks a question. Seeing Eye dog Mylo rests by Haben’s feet. Thanks to photographer Maria Boyadgis. #UNSW #DisabilityPride #Blind

They tried to silence her. They told her to limit her voice to disability issues, but Helen Keller never stopped advocating for human rights. You, too, have a voice. Keep advocating! This video is an excerpt from the White House Disability Pride Month Convening. The entire recording is on the White House YouTube channel. Video description: Haben Girma speaks on stage, sitting with a Braille computer on her lap. Also sitting on stage are, from left to right, Gene Sperling, Mychal Threets, and Eric Harris. The camera shows a lively, diverse group in the audience, including people with wheelchairs. Descriptive transcript: https://lnkd.in/gASGDidN #DisabilityPride

I’m thrilled to be speaking in Sydney with Naz Campanella, an Australian Broadcasting Corporation journalist and the first blind newsreader to run a studio live to air. Join us for a lively conversation on disability advocacy, accessible travel, and the need for more disability stories. This talk is open to everyone and free. Please share the event link with anyone you know who would be interested. https://lnkd.in/d7uD68tr Accessibility: Auslan interpretation, captioning, livestreaming, and the venue is wheelchair accessible. Thank you, UNSW Centre for Ideas! Photo: On the left is the book cover for Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. On the right is text, “Australia University of New South Wales Centre for Ideas, Wednesday 4 September 6:30 - 7:30pm.”