Born: 1988 (Oakland, California)
Biography:
Haben Girma is an American disability rights advocate and the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School. She was born on July 29, 1988, in Oakland, California, to an Eritrean immigrant family. Her father, Girma Kidane Adgoy, was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and her mother, Saba Gebreyesus, was born in Asmera, Eritrea. Haben’s mother had to flee Eritrea to Sudan in 1983 during the Eritrean War of Independence and Ethiopian Civil War. In California, her mother met her father, an Eritrean born and raised in Addis. Haben’s parents are fluent in three languages: Tigrinya, Amharic, and English.
Haben Girma lost her vision and hearing due to an unknown progressive condition that started in her early childhood. She retains only 1% of her sight. Growing up in the United States, she benefited from civil rights laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act and had access to accessible technology, such as a digital Braille device. Unlike her elder brother Mussie Gebre, who is also deafblind but did not have access to such technology in Eritrea.
She graduated from Skyline High School, a mainstream public school, in 2006. At the age of 15, Haben traveled to Mali to do volunteer work, where she contributed to building schools with buildOn. After completing high school, she attended Lewis & Clark College. It was there that she successfully advocated for her legal rights to accommodations in the school cafeteria. In 2010, she graduated magna cum laude from Lewis & Clark.
In 2013, Haben Girma achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the first deafblind student to attend and graduate from Harvard Law School. She earned her J.D. degree in 2013, breaking down barriers and inspiring others with disabilities.
Following her graduation, Girma joined Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) in Berkeley, California, as a Skadden Fellow in 2013. She worked there as a staff attorney from 2015 to 2016, tirelessly advocating for the rights of people with disabilities. Her motivation for becoming a lawyer stemmed, in part, from her desire to increase access to books and other digital information for individuals with disabilities.
Haben Girma is now dedicated to changing attitudes about disability worldwide. She emphasizes the importance of developing accessible digital services, as digital information can be converted into various formats. Girma believes that programmers and technology designers have the power to increase access for people with disabilities, and she hopes they use this power for the greater good.
Career highlights include Haben representing the National Federation of the Blind and a blind Vermont resident in a lawsuit against Scribd in July 2014. The lawsuit alleged that Scribd failed to provide access to blind readers, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. Scribd argued that the ADA only applied to physical locations, but in March 2015, the U.S. District Court of Vermont ruled that the ADA also covered online businesses. This ruling was an important step forward in ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities.
Haben Girma’s journey as a disability rights advocate and her groundbreaking achievements have left a significant impact on society. Her unwavering determination and innovative mindset have helped break down barriers and promote inclusion for individuals with disabilities around the world. Haben Girma continues to inspire and lead the way, leaving a lasting legacy in women’s history.