Disability Rights Advocate To Share Remarkable Story Via Zoom

NEWTOWN, PA — The public is invited to a free online presentation by Haben Girma, a disability rights advocate and the first deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, live at 11 a.m. Tuesday, September 27.

Presented by the Bucks County Community College, Girma will discuss how disability is an opportunity for innovation, and inclusion is a choice.

Among her numerous accolades, President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change. She received the Helen Keller Achievement Award, a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and TIME100 Talks. President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Chancellor Angela Merkel have all honored her.

The author of “Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law” was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, where she currently lives. Her memoir 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, and fighting for blind readers at a courthouse in Vermont.

Her captivating book is a testament to Girma’s determination to resist isolation and find the keys to connection. Learn more at HabenGirma.com.

“Haben is a woman of many talents who persists, no matter what challenges face her, and she does this with grace and humor,” said Jennifer Osinski, director of the accessibility office at Bucks County Community College. “She is an example, for all students, to embrace education and persevere, no matter what challenges or obstacles they may face.”

The presentation, cosponsored by the college’s Accessibility Office and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, takes place on Zoom at 11 a.m. Tuesday, September 27. The event is free, but registration is required at tinyurl.com/HabenGirmaSpeaks.

The Accessibility Office’s mission is to assist in securing access to an equal education at Bucks County Community College for students with documented disabilities; to encourage an environment of diversity through awareness and education; and to foster campus-wide ownership of accessibility. To learn more, visit bucks.edu/accessibility or email accessibility@bucks.edu.