NORTHWEST." HERE'S MARGARET LARSON.
>> GOOD MORNING, BUDDY.
WELCOME TO "NEW DAY NORTHWEST."
HABEN GIRMA IS OFTEN INTRODUCED
AS THE FIRST
DEAF-BLIND PERSON TO GRADUATE
FROM HARVARD LAW
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. HER STORY IS MUCH DEEPER,
FILLED WITH REMARKABLE
VICTIMS FROM SCALING ICEBERGS,
LEARNING TO SURF, AN
EXTRAORDINARY MOMENT WITH OBAMA
AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
HER NEW BOOK IS PART MEMBER WAR
AND PART ADVOCACY
FOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE
WITH DISABILITIES.
WITH DISABILITIES. HABEN GIRMA IS HERE WITH HER
DOG MY LOW AND HER
TRANSLATOR.
TRANSLATOR. GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> THANKS FOR WELCOMING ALL OF
US, INCLUDING MY LOW.
>> MY LOW IS SACKED OUT RIGHT
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. HE'S
NOW. HE'S HAVING A SLEEP.
HABEN, FIRST AFTER ALL, WOULD
YOU EXPLAIN HOW THE
THREE OF US ARE COMMUNICATING?.
>> I'M DEAF-BLIND.
I HAVE A LITTLE VISION AND
HEARING.
HEARING.
HEARING. DEAF BLINDNESS FRAMES THE ISSUE
IN TERMS OF TACTILE
INFORMATION, PRO TACTILE
PHILOSOPHY, AND TOUCH IS MY
STRONGEST SKILL.
STRONGEST SKILL. SO ALL MY IDENTIFY, I'VE BEEN
THINKING WHAT ARE MY
SKILLS TO BUILD CONNECTIONS
WITH PEOPLE.
WITH PEOPLE. I HAVE A DEVICE THAT CREATES
BRAILLE.
BRAILLE.
BRAILLE. ON THE BOTTOM ARE BRAILLE DOTS.
I'M RUNNING MY FINGERS OVER THE
DOTS TO FEEL THE
LETTERS, AND THIS IS CONNECTED
WIRELESSLY TO A
KEYBOARD, AND ROBERT IS TYPING
ON THE KEYBOARD.
I'M READING THE WORDS AS YOU
SPEAK, AND THIS IS A
WAY TO CONNECT THIS PEOPLE, TO
ACCESS MORE
ACCESS MORE INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. >> I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HEAR
HIGH-FREQUENCY SOUNDS,
HIGH-FREQUENCY SOUNDS, AND THAT THAT WAS PART OF YOUR
DEVELOPMENT OF
DEVELOPMENT OF SPEECH.
SPEECH.
SPEECH. CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW THAT WORKED
AS WELL?
AS WELL?
AS WELL? >> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. THERE ARE LOT OF DIFFERENT
KINDS OF HEARING LOSS.
I HAVE LOW-FREQUENCY LOSS, AND
SOME HIGH-FREQUENCY
SOME HIGH-FREQUENCY HEARING.
HEARING.
HEARING. SPEECH INTELLIGENCE IS AT THE
HIGH FREQUENCIES.
HIGH FREQUENCIES. SO IT WAS -- IT'S SLIGHTLY
EASIER FOR ME TO SPEAK
COMPARED TO MOST DEAF PEOPLE,
BECAUSE I CAN CATCH
SOME OF THE HIGH FREQUENCIES.
AND I'VE ALSO HAD LOT OF
LESSONS FROM TEACHERS,
VOICE COACHES, AND WORKING ON
MY PRONUNCIATION AND
SPEECH.
SPEECH.
SPEECH. >> SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I
LEARNED IS THAT THERE
IS A BIG VARIETY OF ABILITIES
WITHIN THE DEAF BLIND
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT SO WE CAN
ALL UNDERSTAND A BIT
BETTER?
BETTER?
BETTER? >> PEOPLE ARE ADAPTIVE AND
INNOVATIVE.
INNOVATIVE. WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR
SOLUTIONS TO CONNECT AND
ACCESS INFORMATION.
ACCESS INFORMATION. SOME PEOPLE USE VISUAL SIGN
LANGUAGE, USING WHATEVER
VISION THEY HAVE.
SOME PEOPLE CAN SEE IT CLOSE
UP, SOME WITHIN A
CERTAIN RANGE.
CERTAIN RANGE. OTHERS WILL USE TACTILE.
SO THEY'LL PUT THEIR HANDS OVER
THE PERSON'S HANDS,
AND FEEL THE SIGNS.
THEN THERE'S PRINT ON PALM,
WHERE YOU WRITE LETTERS
ON THE PALM.
THERE'S BRAILLE, WHICH I USE.
SO THE DEAF-BLIND COMMUNITY
USES LOT OF DIFFERENT
COMMUNICATION TOOLS.
COMMUNICATION TOOLS. >> TELL ME ABOUT YOUR GROWING
UP, YOUR RELATIONSHIP
WITH YOUR PARENTS, AND YOUR OWN
-- WHAT IS THE RIGHT
WORD?
WORD?
WORD? YOUR OWN GRAPPLING WITH HOW TO
USE TECHNOLOGY, YOUR
MIND SET, AND OTHER TOOLS TO
REACH BEYOND WHAT WERE
YOUR PHYSICAL CHALLENGES.
>> ON THE ONE HAND, MY PARENTS
WERE TELLING ME, YOU
CAN DO EVERYTHING.
NO BARRIER.
NO BARRIER. EVERYTHING NONDISABLED KIDS DO,
YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
TO DO.
TO DO.
TO DO. THERE WERE CERTAIN THINGS THEY
WANTED ME TO DO THAT
I DIDN'T WANT TO DO, LIKE HOUSE
CHORES.
CHORES.
CHORES. BUT THEY INSISTED, NO, YOU HAVE
TO DO HOUSE CHORES,
JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER KID.
IN ERITRAN CULTURE, A LOT OF
TIMES IT'S THE WOMEN
WHO DO THE COOKING, AND I
REALLY RESISTED COOKING,
BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO BE
FORCED TO DO GENDERED
ACTIVITY.
ACTIVITY.
ACTIVITY. SO I TOLD THEM, "I WILL DO
ACTIVITIES THAT THE GUYS
DO."
DO."
DO." AND
DO." AND MY MOM THOUGHT ABOUT IT,
LIKE, "OKAY.
LIKE, "OKAY. FOLLOW ME."
FOLLOW ME." SO SHE TOOK ME OVER TO A TABLE
WHERE MY UNCLES AND
OTHER MALE COUSINS WERE
WORKING, AND SHE SAID,
"JAVEN IS GOING TO JOIN YOU,"
AND I TOLD HER, "WAIT
A MINUTE.
A MINUTE.
A MINUTE. WHAT'S THAT SMELL?"
I SNIFFED THE AIR.
THERE WAS A REALLY ODD SMELL.
SHE SAYS, "THEY'RE CHOPPING
MEAT FOR THE STEW."
THE ONE TIME THE MEN WERE
COOKING SHE MAKES ME JOIN
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. SO
THEM. SO I SIT DOWN AND JOIN THEM.
THEY WERE CHOPPING A BULL
THAT'S RIGHT SLAUGHTERED
FOR A WEDDING.
SO I JOINED THEM.
BECAUSE MY PARENTS EXPECTED ME
TO DO EVERYTHING, I
COULD HANDLE KNIVES.
I REACHED INTO A PILE, USED A
KNIFE, USING MY HANDS
TO FEEL THE -- TO USE THE KNIFE
TO CUT THE PIECES.
ALL AROUND ME, THEY WERE
TALKING.
TALKING.
TALKING. I COULDN'T HEAR WHAT THEY WERE
SAYING, AND IT'S
ACTUALLY REALLY PEOPLE WHEN YOU
FEEL EXCLUSION
FEEL EXCLUSION WITHIN THEIR OWN FAMILY.
I COULD HEAR ENOUGH TO HEAR
THEY WERE TALKING AND
LAUGHING, BUT I COULDN'T CATCH
THE WORDS, AND I FELT
LEFT OUT AND EXCLUDED.
I HATE FEELING LEFT OUT.
I HATE EXCLUSION.
I HATE COOKING.
>> YOU WERE THE VALEDICTORIAN
AT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL,
CORRECT?
CORRECT?
CORRECT? >> I WAS VALEDICTORIAN IN HIGH
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. I
SCHOOL. I ACTUALLY DID NOT KNOW THE
TERM "VALEDICTORIAN."
TERM "VALEDICTORIAN." MY PARENTS CAME FROM ERITREAN,
ETHIOPIA, SO THERE
WERE A LOT OF THINGS IN
AMERICAN CULTURE WE DIDN'T
KNOW.
KNOW.
KNOW. I
KNOW. I KNEW I SHOULD WORK HARD IF I
WANTED TO HAVE
OPPORTUNITIES AFTER HIGH
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. SO I WORKED HARD, BUT I DIDN'T
KNOW PEOPLE WOULD BE
RECOGNIZED BY TITLES LIKE
VALEDICTORIAN.
VALEDICTORIAN. >> YOU WENT TO COLLEGE HERE IN
THE NORTHWEST,
THE NORTHWEST, CORRECT?
CORRECT?
CORRECT? ?
?
? >>
? >> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. I
>> YES. I WENT TO COLLEGE AT LOUIS AND
CLARK IN PORTLAND,
OREGON.
OREGON.
OREGON. >> AND WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO GO
TO LAW SCHOOL?
>> I'VE ENCOUNTERED SO MANY
BARRIERS, AND IT'S
FRUSTRATING.
FRUSTRATING. AT THE BEGINNING OF MY LIFE,
HIGH SCHOOL, I JUST
TOLERATED A LOT OF THE
BARRIERS.
BARRIERS.
BARRIERS. MAYBE THIS IS WHAT DISABLED
PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSED TO
DO, JUST ACCEPT WHAT WE'RE --
WHAT WE'RE OFFERED.
THEN THERE WAS AN INCIDENT AT
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE. LOUIS AND CLARK DID A FANTASTIC
JOB PROVIDING ME
ACCESS TO MY COURSE MATERIALS.
TEXTBOOKS WERE IN BRAILLE.
EXAMS WERE IN BRAILLE.
IT WAS JUST ONE PROBLEM.
THE CAFETERIA HAD A MENU, AND I
COULDN'T ACCESS THE
MENU.
MENU.
MENU. THERE WERE ABOUT SIX DIFFERENT
STATIONS.
STATIONS.
STATIONS. AS A VEGETARIAN, IT'S REALLY
FRUSTRATING TO NOT KNOW
WHAT THE FOOD CHOICES ARE.
I'D PICK A STATION AT RANDOM,
GET IN LINE, WAIT
NEARLY 20 MINUTES, GET FOOD,
TRY THE FOOD, AND
DISCOVERED AN UNPLEASANT
SURPRISE.
SURPRISE.
SURPRISE. IT WAS REALLY FRUSTRATING.
>> SO WHAT DID YOU DO?
>> I ASKED THE MANAGER TO
PROVIDE ACCESSIBLE MEN
USE, BRAILLE, POSTED ONLINE, E-
MAIL IT TO ME.
I HAVE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
THAT ALLOWS ME TO USE
E-MAIL AND WEB SITES, AND HE
SAID, "WE'RE TOO BUSY.
WE HAVE OVER 1,000 STUDENTS.
WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO DO THIS."
SO I SOLD RATED THE SITUATION
FOR SEVERAL MONTHS
UNTIL FINALLY I SAID, "I NEED
TO DO SOMETHING.
IF I DON'T DO ANYTHING, NOTHING
WILL CHANGE."
WILL CHANGE." DID RESEARCH, TALKED TO PEOPLE,
AND THEN WENT BACK
TO THE MANAGER AND SAID, "I'M
ACTUALLY NOT ASKING
YOU TO DO A FAVOR.
I'M ASKING YOU TO COMPLY WITH
THE LAW.
THE LAW.
THE LAW. IT'S REQUIRED UNDER THE
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES
ACT TO PROVIDE ACCESS FOR
STUDENTS WITH
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, AND IF YOU DON'T
PROVIDE ME ACCESS,
I'M GOING TO TAKE LEGAL
ACTION."
ACTION."
ACTION." >> AND THUS A LAW CAREER WAS
BORN?
BORN?
BORN? >>
BORN? >> AND A LAW CAREER WAS BORN.
AFTER THAT, THEY AGREED TO MAKE
THE MEN USE
ACCESSIBLE.
ACCESSIBLE. I STARTED GETTING ACCESS TO THE
CAFETERIA MENUS.
CAFETERIA MENUS. >> I'M ALL WITH YOU, BECAUSE
EATING IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING I DO ALL DAY
MOST DAYS.
MOST DAYS. LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
YOU'VE LEARNED TO SURF.
YOU'VE CLIMBED ON ICEBERGS.
YOU'VE SPOKEN WITH PRESIDENT
OBAMA, WHO I THOUGHT
GAVE A GREAT EXAMPLE BY TYPING
WITH YOU AND
PARTICIPATING IN THE TECHNOLOGY
THAT ALLOWS YOU TO
COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY.
COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY. MY QUESTION FOR YOU IS, HOW
DOES FEAR AND
PERSEVERANCE COME TOGETHER IN
YOUR LIFE?
YOUR LIFE? YOU MUST BE AFRAID OF SOME
THINGS, AND YET, YOU'RE
TERRIBLY FREE IN YOUR MIND TO
IMAGINE WAYS IN WHICH
YOU CAN DO THINGS THAT OTHERS
MIGHT NOT TRY TO DO
WITH NO PHYSICAL DISABILITY.
>> I WANTED TO GO TO MOLLY,
WEST AFRICA, TO HELP
BUILD A SCHOOL, AND MY PARENTS
WERE SCARED FOR MY
SAFETY.
SAFETY.
SAFETY. SO THEY TAPPED INTO ALL OF MY
FEARS.
FEARS.
FEARS. THEY TOLD ME THERE'S SNAKES,
YOU COULD GET MALARIA,
YOU COULD GET KIDNAPPED, AND
THESE ARE AFRICAN
PARENTS TRYING TO SCARE ME
ABOUT AFRICA.
ABOUT AFRICA. SO INSTEAD, I TOLD THEM, "YOU
KNOW WHAT?
KNOW WHAT? THERE ARE RISKS.
THERE ARE SNAKES IN CALIFORNIA.
THERE IS THE POTENTIAL TO RUN
INTO A SNAKE ANYWHERE.
I DON'T WANT TO STAY HOME OUT
OF FEAR THAT SOMETHING
WILL HAPPEN.
WILL HAPPEN. I WANT TO LIVE A LIFE OF
ADVENTURES.
ADVENTURES. WHEN I'M DEAF-BLIND, THE ONLY
WAY TO ACCESS THE
WORLD IS TO PHYSICALLY CONNECT
WITH IT.
WITH IT.
WITH IT. I'D RATHER GO DANCING RATHER
THAN SIT AT HOME AND
READ ABOUT DANCING.
SO -- IT'S CURIOSITY THAT
PUSHES ME TO KEEP SEEKING
NEW EXPERIENCES.
NEW EXPERIENCES. AND ALSO BEING INNOVATIVE AND
THOUGHTFUL IN TRYING
TO CREATE SOLUTIONS.
>> YOU'VE DONE A BEAUTIFUL JOB
WITH THAT.
WITH THAT. WE'RE LOOKING RIGHT NOW AT
VIDEOTAPE OF YOU SURFING,
AND I WONDER IF YOU MIGHT JUST
SAY A WORD TO OTHER
KIDS WHO ARE GROWING UP
ENCOUNTERING PHYSICAL
ENCOUNTERING PHYSICAL DISABILITIES OR CHALLENGES, AND
OFFER A WORD OF
ENCOURAGEMENT.
ENCOURAGEMENT. >> DON'T BE AFRAID OF BEING
DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT. CELEBRATE THE WAYS WE ARE
DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT. WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, MY GOAL WAS
TO BE COOL, AND IN
MIDDLE SCHOOL, WE'RE OFTEN TOLD
TO HIDE THE WAYS
WE'RE DIFFERENT.
WE'RE DIFFERENT. BUT THAT'S NOT HELPFUL.
FIND OUT YOUR STRENGTHS.
EMBRACE WHO YOU ARE, ACCEPT WHO
YOU ARE, AND IF YOU
HAVE QUESTIONS, PURSUE ANSWERS.
OFTEN OTHER PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES CAN HELP FIND
SOLUTIONS AND-MENTOR YOU
THROUGH THE PROCESS.
>> JAVEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
. I'M INSPIRED BY YOUR COURAGE,
AND I THINK A LOT OF
PEOPLE ARE.
PEOPLE ARE. I'M ALSO INSPIRED BY MILE'S
ABILITY SLEEP THROUGH
ANYTHING, APPARENTLY.
ANYTHING, APPARENTLY. THE EVENT IS FREE, AND OPEN TO
THE PUBLIC.
THE PUBLIC. HIGHLY RECOMMEND HER BOOK.
>>> WHEN "NEW DAY" CONTINUES
IT'S ANOTHER EPIC
GARDEN BATTLE BETWEEN