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Haben Girma is a deafblind disability rights advocate who graduated from Harvard Law School and now works to advance accessibility and inclusion.
Haben Girma has delivered keynote speeches for Apple, sharing insights on accessibility and how differences drive innovation, touching the stages of many top companies.
Haben Girma has delivered keynote speeches for Bottega Veneta, sharing insights on accessibility and how differences drive innovation, touching the stages of many top companies.
Haben Girma has delivered keynote speeches for Disney, sharing insights on accessibility and how differences drive innovation, touching the stages of many top companies.
Haben Girma has delivered keynote speeches for Gartner, sharing insights on accessibility and how differences drive innovation, touching the stages of many top companies.
Haben Girma has delivered keynote speeches for Google, sharing insights on accessibility and how differences drive innovation, touching the stages of many top companies.
Haben Girma has delivered keynote speeches for Microsoft, sharing insights on accessibility and how differences drive innovation, touching the stages of many top companies.
Haben Girma has delivered keynote speeches for Oxford University, sharing insights on accessibility and how differences drive innovation, touching the stages of many top companies.
Haben Girma serves as an external consultant for Lenovo, working with them to develop more accessible, smarter technology products for all as their first Accessibility and Inclusion Advisor.
Haben Girma was born in Oakland, California, in 1988, to an Eritrean immigrant family. She experienced progressive vision and hearing loss from early childhood, retaining 1% of her sight. Growing up, Girma benefited from civil rights laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and accessible technology like a digital Braille device. After graduating from Skyline High School in 2006, she attended Lewis & Clark College, where she successfully advocated for accommodations in the school cafeteria, graduating magna cum laude in 2010. Girma then made history as the first deafblind student to attend and graduate from Harvard Law School in 2013, a significant milestone given early challenges with schools adapting to her accessibility needs.
Following her graduation from Harvard Law, Haben Girma joined Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) in Berkeley, California, as a Skadden Fellow in 2013, and later served as a staff attorney from 2015 to 2016. Her work at DRA focused on increasing access to digital information for people with disabilities. A notable case involved representing the National Federation of the Blind in a lawsuit against Scribd in 2014, leading to a landmark ruling that the Americans with Disabilities Act applied to online businesses. In 2016, Girma transitioned to full-time non-litigation advocacy, becoming an award-winning author, keynote speaker, and consultant. Her memoir, “Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law,” was released in 2019, sharing her personal journey and advocacy.
Throughout her career, Girma has continuously championed for inclusive design and equal opportunities for people with disabilities. She has delivered keynote speeches for major organizations such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Oxford University, emphasizing how disability drives innovation. Her advocacy extends to challenging accessibility barriers in various contexts, from TEDx talks not providing captions to influencing policy changes, such as the Texas State Board of Education’s decision to re-include Helen Keller in its curriculum. In 2015, she met with US President Barack Obama at the White House to discuss accessible technology, marking the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Girma’s dedication has earned her numerous accolades, including recognition as a Champion of Change by the Obama administration and inclusion in Forbes’ 30 Under 30.
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