[Colorado-Talk] Fwd: Becoming a Knight — Haben’s Acceptance Speech

Mon Jul 20 22:03:11 UTC 2026

Wow, this is really cool! People, you got to check out the acceptance
speech!

On Mon, Jul 20, 2026 at 10:34 AM Maryann Migliorelli via Colorado-Talk <
colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

>
> Sent from Maryann Migliorelli's iPhone
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> *From:* "Migliorelli - CDLE She Her, Maryann" <
> maryann.migliorelli at state.co.us>
> *Date:* July 20, 2026 at 10:28:21 AM MDT
> *To:* Maryann Migliorelli <maryannmigs at gmail.com>
> *Subject:* *Fwd: Becoming a Knight — Haben’s Acceptance Speech*
>
> 
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> From: Haben Girma <contact at habengirma.com>
> Date: Mon, Jul 20, 2026 at 9:36 AM
> Subject: Becoming a Knight — Haben’s Acceptance Speech
> To: <maryann.migliorelli at state.co.us>
>
>
> Bonjour!
>
> When I was learning Braille as a child, I never imagined that reading
> letters with my fingers would one day lead to becoming a Knight. France
> recently held a beautiful ceremony where Consul General Valérie Brisset
> presented me with the insignia of Chevalière de l’Ordre des Arts et des
> Lettres, Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. In my acceptance speech,
> I called on communities around the world to invest in Braille. We have
> Amharic Braille, Italian Braille, Japanese Braille, and Braille systems in
> many other languages. Yet in the age of AI, critics are calling Braille
> old-fashioned to justify cutting instruction and production. Braille is
> more relevant than ever, and in the speech below I connect the dots.
>
> [image: A video play button appears over an image of French Consul General
> Valérie Brisset smiling at Haben. Her left hand is on Haben’s shoulder and
> her right is on Haben’s hand, which is reading from her Braille display.
> Haben looks toward her with an attentive expression. The silver medal on
> her dress sparkles. Behind them, the French, EU, and US flags are partially
> visible above the room’s wood paneling and stone fireplace.]
> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__youtu.be_W4m4xzFFaKM-3Fsi-3DZhW6JSyGolOB5tZ9&d=DwMFaQ&c=sdnEM9SRGFuMt5z5w3AhsPNahmNicq64TgF1JwNR0cs&r=hCdnR5kIMcKiU8_urh3_LF4O801RO8oAkmvXPRpK1h0&m=8mwp1KI5R2FYi_gJkyvnDkqnVg4bRwV2c2jvE8leGchUcaCeVUoINrDOfMHHJV-M&s=JyZGxQJxFYvzRyoQZtKn5FqwhUJmccDkuM8WSHcpBmo&e=>
> France made me a Knight, and my mission is Braille! youtube.com
> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__youtu.be_W4m4xzFFaKM-3Fsi-3DZhW6JSyGolOB5tZ9&d=DwMFaQ&c=sdnEM9SRGFuMt5z5w3AhsPNahmNicq64TgF1JwNR0cs&r=hCdnR5kIMcKiU8_urh3_LF4O801RO8oAkmvXPRpK1h0&m=8mwp1KI5R2FYi_gJkyvnDkqnVg4bRwV2c2jvE8leGchUcaCeVUoINrDOfMHHJV-M&s=JyZGxQJxFYvzRyoQZtKn5FqwhUJmccDkuM8WSHcpBmo&e=>
>
> Descriptive transcript.
> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__habengirma.com_2026_07_13_france-2Dmade-2Dme-2Da-2Dknight-2Dand-2Dmy-2Dmission-2Dis-2Dbraille_&d=DwMFaQ&c=sdnEM9SRGFuMt5z5w3AhsPNahmNicq64TgF1JwNR0cs&r=hCdnR5kIMcKiU8_urh3_LF4O801RO8oAkmvXPRpK1h0&m=8mwp1KI5R2FYi_gJkyvnDkqnVg4bRwV2c2jvE8leGchUcaCeVUoINrDOfMHHJV-M&s=AkJzh59jZQYlQrWDAel1Z1evvRg_b7jdpBgfUkiAJiA&e=>
>
> *Knighthood FAQ* Q: What do we call you now… Dame Haben? Chevalière Haben?
>
> A: Call me Haben. In France, Chevalière de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
> is an honor, not a title. Though I may consider a guide horse.
>
> Q: How can I help advance Braille access?
>
> A: Ask your elected representatives to support funding for Braille
> instruction, qualified teachers of blind and Deafblind students, and
> accessible educational materials. If you work in technology, include
> Braille compatibility and testing throughout the development process. If
> you work in publishing, education, libraries, museums, theaters, or other
> cultural institutions, make books, signs, and other materials available in
> Braille.
>
> Q: What’s next for you?
>
> A: On July 23 in Oakland, California, I’ll join MacArthur Fellow Josh
> Miele and disability rights attorney Lainey Feingold for the First Bay Area
> event for the new book *Digital Accessibility Ethics: Disability
> Inclusion in All Things Tech*. It’s a public event
> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__luma.com_qn23ra0k&d=DwMFaQ&c=sdnEM9SRGFuMt5z5w3AhsPNahmNicq64TgF1JwNR0cs&r=hCdnR5kIMcKiU8_urh3_LF4O801RO8oAkmvXPRpK1h0&m=8mwp1KI5R2FYi_gJkyvnDkqnVg4bRwV2c2jvE8leGchUcaCeVUoINrDOfMHHJV-M&s=mEEZNoE4mFkOrpPTAWJ8mbHNKMUNBzCh0e8PDoA2Yqo&e=>
> with ASL interpretation, captioning, and wheelchair access.
>
> I’d be honored if you shared my knighthood acceptance speech with someone
> who cares about literacy, technology, or accessibility.
>
> With gratitude,
>
> Haben
> ------------------------------
>
> You are receiving Haben’s newsletter. If this was forwarded to you, join
> the mailing list.
> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__habengirma.com_subscribe_&d=DwMFaQ&c=sdnEM9SRGFuMt5z5w3AhsPNahmNicq64TgF1JwNR0cs&r=hCdnR5kIMcKiU8_urh3_LF4O801RO8oAkmvXPRpK1h0&m=8mwp1KI5R2FYi_gJkyvnDkqnVg4bRwV2c2jvE8leGchUcaCeVUoINrDOfMHHJV-M&s=CystfzKvQG2VqJp_MscSHuy5ef1TelsUT6nli4aGwXQ&e=>
> If you don’t want to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe.
> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__newsletter.habengirma.com_api_subscribe_unsubscribe_eyJ2IjoxLCJlbWFpbCI6Im1hcnlhbm4ubWlnbGlvcmVsbGlAc3RhdGUuY28udXMiLCJuZXdzbGV0dGVySWQiOiIzY2I5MmU4My1lODYzLTQzZGMtYWVhZC1jYzIzNjM0NjQ1ZTAifQ.F-5Fs941nU07-2D6wWSTPDqkrLfKanwOrscnJuLA6GVNCdY&d=DwMFaQ&c=sdnEM9SRGFuMt5z5w3AhsPNahmNicq64TgF1JwNR0cs&r=hCdnR5kIMcKiU8_urh3_LF4O801RO8oAkmvXPRpK1h0&m=8mwp1KI5R2FYi_gJkyvnDkqnVg4bRwV2c2jvE8leGchUcaCeVUoINrDOfMHHJV-M&s=Y0UoxRw0rJu4RfXWW08XKTHwmbfqVzIFN7083Y3tfCs&e=>
>
> Hability, LLC, 405 El Camino Real #209, Menlo Park, CA 94025
>
>
> --
>
> At your service,
>
>
>
> Maryann Migliorelli
>
> She, Her, Hers
>
> Labor & Employment Specialist II
>
> Claims Processing
>
> Maryann.Migliorelli at state.co.us
>
> Phone: 303-318-9181 ext 0736
>
> <http://www.colorado.gov/cdle>
>
> *We Keep Colorado Working*
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Colorado-Talk mailing list
> Colorado-Talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Colorado-Talk:
>
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/burke.dall%40gmail.com
> List archives can be found at <
> http://www.nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org>
>

-- 
Dan Burke

National Federation of the Blind of Colorado Legislative Co-chair

"Blindness is not what holds you back.  You can live the life you want!"

My Cell:  406.546.8546
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20260720/b8a0b5e7/attachment.htm>