--- title: "Haben Girma: Helen Keller In the Digital Age" description: Deafblind advocate and activist Haben Girma wants the energy industry to include the voices of people with disabilities for true inclusion and innovation. image: https://www.allyenergy.com/hubfs/Haben%20Girma.jpg --- - [BUILD WITH US](https://www.allyenergy.com/work-with-us) - [GALLERY](http://ally.photos) [![Company logo](https://www.allyenergy.com/hubfs/MJTW%20Assets/logos/ally-energy-logo-2.svg)](https://www.allyenergy.com/) - [ABOUT](https://www.allyenergy.com/about) - [INSIGHTS](https://www.allyenergy.com/resources) - OUR BUILDS - [Houston Energy & Climate Week](http://www.climateweekhouston.com) - [Energy Workforce of the Future](https://www.energyworkforceofthefuture.com/) - [The GRIT Awards & Best Energy Workplaces](https://www.allyenergy.com/2025-grit-awards-best-energy-workplaces-finalists) - [Energy Capital Markets Day on Wall Street](https://www.allyenergy.com/ally-tcs-worley-new-york-marathon-team) - [THE BEE SUITE™](http://www.thebeesuite.com) - [THE ASK](https://www.allyenergy.com/the-ask) - [PRESS](https://www.allyenergy.com/about/press) [Call +1 281-741-5482](tel:+12817415482) - [ABOUT](https://www.allyenergy.com/about) - [INSIGHTS](https://www.allyenergy.com/resources) - OUR BUILDS - [Houston Energy & Climate Week](http://www.climateweekhouston.com) - [Energy Workforce of the Future](https://www.energyworkforceofthefuture.com/) - [The GRIT Awards & Best Energy Workplaces](https://www.allyenergy.com/2025-grit-awards-best-energy-workplaces-finalists) - [Energy Capital Markets Day on Wall Street](https://www.allyenergy.com/ally-tcs-worley-new-york-marathon-team) - [THE BEE SUITE™](http://www.thebeesuite.com) - [THE ASK](https://www.allyenergy.com/the-ask) - [PRESS](https://www.allyenergy.com/about/press) - [BUILD WITH US](https://www.allyenergy.com/work-with-us) - [GALLERY](http://ally.photos) [ALLY](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog) - [Career Search](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/career-search) - [Change & Resilience](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/change-resilience) - [Climate & Sustainability](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/climate-sustainability) - [Creativity & Originality Initiative](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/creativity-originality-initiative) - More - [Critical Thinking & Analysis](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/critical-thinking-analysis) - [Digital](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/digital) - [Diversity, Equity & Inclusion](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/diversity-equity-inclusion) - [Emotional Intelligence](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/emotional-intelligence) - [Energy Insights](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/energy-insights) - [Entrepreneurship Intrapreneurship](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/entrepreneurship-intrapreneurship) - [Explore ESG](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/explore-esg) - [Female Execs of Climate Tech](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/female-execs-of-climate-tech) - [Financial Skills](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/financial-skills) - [GRIT](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/grit) - [Giving Back](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/giving-back) - [Grit Awards](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/grit-awards) - [Growth change challenge leadership](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/growth-change-challenge-leadership) - [Inspiration](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/inspiration) - [Leadership](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/leadership) - [Marathon](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/marathon) - [Member Insights](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/member-insights) - [Negotiation](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/negotiation) - [Parenting & Family](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/parenting-family) - [Problem Solving & Ideation](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/problem-solving-ideation) - [Race in the Workplace](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/race-in-the-workplace) - [Recognition](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/recognition) - [Relationships, Conflict, Power and Office Politics](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/relationships-conflict-power-and-office-politics) - [Running](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/running) - [Social Influence](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/social-influence) - [Storytelling & Personal Branding](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/storytelling-personal-branding) - [The Voices Of Energy](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/the-voices-of-energy) - [Uncategorized](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/uncategorized) - [Wellbeing & Self Care](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/wellbeing-self-care) - [Workforce Development](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/tag/workforce-development) Subscribe Select blog topic Career Search Change & Resilience Climate & Sustainability Creativity & Originality Initiative Critical Thinking & Analysis Digital Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Emotional Intelligence Energy Insights Entrepreneurship Intrapreneurship Explore ESG Female Execs of Climate Tech Financial Skills GRIT Giving Back Grit Awards Growth change challenge leadership Inspiration Leadership Marathon Member Insights Negotiation Parenting & Family Problem Solving & Ideation Race in the Workplace Recognition Relationships, Conflict, Power and Office Politics Running Social Influence Storytelling & Personal Branding The Voices Of Energy Uncategorized Wellbeing & Self Care Workforce Development # Haben Girma: Helen Keller In the Digital Age Written by: [ALLY Energy](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/author/ally) - [Share](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.allyenergy.com%2Fblog%2Fhaben-girma) - [Share](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.allyenergy.com%2Fblog%2Fhaben-girma&title=Haben%20Girma%3A%20Helen%20Keller%20In%20the%20Digital%20Age&summary=Deafblind+advocate+and+activist+Haben+Girma+wants+the+energy+industry+to+include+the+voices+of+people+with+disabilities+for+true+inclusion+and+innovation.&source=) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/home?status=Haben+Girma%3A+Helen+Keller+In+the+Digital+Age%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.allyenergy.com%2Fblog%2Fhaben-girma) - [Watch](https://vimeo.com/allyenergy) ![](https://www.allyenergy.com/hubfs/Haben%20Girma.jpg) ## Advocate and Activist Haben Girma Muse, incentive, influence, motivation. These are all synonyms for “inspiration” and disability advocate and activist **Haben Girma** asks that we (particularly the media) learn to use them instead of the trite, clichéd “inspiration.” Certainly her myriad of accomplishments – surfing the waves in California where she was born and raised; helping build a school in Mali; graduating from Harvard Law School (‘13) – are enough to strike awe in anyone. Haben, 31, doesn’t believe being born Deafblind (her preferred spelling because “it’s a cultural identity”) should prevent her from pursuing the life she wants. There are over one billion disabled people, comprising the world’s largest minority, and our communities miss out on this immense talent pool when we don’t choose **inclusion**. Haben’s mother, Saba, who fled the war in Eritrea as a 16-year old refugee, spending three weeks making the dangerous trek on foot to Sudan (and eventually finding her way to the US with the help of a Catholic aid agency), motivates Haben to “have courage and go on my own adventures.” ## Conquering Barriers Haben has discovered one of the greatest barriers facing people with disabilities is *ableism*, the belief that people with disabilities are inferior to the nondisabled. It’s when communities remove ableism that Haben feels most included, such as climbing an iceberg in Alaska with friends. She describes her many exciting adventures in her new book titled: [*Haben The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law*](https://habengirma.com/book/). However, it was something as simple as trying to find out what was on the college lunch menu, which was only available in printed form and therefore not accessible to Haben or other blind students, that led her to become **an advocate** for others who might not be aware of what they are entitled to under the [1990 Americans with Disabilities Act](https://adata.org/factsheet/ADA-overview), a civil rights law which “prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life.” **The same lessons Haben has learned as part of the world’s largest minority can be applied to women and other non-dominant members in male-dominated industries, such as [energy](http://wordpress-486397-1568073.cloudwaysapps.com/about-us/)**: teach people what you need, develop self-advocacy skills, and know your rights so that your requests are not viewed as special treatment, but simply compliance with laws that are in place to ensure equality for everyone. ## An Opportunity for Innovation Haben, who communicates through an electronic keyboard which sends the writer’s comments to her via a braille keyboard, knows firsthand how **access to the right tools**, particularly technology, opened doors for her and eventually led to the distinction of becoming Harvard Law School’s first Deafblind graduate. As industry enters [Energy 2.0](http://wordpress-486397-1568073.cloudwaysapps.com/equality-environment-and-economy/) and the world as a whole becomes more digitized, this access is critically important for the disabled. As she told President Obama in 2015 at the White House celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), > “Technology can bridge the gap for people with disabilities and, as Internet services open more opportunities for people, we’re going to see more people with disabilities employed and succeeding.” That sends **a powerful message to the energy industry** – and any other sector – seeking an innovative and [inclusive workforce](https://www.pinkpetro.com/inclusion-and-empathy-busts-silos-and-drives-the-next-era-of-energy/). Haben does not see disability as something to be overcome, but rather one of the many facets of human diversity that can be used to **build a better world**. It is her belief that all obstacles, whether physical or psychological or technological, are created by humans and we each have a responsibility to remove those barriers that hold back others and ourselves. Just as women have long struggled to have their voices heard in male-dominated industries, Haben wants [the energy industry to include the voices of people](https://www.pinkpetro.com/how-to-rock-your-workplace-equality-program/) with disabilities. Haben believes disabilities are part of the human experience, and an opportunity to develop new solutions. > “I teach people to view disability as an opportunity for innovation.” ![Haben Girma keynote speaker for 2019 Experience Energy GRIT Awards and Best Energy Workplaces](https://static.hsstatic.net/BlogImporterAssetsUI/ex/missing-image.png) ##### *Haben Girma is the keynote speaker for the* ##### *[Experience Energy™ 2019 GRIT Awards℠  and the Best Energy Workplaces℠](http://wordpress-486397-1568073.cloudwaysapps.com/grit-awards/).* ##### *[Reserve your table](https://experienceenergy.regfox.com/GRIT2019) or [become a sponsor today](http://wordpress-486397-1568073.cloudwaysapps.com/2019-grit-awards-sponsors/).* ## Related Posts [![The energy workforce is on the verge of a transformation](https://www.allyenergy.com/hubfs/Gathering.png) The energy workforce is on the verge of a transformation Katie Mehnert](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/hiring-in-the-energy-workforce) [![Blazing a Path Forward to Inclusive Leadership](https://www.allyenergy.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Untitled-design-7-p33qkyqlpq65w6to9x9rxzygwk6ay23jxa8101em4o.png) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Blazing a Path Forward to Inclusive Leadership Rhoda Shapiro](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/blazing-a-path-forward-to-inclusive-leadership) [![Washington is Bullish on Equity in Energy](https://www.allyenergy.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Director-James-Campos-e1600278344570-p2shg048igghsgam7hsksgo6hnlezst80fc236o9l4.png) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Washington is Bullish on Equity in Energy ![](https://www.allyenergy.com/hubfs/Blog%20Authors/ally_one.jpeg) ALLY](https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/washington-is-bullish-on-equity-in-energy) ### Subscribe Here! [![ALLY Energy](https://www.allyenergy.com/hubfs/MJTW%20Assets/logos/ally-energy-logo-on-dark.svg)](https://www.allyenergy.com/) Unleashing the next generation of builders and difference makers. 801 Travis Street, Ste 2101 PMB 1589 Houston, Texas 77002 [+1 281-741-5482](tel:+12817415482) - [About](https://www.allyenergy.com/about) - [Our Press](https://www.allyenergy.com/about/press) - [Our Philanthropy](http://www.alliesinenergy.org) ©2026 ALLY Energy. All rights reserved. - [Help](https://www.allyenergy.com/help) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.allyenergy.com/privacy-policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "ALLY Energy", "url" : "https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/author/ally" }, "dateModified" : "2022-10-27T22:29:12.931Z", "datePublished" : "2019-09-02T02:07:05.000Z", "headline" : "Haben Girma: Helen Keller In the Digital Age", "image" : [ "https://www.allyenergy.com/hubfs/Haben%20Girma.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.allyenergy.com/blog/haben-girma", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.allyenergy.com/hubfs/MJTW%20Assets/logos/ally-energy-logo-2.svg" }, "name" : "ALLY Energy " } } ```