Deafblind Lawyer Haben Girma: It's Important to Think about Accessibility All Year

Haben Girma, the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, advocates for people to celebrate her community and take action for accessibility for more than a month. Girma is an author, public speaker, and human rights lawyer advancing disability justice. “Disabled people are talented. Disabled people deserve dignity and respect. I know this, you know this, but a lot of our policies and designs have not been inclusive of disabled people,” she told MAKERS. Disability Pride Month is designated to honor the history, achievements, and experiences of people with disabilities.

“Sometimes you ask people, you teach people, and they still refuse. That's where the Americans with Disabilities Act comes in. It is tremendous and powerful to have a civil rights law that protects our dignity, our right to live and be in the world. We celebrate the ADA… But it's also important to think about accessibility all year round.”

July 26 is the anniversary of the American Disabilities Act (ADA), a defining piece of legislation prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, public services, public accommodations, telecommunications, and other instances. Before its passing in 1990, individuals and organizations fought for their civil rights in different ways, from sit-ins in San Francisco led by activist Judy Heumann to the “Capitol Crawl,” where members of the Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transit crawled up the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. to push for the signing of the ADA.

What disability means today

The definition of disability has expanded since the ADA became law. Initially, this expansion stemmed from Supreme Court decisions in 1999 that critics believed limited the law’s scope, resulting in amendments to the legislation that broadened its interpretation and made it easier for an individual to seek protection. Expanding what disability means can release the pressure on people with disabilities to prove to others that they need accommodations and give direction to what needs to change. “There is this myth out there that disabled people need to overcome their disability,” said Girma. “And there's a lot of pressure on disabled people to be the ones to change our environment to make it more accessible when, in fact, a lot of the time, it's the environment that needs to change.”

Why employers should make accessibility a priority

“Another definition for disability is that it's a mismatch between one's body and mind and the environment,” said Girma. Policies like web accessibility standards across all platforms, including social media, and flexible remote work are often mentioned as essential to creating more opportunities for people with disabilities to work and access information. “We need more managers, leaders taking the initiative to review what are the barriers here at our workplace,” Girma observed. “And then doing the work to remove the barriers to create a more accessible workplace.” In the Future of Jobs Report 2023, the World Economic Forum suggested that almost a quarter of jobs will change in the next five years, with a shift towards technology adoption and increasing digitization that could be influential in setting accessibility standards.

Amplifying the disability community

Girma wants society to think about disability enthusiastically and positively: “[S]ay the word ‘disabled.’ If you are worried about the stigma, bringing pride into that word will get rid of the stigma. Address the stigma. Embrace the word.” In her interview with MAKERS, Girma also shared the supports she currently uses for her limited vision and hearing, including a Braille device and a guide dog. She encouraged others to meet people with disabilities where they are by adapting their communication and designing accessible products for school, work, and daily life.

“Humans want to communicate. We all want community. So what we need to do as a community is to figure out what does someone need? Listen to what they're telling you, what they need, and then make the changes to meet them.”

Written by Angelica Arnold, MAKERS Community Manager