hope that helps with other scholars like yourself to really build the movement. >> host: i have the same hope. thank you. >> guest: thank you. >> host: now on booktv we want to introduce you. what kind of law do you practice

>> guest: i'm focused on using my skills to advance people with disabilities. >> host: why did you choose the type of law? >> guest: i was born deaf blind and when we ask for accommodations, a lot of society refuses that ability to get a better education and go and get a job. the law is to create change and

i wanted to create change for people with disabilities. my own story inspired me to become an attorney. >> host: here is her book the deaf blind woman who conquered harvard law. first deaf blind person to graduate from harvard, is that correct, from harvard law school? >> guest: >> host: what was that experience like? >> guest: we had a lot of unknowns. i couldn't reach out to another deaf blind harvard graduate and ask them how did you do this, how did you do your arguments, how did you take exams? i have t had to figure a lot of. it started way back in elementary school when i had to

learn to advocate for my needs and navigate the school system. the early chapters in my book it's an experience where a teacher told me i was failing class and this was middle school. i was extremely surprised because i did all of my assignments. how could i be failing when i'm doing all of the assignments? i investigated what was going on. i talked to the mainstream teacher and this was a middle school in oakland, california. the mainstream public school. taking class with non- disabled students, so not a specialized school. after the teacher for the blind talk to the teacher they realized the teacher was writing assignments on the board and i wasn't seeing it so i was

missing homework because i didn't see that it was assigned. sometimes the instructor would read the assignment in the back of the room i wouldn't hear him and i didn't know that it was being assigned. so i realized i wouldn't be successful. i have to go to be a student and i don't teach or advocate. that is when things change. i started checking on what are the strategies if i can't see or hear the assignments. i would go to the teacher after every class and ask what did i miss, but assignments are there, and i would continue doing that through high school. i started getting straight a's when i took responsibilities and education. the school was more accessible

than most schools. most schools throughout the united states and even provide blind students -- if they didn't hear the assignment they missed out on the opportunity to stay on top of classes in this type of barriers forced students to fall behind, which then affects their ability to get good grades and get a job later. succumb even though i had barriers at my school, i was getting more opportunities than most students. once i have advocacy skills i could start which then helps me to go on to college and law school. when i faced those i have advocacy skills to fall on to ensure that i have access to reading materials in all aspects of the program.

>> host: at what point in your life were you aware that you so and heard things differently than the majority of people? >> guest: that's a good question. i was born deaf blind. it is of a spectrum. even though i have limited vision and hearing when i was younger i had more than i do now. now. slowly deteriorated over time and probably will continue to deteriorate over time. i just adapt and come up with solution to access what i need. when did i notice? i don't have an exact date. but when i was in middle school, i remember i was surprised that i was missing information. i didn't realize that the

teacher was writing on the board and i was missing stuff or that he was saying things and in the back of the room i was missing information. i kind of assumed the way that i experience the world was how most kids and adults experience the world. so when i had that meeting with one of my teachers, the teacher for the blind into the mainstream feature that i teachn i started to realize how i experience the world is different than others. other students could just go to school and expect the teachers to teach them. i couldn't do that. i have to think about what life might be missing. what are the potential was here. how can i find those unknowns and had there been this process to figure them out and come up with solution, a lot of detective work. >> host: from your book, you

write "the blind community has horror stories of blind kids who never contribute around the house because their parents told them they can't. my parents expect me to do chores, and i do." >> guest: that's true. the truth is as a kid, i didn't want to do chores. what kid wants to do chores? my parents still expected me to do chores, so i learned to do chores in nontraditional technique for everything from vacuuming doing dishes. other parents are like you can't do that if you are the wind beneath the blind. that kid grows up into an adult and never develops independent

skills. that is extremely limiting. so it is important for parents to encourage their kids to participate around the house if you are not sure how, do research to help you come up with solutions for how to do activities with your child in an accessible format. my parents had high expectations that they werbut they were alsoo protective. there was something they wanted to travel to sout south africa d help build a schoohelped build y parents let me know. i told them it's in africa. my dad grew up in ethiopia, how could they tell me that isn't safe?

they were responding as parents wanting to protect their child from the unknown. how can you build a school if you can't see? i told them the other american students also don't know how to build a school. we will learn together and figure it out and they still said no. i was frustrated, but i didn't give up. i told them i could do this activity and they didn't believe me. it's not outside of that experience i brought him an ally. i went to the program manager for the program that takes kids to developing countries to help the public schools. the organization we sat down for

lunch and they expressed their fears and they were able to address them and ask how can she build a school if she can't see into the program manager insert i don't know that she will find a way and figure it out. it's okay if you don't have an answer as long as you try, as long as you go out there, pick up a shovel and start digging, you will find the strategies, techniques. and when i went to build the school, we did find alternative techniques. i knew how to handle a shovel, how to dig, move sticks and move those activities. even holding the latrine. after that, when i came back to

the united states, my parents felt more confident about my abilities. they still have fears that all parents have fears and a desire to keep your child safe at home and we continue to have that struggle. even now there is still a little bit of that struggle of them wanting to keep me safe and he wanting to explore the world. >> host: we are sitting here in a bright studio with lots of lights on. what do you hear or see right now, what are the images or the sound? >> guest: it's hard to explain. i've never had money/20 vision, so i don't know if you are experienced. what do you see?

>> host: i think i see everything. my vision is 2020 so i can see your face and hands typing and we will explain why claire is here in just a moment. but is it opaque, is that a term that works for you, are you aware of lights, let's put it that way. >> guest: i can answer that question, yes. i can tell when the lights are on and off. i can sometimes see the outlines of objects. if someone is really close to me i can see them. i can't see you at the moment but if you were closer, i would see the outline of you but not

details like ias or facial expression. >> host: can you understand any of my words at this point? you write in a book about being able to hear how your tones rather than lower tones of voice. >> guest: i can hear a little bit of high frequencies. i can tell when someone is speaking bu that i can't catch their word, so i don't know what you're saying until the caption or types what you are saying on the computer that is connected to my computer. my fingers run over the dots on our machine and i'm able to know

what you are saying. >> host: you also have another assistant that is here with you. who is that? >> guest: that is my -- milo, my seeing-eye dog. he was trained in morristown, new jersey. >> host: he is your second dog? >> guest: hdog? >> guest: he is. my first dog who i talk about in my book, there's a chapter in my book where i talk about what it was like to train with a dog. if you want to have a good relationship, whether with an animal or a human being, you need to invest in that relationship. so, i stepped away from college on the stepped away from the family and was focused on

developing relationships. i was a stranger to her and she was a stream or to me. we didn't understand each other. sometimes she would walk me into chairs, not understand. but we have to work on our relationship, and over time we learned to understand each other so that only improved dramatically. the more we work together traveling all over the country when i graduated from college, when i was climbing in alaska, and when i went to law school at harvard, he wa was there by my e during my classes looking across the stage. last year she passed away from

cancer and it was really, really hard to lose a partner, not just as a dog but the part that was by my side through so many big moments. >> host: you talk about the techniques that you use used anm was you lift your toes when you are walking with the dog. how does that change how di you walk? >> guest: you are a very observant reader. that is a flawed detail in my book that you picked it up. throughout my life we came up with strategies to help the see the world. one strategy is i like wearing flashings so i can see the environment more easily when i'm

walking, carpet, pavement, i can feel that through my shoes because i wear flat shoes. i also point my toes upwards so that if i did smash against something is easier to maintain balance with your toes slightly pointed upward. i rarely fall because i have to balance, partly because of the way that i walk and also because i am a dancer. it puts you to develop very good balance. >> host: let's talk about lewis and clark college in frone of your advocacy is. >> guest: that's a good one. one of my favorite chapters is my time if lewis and clark college in portland oregon.

it's a small liberal arts college that did a fantastic job providing access to my classes. i had all of the materials. my textbooks, exams. everything was going well in my classes. there was just one issue. the cafeteria. in the cafeteria, they had six different food stations. i couldn't read the menu. point this wasn't the problem. the problem was the format of the menu. so i went to the manager and asked can you make the menu accessible or post it online?

i have something called the screen reader that will work with websites or e-mails in accessible formats like digital braille and the manager told me we have over a thousand students, we don't really have time for these services. the first few months i tolerated the situation. i told myself at least i have food. at least i'm getting my textbooks in my classes. at least i'm getting an education. sometimes we compare ourselves and tell ourselves someone else has it worse at least you don't have as bad as someone else. but thawith that kind of thinkis not helpful. constantly comparing.

i realized if i wanted the system to change, i had to do some thing so i researched the americans with disabilities act and i talked to advocates and told the university and food service cafeteria they had a legal obligation to make the menu accessible for people with disabilities if they don't i will pursue legal action. i had no idea how i would do that. i couldn't afford a lawyer. now i know there are nonprofit legal centers to help students with his abilities. but back then i didn't know that i just knew i ha that i had to o do something. and in this case, the next day the manager apologized and

promised me to make them accessible. they started to read the menus. it's much easier to eat vegetarian when you know what the foodfoods are in which state serving a digit. neil. finally i could more easily eat the budget. it'if life became delicious. a new blind student came to the college and didn't have to fight for access to the menus. he had an immediate access. when i advocate i am removing them for the entire communities. that inspired me to continue advocating for people with disabilities. >> host: your book is written in a series of vignettes. why did you choose the model?

>> guest: i didn't want to lecture to people. no one wants to be lectured at. each story teaches us some thing about a set of beliefs people with disabilities are inferior to the non- disabled. it teaches societies who we are so they help identify and in the book there is an accessibility guide if you feel inspired and moved to take steps to remove accessibility and inspired to take steps to remove barriers to

the accessibility guide can he help. >> host: what is your reaction if somebody tells you you are an inspiration to the? >> guest: i told them what are you inspired to? coast code that isn't a word you like, is that? >> guest: it really depends on how people use it. i am an advocate. my goal is to teach people about accessibility. so i ask people what do you me

mean. it's used often for people with disabilities not doing anything productive, so we don't ask people be aware of what you're actually saying. try to use a different word. ask yourself what you are really feeling before you use a word. >> host: you write your book that only 10% of blind people can read braille and 70% are unemployed. >> guest: only about 10% of the blind community reads braille because a lot of teachers are not teaching braille. there's an assumption they can just listen to books on tape or

listen to information on their computers is the assumption. but if people don't learn braille they don't develop a literacy. it's important to note how sentences are form. if you only listen to stories once upon a time is one word. it's important for people to learn braille and make sure they are teaching you and we can ensure that they teach braille to adults because it is a very powerful tool to connect with the world and access to information especially when it comes to employment they have an

advantage over non- braille. about 70% of the community experiences unemployment and that's because a lot of employers assume they can't do lots of different tasks. when i was in college i wanted to get a summer job just like so many other college students who want to get a summer job i and a friend of mine told me i know a place where there are a lot of summer jobs, alaska. so i said okay let's go to alaska and he was right, there were a lot of summer jobs in alaska. i applie played for a lot of jod employers would see my resume and get excited.

i had really good grades in college, lots of volunteer experiences so employers would get excited about my resume that once they met me for the interview, they realized i had a disability and they would come up with all kinds of excuses. we just filled that position. we are looking for something different. that was incredibly frustrating. people told me work hard and you will be successful. i worked hard and they still face barriers. working hard alone is not enough. employers need to remove barriers. eventually after a long search, i found an employer that was inclusive. it was at a small gym in alaska

and my responsibility was to be responsible for the cash register make sure that changing the cleaning rooms. one day a woman walked in and told me one of the treadmills is not working. i followed her to one of them and tried hitting the on button and it would work. i tried the other buttons and it wouldn't work. i filled from top to bottom and on the bottom there was a switch. i flipped the switch and it came to life. the lady told me my goodness i didn't see that switch. i told her i didn't see it either. sometimes nonvisual techniques are equal in value. >> host: just to go back to that story, was you're hearing

better at that time that you could understand tha the woman speaking to you? >> guest: yes. i could hear more back then. i was still fast. it is of a spectrum. if someone was close to me i could understand them. >> host: earlier when i spoke to you you couldn't hear m couln claire spoke to you you could hear her very clearly or more clearly. >> guest: she has guest co. shey higher place than you do. she is a little easier to hear. i still don't hear her very we

well. if you describe yourself in the book as ultra- visible and invisible. >> guest: is located. i stand out with a guide dog in a funny computer, so people see me, but at the same time, they don't see me because they see all the stereotypes of blindne blindness. they see the blind beggars that we often see in the media and all the stereotypes of deaf people. for so long those terms have gone together and assume that they are less intelligence which isn't fair. i want a society to chang chango

different if those assumptions. let's move away from that model and start seeing a people with disabilities as talented, valuable contributions to society. >> host: you arrived here by yourself with milo. what is your system if you've never been to this building what is your system for arriving? >> guest: way of have a system called structured discovery which means you use your skills. when i was in high school then after high school i received a lot of training from professionals that taught me how to navigate the spaces tha spaci

never experienced before. a lot of them have patterns. sidewalks, streets, buildings so when i arrived here, milo and i moved through the lobby until we found a reception area and one of the staff members help identify a seating area to help communicate with the staff members. >> host: is this a full-time job for you? >> no. but im a caption or so i caption tv, college classes, plays, musical sporting events and for

the deaf and hard of hearing. i have been doing it for three years. >> host: is this syste system, d this is a question for haban, is this something that you came up with, or who invented what we are doing here? >> guest: this is a braille computer and it's been around since about the 1980s, but they didn't have bluetooth. this model came out with bluetooth and i started asking myself what it be possible to connect it to a keyboard and if i connected it with a keyboard thacould i better communicate wh people. it is my strongest way to communicate. i also know some sign language. i am not fluent, and most hearing people don't know sign

language. most hearing people can type. a if i had someone with a keyboard they will most likely be able to type. i spent time looking for different keyboards, testing it with a computer to try to find out which ones work, which ones are most portable and resilience because you have to have them in all kinds of environments. sometimes people accidentally spill things were droppings. so i carry a keyboard and also a backup one just in case. >> host: you tell the story in your book about the party after your first semester of law school.

>> guest: i've avoided loud noises and parties i have no way to communicate. then in 2010 but before i started law school, i found this system and i started using it in different environments. at the end of my first semester in law school, several of my classmates got together to celebrate the end of classes. when i arrived, i was extremely nervous because i wasn't sure how it would work and how i could communicate it and it was done very well. people strain their voices to be heard and understood.

my classmates enjoyed the opportunity to rest their voices and to just type. they didn't have to shout to communicate with me. they could just type and i would be able to read a. then the words turned to gibberish and i couldn't understand. i asked myself what would i i wt i expect so i offered to walk him home. we were struggling to communicate but really admired my seeing-eye dog. i was able to convince them to help guide and follow us home. he kept trying to go the wrong direction and i had to keep

reminding him follow maxine to help you get home. >> host: you write in your book the world is a steaming sensory stew. >> guest: there is always something going on. constantly experience it. it's really important to be able to focus and be present. there are so many things you can experience and feel. i find patch is a skilled and ability but different levels of

intelligence some people are really good at picking up environmental information through skin. if somebody walks by me i can feel the air change as they walked by. there are signals you can pick up if you pay attention to touch so that is one of the stories in my book that i discover and start building up the scale. >> host: who is gordon and is he a part of your life's to? >> guest: he is one of my best friends and i have people take turns traveling with me. gordon is really good at typing and describing the world and identify challenges. so, i think it is important for

everyone to help identify. sometimes the world gets tired and we lose the ability to advocate for ourselves if we thf we have a network that can help advocate when you struggle to advocate for your self, it's really important. >> host: you talk about the loneliness sometimes. >> guest: i don't really have a community that automatically gets me. blind people don't automatically get someone that is deaf blind. the communities don't automatically understand me so i have to work to build bridges

and learn this is how we can understand each other. that takes work and is a process. it >> host: your brother was born deaf blind as well, correct? >> guest: yes and it's interesting. one of my brothers is also deaf blind and has a completely different experience for me. his is different. his communication style is different. he was born and raised [inaudible] and i was born and raised in the united states. we have some celebrities and some differences. we have to try to find a way to

communicate. >> host: july 20, 2015. >> guest: i am of that date. >> host: by? >> guest: july 20, 2015 is an amazing date because that is the date i met president obama. they invited the disability rights advocates to come and celebrate. they also invited me to introduce president obama and vice president biden at the ceremony and that was an incredible honor. >> host: what was your interaction with the presidents

like? >> guest: it was amazing. at first i wasn't sure. some people when you meet them they don't want to interact with me because they are nervous or uncomfortable. a lot of people don't like stepping out of their comfort zones. typing is familiar but it's also different to some people. some people refuse and say no. president obama switched from voicing to typing so i could access his words. he was a slow typist that i can read slowly. >> host: you write in your book that you didn't bring

maxine to the white house, why not? >> guest: sometimes when i travel with maxine and milo, the conversation shifts to the dog. i thought i would only have a few minutes with president obama and i was concerned that we wouldn't talk about the disability rights and accessibility if my dog is both a show so i chose not to because i was concerned the conversation would be about dogs. it probably wouldn't have. i'm sure he would still talk about accessibility and inclusion, but the ones one of my concerns. >> host: when you decided to go on tour with were your biggest concerns? >> guest: i think a lot of

authors are concerned readers will get the message and every reader interprets the story differently. i've gotten all kinds of feedback. they miss the message and it's been fascinating for me to hear that from readers. people can send me messages through social media on twitter, facebook and instagram. my name is @habangirma. what was your favorite part of

the? >> host: i enjoyed all of the book. when people go to your website or social media site and type a message to you, what is the process it is, how does that work? >> guest: the social media company faced with, twitter, instagram have teams that are accessible. it isn't perfect, but if someone sends me a message, a software voiceover will convert the images on screen. the only time that it's easy to read with images and videos they

are physical. some people include image descriptions. a lot of people don't include image descriptions. there needs to be a transcript of the video. i can't actually see captions and encourage them to use them aso people that can see can stil access the captions. >> host: my favorite part is the fact you like to have the situation described if you are unaware. tell me about the bar. who is she and what is she wearing, questions like that scene very important to you.

>> host: >> guest: sometimes if i ask a person to describe a setting, they immediately described the food. others will tell me the animals they see like the dogs or the cats in the room. others focus on jewelry. somehow someone describes a setting. >> host: where our mom and dad now? >> guest: in the bay area. >> host: do they live close by you? >> guest: relatively, yes. >> host: are they still worried about you? >> guest: yes. they are still concerned and wanted me to be safe which is understandable.

>> host: you write in your book i like my deaf blind world. it's comfortable, familiar, it's all i know. it's my normal. >> guest: i'm comfortable and happy with what i have. i do love increasing my skills and ability and talent so if someone were to offer me a solution that would allow me to get all the information around me i will take it. if someone offers me the ability to fly, i will take it. until then i can be content with taking airplane, i'm always happy to improve and advance my skills and abilities. >> host: here's the book the deaf blind person who conquered harvard law and she has been our guest on booktv along with

claire and milo. thank you and good evening. it's wonderful to see so many of you here. i would also like to welcome our friends over here to my left. after the q-and-a they will be selling the new book and then signing them for you so that is an advanced announcement for that. some of you may remember just three years ago in fact it