I get a daily news blurb from Katie Couric called the Wake-up Call. She recently wrote a small paragraph about a woman named Haben Girma, who was a child of refugees, black and deafblind. She graduated from Harvard Law School and has a web page here. I went to UIUC (top 10% of my class), got a Master’s in Special Education and went on to get a Certificate of Advanced Study in Technology in Education and it never occurred to me that I was capable of getting a law degree, much less from Harvard. This woman is amazing. I have a digital copy of her new memoir, called Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. She has some wonderful suggestions on her web site for making disability stories positive. I wrote last month about my friend Nancy, who was attacked by West Nile Virus in her 60s and has continued to live actively, even if she is in a wheelchair. This would be something Haben would like. I think it's true of those who work with the disabled, too.
Haben wants to see disabled people regarded as other-abled, like many teachers in special ed do. For years, people with learning disabilities were regarded with the term “Minimal Brain Dysfunction.” Now we know that learned disabled people are often very smart and creative. The same is true for those with autism. Previously regarded as cognitively impaired, we have learned that they can learn to read, use iPads for communication, and are very loving. The scientific community will continue to discover more talents of people with disabilities in the future.
Haben has some hearing in the upper ranges and her voice coach (which is what my daughter is!) helps her prepare speeches for TEDx and other speaking engagements. She helps writers prepare stories that frame the disabled in a positive way.
As a spoiled suburban girl brought up in a lower-middle class home with both parents, I was determined to not “settle” for any job. I wanted enough income to support three children and send them through college. That’s a pretty high bar these days, but I did it by ignoring people who were not interested in my abilities and judged my by my age, gender, and marital status. If my employer didn’t care that I could program a computer or at least choose software for my classroom, I found an employer that not only appreciated my skills, but hired me to teach them to others. My biggest discrimination hurdle came as I aged, but I was able to connect with others in my retirement and am still using those skills. That’s the message I take from Haben Girma. If you want to do something, don’t let culture stand in your way. Keep looking for avenues to express your talent. We are all needed and do our best when we are interdependent.
