A warrior fights with courage not with anger (African Proverb)
By. Kemi Seriki
Have you ever read a book that is incredibly impactful and amazingly inspirational that it moves you to tears? When I first saw the book title, I was eager to read the memoir of this remarkable woman whose parents migrated from Eritrea as a refugee. Despite her disability, Girma was the first deafblind woman to graduate from Harvard law school. I thought reading and writing a review on the book for the PansaPansa Forum blog could hopefully inspire members of the African immigrant community and in the diaspora. Through her journey, Girma made the impossible possible, and where other people may see despair, she sees hope. Her humanity was expressed through patient, kindness, compassion, and understanding even in the face of ambiguity and undertone hostility. Haben’s memoir invites readers to the world of those with disabilities and her daily struggles and accomplishments. Girma sees her deafness and blindness as a breakthrough for discovery.
Girma was born in California in 1988 to immigrant parents from Eritrea. Her mother, Saba Gebreyesus, fled to America in 1983, escaping the Eritrean War of Independence and moved California, where she met her husband, Girma Kidane Adgoy. Girma’s older brother Mussie Gebre was born in Eritrea as deafblind as Girma. There was no opportunity for her brother to attend school in Eritrea or any other part of East Africa until the family migrated to the United States. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees everyone with disability equal educational opportunities. While attending Skyline High School, a regular public school in Oakland, California, Girma was given the opportunity to learn Braille, which later allowed her to have access to digital Braille devices. Her brother Mussie Gebre began going to school at the age of 12 years old, and he became proficient in English and Braille. Mussie later established his non-profit organization called DeafBlind Citizen in Action (DBCA), advocating for those with the same disability.
After graduating high school, Girma attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where her activism for disability rights was ignited. Being deafblind, Girma had no access to the school cafeteria menu, which was written for the general population. Even though the school was unknown to provide sufficient services for students with disabilities, it never occurs in the cafeteria to provide a menu in a form accessible to the blind student. When Girma goes to the cafeteria, she sometimes eats food that may be undesirable for her taste. Girma asked the cafeteria manager to access the daily menu, but the manager refused, saying the cafeteria is too busy to cater to her needs. Girma conducted her research about her right, and she found that the ADA act requires that the cafeteria provide a disabled person with reasonable accommodation. As she said, “That problem might have followed me through all four years of college if I hadn’t stood my ground” This initial advocacy move led to her interest in law and Girma graduated with high honors from Lewis & Clark.
After rigorously study for LSAT, Girma gained admission to Harvard Law School in the fall of 2010 as the first deafblind student. Harvard put in place the necessary tools and guidelines that meet her educational needs. Harvard provided Girma with Sign Language interpreters with knowledge of voice transcription skills. The service offered both audio and visual information to assist her in classes. Girma has always connected with people socially and academically throughout her journey. During her time in law school, Girma welcomes fellow students to communicate with her by typing on the keyboard. She assured school mates and others who want to dialogue with her that they do not need to know Braille to communicate with her. She explained that as they are typing, the message is sent over to the Bluetooth to her braille computer, and she is reading the words in Braille. While at Harvard, she was a member of Black Law Students and the Women Law Students Association. As she said, both associations assisted her during finals by offering mentors and study tips. She was not shy or intimidated by others because of her disability. She went to social events and participated in college activities.
hadengirma.com
Girma earned her J.D. in 2013, and she was immediately offered a Skadden Fellowship at Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) in Berkeley, California. Two years later, she was offered a position as a Staff Attorney. In 2015, she was part of the team of lawyers who won the case in the National Federation of the Blind v. Scribd to improve and increase digital accessibility for the people with disability. Scribd is a world publisher and digital library that claimed to be accessible to citizens of the world except for the blind population. This victory allows over 1.3 billion people with disabilities all over the world to have such access. Most importantly, blind readers and writers will have access to the world digital library. As she indicated, “Removing barriers also allow employers to tap into a significant talent pool.”
Girma has a courageous spirit, and she never waits to try a new adventure or allow her disability to deter her fearless mind. In high school, she convinces her parent to travel to Mali with builtOn on a community service project to help build a school. Looking at their precious daughter and concerns, she may not be able to cope with the demand for such a plan. The parents asked, “How are you going to build a school when you can’t see?”. She answered, “With shovels. With bricks. With hammers and nail. Just like everyone else”. She went to Mali with the program, and with her spirit of resiliency, she helps build a school.
During Obama’s presidency, Girma was invited to White House to celebrate 25 years of the Americans with Disability Act. She gave a speech about her journey, and she introduced President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change. She was 2016 Forbes Magazine 30 under 30 in Law & Policy. In 2014, Girma talked at TEDx Baltimore titled, “Why I work to remove access barrier for students with disability.” Girma continues to work and advocate effortlessly and compassionately for people with disabilities. Among her physical talents, Girma is a skilled Salsa dancer who enjoys rock climbing, surfing, kayaking, and cycling.
