Helen Keller Achievement Award Winner Haben Girma—the first deaf blind person to graduate from Harvard Law School— Delivered Keynote Address at the 2022 Inclusive Africa Conference.  

Nairobi – Haben Girma, an American disability rights lawyer of Eritrean descent gave a keynote address on Day 1 of theInclusive Africa Conference on May 25th in Nairobi, Kenya. Haben is the first deaf blind person to graduate from Harvard Law School and is a respected advocate for equal opportunities for people with disabilities. She received the Helen Keller Achievement Award, and her bestselling book Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law  was featured in the New York Times, Oprah Magazine, and the Today Show.  

The 2022 conference was sponsored by Mastercard Foundation, Google, Meta and Microsoft. Over 200 in-person delegates, from across the globe attended the event, while thousands more participated remotely via a virtual event that was live-streamed, and in attendance at watch parties across Africa. Registration was required to attend.

“inABLE was founded on the principle that disability is not inability, and Haben Girma is a brilliant role model”, explains Irene Mbari-Kirika, Founder & Executive Director. “Haben is a highly decorated speaker who has been honored by some of the most prominent leaders in the world, including; President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Chancellor Angela Merkel, and President Barack Obama ,who named her a White House Champion of Change”

The Inclusive Africa Conferences included the historic launch of the first-ever National ICT Accessibility Standard for products and services in Africa, followed by two days of high-level discussions led by over 30 global leaders from Mastercard Foundation, Google, Meta, Microsoft, LinkedIn, as well as music superstar Cobhams Asuquo.

To learn more about the Inclusive Africa Conference agenda, 2022-speaker faculty, and to register go to https://www.inclusiveafrica.org/