Haben Girma grew up in Oakland, CA with her parents insisting that being Deaf-Blind did not mean she couldn’t attend her local public school. She transitioned from Skyline High School to the Department of Rehabilitation where she and her counselor began talking about the technology she would need to attend college—like note takers. (Haben uses a wireless Apple keyboard that transmits to a digital braille computer, which she is then able to read in digital braille.) DOR also sent her to the National Federation for the Blind’s living skills center to help prepare her for the dorms. She attended Lewis & Clark College and went on to get her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Harvard Law. She now serves as a Skadden Fellowship Attorney in Berkeley, where she is challenging barriers to accessible technology.

Geoff was injured in a surfing accident at age 24; the same day he was offered a job with a public relations firm in southern California. Following years of physical rehabilitation and a few trips across the country, he's back in southern California working in an office and finding new ways to give back to his community after opening a case with DOR in 2010.

Shortly after moving to Northern California, Julio sustained a life-changing injury. He wasn’t sure how he would be able to go back to work, or if he even could. Then he met DOR counselor Teresa Cole in 2013. She helped Julio enroll at the Computer Technologies Program in Berkeley where he updated his skills and secured an internship at LMi.net—a local internet service provider. He was hired on full time as technical support in October 2014.

Nick moved to California from Texas for a career in renewable energy. When things didn’t go quite as expected, Nick came to the Department of Rehabilitation in 2013. He was assigned to a job developer at Diablo Valley College who worked with him to secure a position at the U.S. Mint.

Debbie came to California to live with her parents and heard about the Department of Rehabilitation’s Business Enterprise Program. She graduated from BEP in 2012 and interviewed for the vending route at the High Desert State Prison in Susanville. She was awarded the location and has become a very successful vendor.

Devin was 22 years old with a promising career in mixed martial arts when he broke his neck during a routine practice session. Despite this major change in Devin’s trajectory, he didn’t let his accident slow him down. Devin came to DOR in 2013. Now he’s back in school pursuing a degree in accounting.