And thats how i sat down to read my book. Thats not what makes life difficult it is the belief that people are inferior its not true we are not inferior but keep moving through society to say that disabled people dont matter therefore dont make the service accessible and dont provide medical care. When i was younger i wasnt sure what to do. But over time i learned to advocate i started to demand inclusion and learned about the american with disabilities act which celebrated the 30th anniversary this year. The ada prohibits discrimination against people with disabilitie disabilities. Learned about it when i was in college in my book shares this process for i discover how it led to advocate with people with disabilities if we take away one message from th book is a conce the evil in some. And teaches ople to intify those that are able. I am an advocate so it back into my li and ask myself to help people advance opportunities or around the world. And then to interact with sexism or raci or small conversations in the kitchen making pb j. Want to show people all the different ways it hurts us to identify it my parents are from ethiopia and per blue that disabilities are a curse the family so it was really really difficult to de with that kind of question within ones culture we had toearn hoto define disabilities for ourselves it is an opportunity for innovation swe have to come up with their own dinition of what disability means and i was growing up i would try to tell my pares i cant cook and i cant do chores you cant ask a blind kid to do chores and cook. They were not buying it. They insisted i cook can do chores. And on the one hand as a kid i was frustrated. But as an adult why you grateful to have tho life skills not just parents of disabled kids not to say dont do chores or dont cook its dangerous. To see them grow into adults that is frustrating. To have kids explore the environment like how to take care of themselves. So that forces disabled people to come up with Solutions Everything from cookingn the kitchen to solving those International Challenges so how you communicate people rely on vision i tapped to my strengths it is my a sense of touch and that is what cultivated for a long time and and when looking at ways to communicate with people i immediately tapped into it. And as that came out so im hoping up a little device with burial on the bottom and i run my fingers over the dots to feel the letters. In a connected to the external keyboard people can type it i can read in braille. Most people dont know pay older sign language communication became much easier when i have to into one of my strengths which is my sense of touch for hearing and vision is terrible so tap into my sense of touch and way more opportunities came up for me. Disabled people do this all the time more innovations come and more Solutions Come to problems. So benefits all of us and to exclude a lot of thinkers and would exi in the world there is a buyin with the wisdom developed by black or people of color are those who exist in a different Minority Group so we need to rebuild our libraries to include more diverse thinkers and philosophers and those that have increased throughout history. Whyyassionate about social justice . I went opportunities that are available to nondisabled people they are a greater risk of Police Violence a lot of individuals in power walking into situations and move in certain ways and that is terrifying knowing that all of the sin justices exist to be a social justice advocate and i talk about a situation in college were all i wanted was to eat and have access to food and food information was only available in a visual format. Is a blind student i cannot read the menu and i asked of the cafeteria please provide the menu in braille or email it to me. I have technology that allows me to access emails. The cafeteria manager told me we are very busy may have over 1000 students we dont have to do the time for special needs. Just to be clear eating is not a special need. Everyone needs to eat the dependent and independent. Many of you like drinking coffe coffee. You grow your own coffee beans you independent other people to grow your food or coffee beans that is okay as long as we are honest that we are all interdependent. The cafeteria manager did not understand this so for a couple of months i tolerated the lack of access to food. I was a vegetarian back then how did i know what station was serving vegetarian food if you cannot read the menu . It was frustrating as a points to go to a stationary and him get food find a table try the food and discover it. Maybe i should just accept that servicemen will just be my life forever. I talk to friends and advocates of the reminded me its my choice to advocate for justice. I went back to the manager and explained the american with disabilities act is discrimination and if you dont provide access to the menu i will take legal action. I had no idea how to do that. I was 19 i cannot afford a lawyer. Now we know there are nonprofit Legal Centers to help students with disabilities. Next the manager apologized and promised to make the menus accessible and he did. He started to email the menus. Life became delicious. The next year a new blind student came to the college and he had immediate access to the menus. It helps everyone who comes after me. That is what inspired me to go to law school i went to harvard law they said they never had a deaf blind student before. I told them ive never been to Harvard Law School before we didnt know what the solution would be for now i work as an advocate for disabled people always have a choice to accept and tolerate it or advocate for justice. My book helps people identify all the injustices against disabled people and encourages peopleo join us to end injuices against disabled people a lot of people dont know about access for the disabled and with those disability guidelines some people say give them the opportunity to learn about the they have education is still refused to make their services ceptable thenhere are consequences it took me years to learn this there are no excuses. And with strong advocates and research and to have understaing of a topic when you are facin a difficult situation thats exactly what you need to be an advocate for justice. If you have the energy thats an advocate for change. I understand sometimes those of us that advocate all the time we need to take a break and rechargend at that point we have a community to help continue the advocacy and hope you recharge there is a lot of injustice against disabled people if you can turn that off and to stop thinking about i it, it is a privilege not to think about those access issues. And then to have the opportunity those are critical to knowledge and expanding opportunities and Services Digital books and those like dyslexia and learning disabilities increased access as well the National Library service for the blind has been a huge part of my life. Growing up i would get harry potter books those were at the library of congress the talking book program is one of the few in the country were pulling people can get books that i can actually hold and feel this is precious but its really hard for blind people so for most of my life if i get a physical braille buckets through the library of congress. If a digital book is compatible blind people can we do on their Braille Computers we often access digitally they are expensive Government Programs and nonprofits but its really difficult to get access to them. Good evening welcome to the 2020 award ceremony. Im your host