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  • On the left is the book cover for Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. On the right is text: “San Francisco Bay Area, October 21, 11:00 AM, Foothill College, Appreciation Hall, 12345 El Monte Rd., Los Altos Hills, CA.”

    Haben Will be Speaking at Foothill College

    I’m excited to deliver a keynote for Foothill College’s Disability Awareness Month celebrations! Join us on Tuesday October 21 in Los Altos Hills, located near San Jose. The event is…

  • A group of people smiling together in front of a mural with a radiant sun. From left to right we have: Ajjara Ally wearing a leopard print dress and hijab, Rajab Mpilipili in a dark suit jacket over a checkered shirt, Monica Porter Gilbert kneeling beside Eric Harris who sits in a manual wheelchair, Haben Girma has one hand on his shoulder and the other holding her Seeing Eye dog’s leash, Vanessa Ochoa standing with her adult daughter Paris, and Gordon Byrnes wearing a dark shirt and glasses.

    Increasing Accessibility in Tanzania One Bank at a Time

    Blind people can’t handle money, explained the bank manager refusing to let young Rajab Mpilipili open an account. Rajab advocated for himself but the manager would not budge. So the…

  • A polished wood display shelf has a pedestal holding a stone-like bust of Louis Braille. He wears a calm expression with his eyes closed, his wavy hair cropped short, and a collared shirt under a coat. The pedestal has a QR code on it, though part of it is not visible.

    A French Hotel Celebrates Louis Braille

    A new hotel in France celebrates innovators, including Louis Braille! His bust appears in the lobby among other great innovators. The Ki Space Hotel & Spa, located near Mr. Braille’s…

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Author

The book cover shows Haben Girma in profile, confidently facing forward in a blue dress. The background is a warm red, and white text over the bottom half of the image says, ‘Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. Haben Girma.’

The New York Times, Oprah Magazine, and TODAY Show featured her best-selling book, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. The story takes readers on adventures around the world, including her parents’ homes in Eritrea and Ethiopia, building a school under the scorching Saharan sun, training with a guide dog in New Jersey, climbing an iceberg in Alaska, fighting for blind readers at a courthouse in Vermont, and talking with President Obama at The White House. Warm, funny, thoughtful, and uplifting, this captivating book is a testament to Haben’s determination to resist isolation and find the keys to connection.

Get the Book

Keynote Speaker

Choosing accessibility is not just about legal requirements, it’s also good business. Disabled people are the largest historically underrepresented group, numbering over one billion worldwide. Reaching a group of this scale creates value for everyone. Organizations that prioritize accessibility benefit by gaining access to a much larger audience, improving the experience for both disabled and nondisabled people, and facilitating further innovation. Haben explains in this article, originally published in the Financial Times, “People with disabilities drive innovation.”

A spellbinding speaker, her keynotes have touched the stages of Apple, Bottega Veneta, Disney, Gartner, Google, Microsoft, Oxford University, and many more. Her engaging presentations ignite audiences to make positive changes in their communities. TIME included her as a speaker in TIME100 Talks.

Contact our team with speaking requests or other inquiries. Email [email protected].

Haben talks with President Obama at the White House 25th Anniversary celebration of the ADA.
Haben and President Obama stand together at celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the ADA at the White House

What People Say About Haben

“Thank you so much, Haben, for that amazing introduction, and for working to make sure that students with disabilities get a world-class education, just like you have. So please give Haben a big round of applause.”

President Barack Obama

“She got out of Harvard, and you know what she’s doing? She is an advocate for opportunities for people with disabilities. Because in fact they have enormous ability, and all over the world that ability is going untapped, diminishing their lives and the rest of ours as well. So let’s give her a big round!”

President Bill Clinton

“I wish to take this opportunity, as well, to recognize you for your lifelong advocacy for people with disabilities, especially for the deaf-blind community. As a teacher and Prime Minister, I am particularly grateful for your work to ensure that students with disabilities have access to the tools they need to thrive at school and beyond. When our society is inclusive, we are all better off.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau