Human Rights Lawyer, Speaker & Author. Disability drives innovation. My book is titled Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law habengirma.com/book
My book is now in stores! The audiobook, too! Check your local bookstore or find it through habenbook.com. When you find it, let me know what you think! Haben The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law #Habenbook
My eyes move involuntarily, each one swinging to its own music. They’ve danced this way for as long as I can remember. I can’t see it myself, but the jeering kids let me know. The adults nudging me to wear sunglasses let me know. And trolls certainly let me know. Thread 1/5
Park rangers stop us every time. “No dogs allowed. You need to leave.” Their surprise upon learning it’s a real, actual Seeing Eye dog puzzles me. The Parks & Recreation Department trains them to identify coyotes and mountain lions, but not Seeing Eye dogs? 1/4
Because I'm blind, an airline is saying I have to sit alone. We booked side-by-side seats. But when they found out I'm blind, they separated us. They're claiming it's their policy 1/7 #RightsOnFlights
#DeafU, a Netflix show about #Deaf students at Gallaudet University, has zero Black Deaf woman. Nor does it have Deafblind or other multiply-disabled students. Mylo & I are disappointed.
Producers need to stop whitewashing the #disability experience. #DisabilityTooWhite
The lighthouse had their first blind visitor, and they turned it into an opportunity to search high and low for all the tactile experiences! They showed me the reserve light, the antique light, and they invited us to climb the stairs as high as we were comfortable going. 1/3
The #blind community has many stories of police glancing at our eyes & immediately assuming intoxication, illegal substance use, or criminal intent. Those of us who are blind and Black face the dual forces of #ableism and racism. #BlackDisabledLivesMatter 3/5
Our society criminalizes #disability. Countless books & films allege eyes reveal a person’s soul, then deliberately give the evil characters abnormal eyes. Not all of them, of course, but enough to influence the public’s perception of eyes like mine. #Ableism 2/5
3 main sighted reactions. Those who see my asymmetrical eyes and experience fear & discomfort. Others claim they don’t notice, insisting they see the person not the #disability. The third type of reaction, my preferred reaction, accepts the difference & strives to understand. 4/5
Another glorious disability rights win! The Los Angeles Community College District finally agreed to drop its appeal to the Supreme Court, saving civil rights protections for millions of disabled people. We did it! Congratulations!!! #a11y