Watch a deaf-blind Harvard Law-trained lawyer go surfing in California
“I’m not afraid to get in the water.’’
Graduating from Harvard Law School and learning to surf are accomplishments on their own. For Haben Girma, they’re especially notable.
Girma was the first-ever deaf-blind graduate of Harvard Law (in 2013) and recently rode the waves in California with a coach from the Maui Surf Academy, The Washington Post reports.
Of surfing, Girma told the Post, “It’s symbolic of all the possibilities that are out there. Success comes about through lots of failure, and I’m not afraid to fall. I’m not afraid to get in the water, try something new, look silly for a little bit.’’
Girma has also rock climbed and kayaked, according to the Post. She’s been a member of Disability Rights Advocates since her Harvard graduation and helped with a major legal victory in National Federation of the Blind v. Scribd. Girma was recently honored by the White House and gave a speech at the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act this past November.
“I had to show myself, because growing up [deaf and blind] there was a part of me that always wasn’t sure,’’ she told WUNC in a 2013 interview. “Can I really rock climb? Can I really go to college and get a job? There’s a social message that says people with disabilities can’t achieve, can’t succeed. … And growing up, I was struggling not to internalize [those messages], so I needed to convince myself and convince people. And now I need to do less of that.’’
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