Empowering a Deafblind Community Haben Girma 2015 Deafblind Symposium; Austin, TX Transcript Start [Silence] Fade up from black. Animation: Text for TSBVI transform into braille cells for TSBVI. Fade to black. Fade up from black. Girma: My name is Haben Girma. It's an honor to be here, and work on supporting and connecting with the deafblind community and leaders and teachers of deafblind children. I grew up in California -- in Oakland -- Oakland/San Francisco Bay area. And I grew up with vision and hearing loss, but I wasn't very connected with the D-B community. I started learning more specifically about deafblindness when I got to college, and was encountering so many challenges, and was frustrated that I didn't have all the solutions for the challenges. So it occurred to me that maybe I wasn't alone. Maybe there were other people with vision and hearing loss. And I went to Google, and I started Googling deafblindness and learning about the various organizations, the various communities, and different techniques; and I reached out to people and leaders in the deafblind community and I started learning more. And slowly, in that process, I started to use the term deafblindness for myself. So what I want to talk to you about today are the benefits of identifying as deafblind, and also some of the reasons someone might shy away from using the term 'deafblind.' So when I was growing up, I used the term 'low vision,' or 'legally blind,' and 'hard of hearing,' or 'hearing impaired.' I had very limited vision and very limited hearing. I could read print if it was really, really large, but it was slow and cumbersome and it would give me a headache. So a very smart teacher taught me Braille. Even though I could see some print and read print, she realized if I was going to be successful, I needed to be able to read comfortably and fast. So I started learning braille in about the first grade, when I was six years old. And I was attending a mainstream school. This was a teacher for the visually impaired. Later we had someone come into the school and start teaching me sign language. They didn't tell me you're deafblind and you need Braille and you need sign language. This mysterious person just started coming to the school and teaching me sign language. [ Laughter ] It might be helpful for young adults, well, especially for young adults, but for kids to learn about the deafblind community early on, and to know that they're not alone. I knew other individuals with disabilities. There was another program for the hearing impaired, another program for the blind, but I didn't start connecting with the deafblind community until, until later in college. And it has opened so many opportunities. But back then, when I was in elementary school, middle school, high school, I didn't use that term, and I didn't know that much about the community. I do have an older brother who's also deafblind. His name is Mussie. But identity politics and deafblind culture didn't really come into our conversations. That came later on. And it was really, really hard to grow up with the blind community when you also are deaf and struggle to use the same techniques that they do. I remember taking a cooking class for the blind, and the teacher told me, 'Put the pasta in the pot when the water is boiling.' And I asked her, 'How do I know when the water is boiling?' And she told me, 'You'll hear it.' [ Laughter ] And I was thinking, ummm ... 'I don't think I'll be able to hear it.' And sure enough, I wasn't able to hear when the water was boiling. So I talked to her afterwards, 'What am I supposed to do to know when to put the pasta in the pot, if I can't hear when the water is boiling?' And she thought about it, and she said, 'Well, you can just time it. And just use timing to figure it out.' Much later, when I was talking with deafblind friends, I discovered that some deafblind individuals will check the handle of the pot and assess the vibrations on the pot to determine when the water is boiling. And it would have been useful to have deafblind advisors, advocates, teachers, leaders, to help give those little tidbits of information, early on. When you have combined vision and hearing loss, the most important thing is to find techniques that will use the senses that are not impaired. So for me, that's my sense of touch. So I try to find tactile solutions as much as possible, rather than relying on limited vision or limited hearing. When I started college, I was using an F-M system, and I can hear a little bit, so the F-M system seemed like the right solution. It would make things louder. I used it in college, but I was still missing a lot of what the teachers were saying. But I couldn't think of any other solution. That's what you did for the individuals who were hard of hearing or deaf; you gave them an F-M system, or you gave them hearing aids. But those solutions weren't working for me. And it's only when I started to Google and research and find out about the deafblind community that I started to learn about other solutions and more techniques. I currently work as lawyer for an organization called Deafblind -- sorry -- the organization is called Disability Rights Advocates, and they have two offices, one in Berkeley, California, and one in New York City, and they do disability rights cases all over the country, mostly focusing on high impact litigation, so class actions, or representing large organizations. We've had several class actions for deaf individuals, and we've had several class actions on behalf of blind individuals, and the National Federation of the Blind, or American Council of the Blind. In my career, I would love to, one day, see a class action on behalf of deafblind individuals. That would be absolutely amazing. It is a community, an identity, and I'm so grateful to be a part of it. This week I had a really amazing experience, one of the most beautiful moments. I was officiating at a friend's wedding, and it was a good friend I met over a year ago through work at Disability Rights Advocates. And when I met her, I told her, I'm deafblind. I didn't say low vision, legally blind, hearing impaired, hard of hearing; I identified as deafblind. And while, later, she learned that I do have a little bit of vision and a little bit of hearing, through other interactions and connections, over the year, she's remembered and knows to try and use tactile information as much as possible. So during the wedding, when we were officiating -- when I was officiating, I was using digital braille -- tactile, using my fingers to read the script that she and her husband had created for their wedding ceremony -- So I was using my braille display to read the script; and for moments during the ceremony, when there needed to be some interactions, when to start, when they were exchanging rings, when to pause and let them do their vows, used tactile communication to indicate those moments. And she positioned herself, she and her husband positioned themselves near me so that she could tap my hand to let me know various signals. So, identifying as deafblind has shaped a lot of my interactions with friends, with colleagues, and it lets them know that I'm part of this community of deafblind individuals. It's very, very diverse. Everyone has different communication styles. Some people use sign language. Some people use voice. Some people use computers. And what combines them together and brings them together is shared experiences of deafblindness. And when I let people know that I'm part of this community, they remember. Even when they learn, later on, that I do have some vision and hearing, that my preferred method of communication is tactile as much as possible. One of my colleagues in the office, another lawyer, his last name is Zisser, with a Z. And he asked me, when we first met, how he should indicate that it's him when we're passing by on the streets or in the hallways. And I told him, come up with a unique hand signal or gesture, that's all your own, like you created, and own, and identify with. So he took a few days to think about it, and then he figured out that what he liked to do is draw a Z with his index finger on my shoulder to say, "This is Aaron." And it works. It's beautiful. He-- he thought about that and because of -- because I introduced myself as someone who's deafblind and someone who prefers that type of communication. Maybe back in middle school or high school, I wouldn't have had the courage to let him know that that's how I would have preferred to communicate. And I definitely would not have had the courage to ask a future bride and groom to use tactile communication, to give me these signals, during their wedding ceremony. There's a lot of fear around being different and being unique; and we all know that deafblindness, being part of a very low-incident community, a rare disability, it tends to be very unique, and very few people meet other deafblind individuals. And when you take pride in the identity of being deafblind, you give yourself courage to let people know that you're part of this community and that it's great to be deafblind, because you come with this rich history, with Helen Keller and others. And, part of the reason I'm a leader, when I was in college and just preparing to go to law school, I decided to start identifying as deafblind, because I met many deafblind individuals when I started connecting with various deafblind organizations. Before attending Harvard Law School, I attended a leadership program called, Deafblind Young Adults in Action, now part of an organization that advocates for deafblind individuals, and we call can it, now, Deafblind Citizens in Action, D-B-C-A. Dr. Amy Parker was one of the instructors for this program, so I met her just before going to law school, and she taught me so much about deafblindness, and S-S-P's and interpreters and communication for the deafblind community. And through her, I met about 12 other young adults, from all different backgrounds, with all different communication styles and techniques. And spending a week with them in D.C., I learned so many strategies for communicating, for advocating, for celebrating the deafblind identity. And attending that program, their Deafblind Citizens in Action, helped me take pride in the identity of someone who's deafblind. One thing that I've noticed throughout the community is some -- some people sometimes write deafblind with a hyphen. Some people treat it as two separate words, deaf and blind, or even blind and deaf. I find when you put it together and treat it as one word, it becomes more of a unique identity, something to celebrate. There's something special in being unique. It also means you're a bit of a pioneer. I attended Lewis & Clark College, in the northwest, in Portland, Oregon, and they celebrate their pioneers. In some sense it was a perfect college for me to attend, to attend; surrounding myself in Pioneer Square, with a bunch of pioneers, who ride the Pioneer Express to get to their pioneer college. [ Laughter ] And after that, when I began the journey into law and working as an attorney, I was comfortable being a pioneer. There's still so much to learn. I've researched other deafblind attorneys, and I met one and e-mailed with several. They use different techniques and come from different backgrounds, but they're all very excited to share their information. And I-- there is one in Finland who uses computers, captioning-- an informal captioning system, in addition to tactile sign language. There's another in California who uses an F-M system and voice transliteration. And through these individuals, I have a community to ask questions, 'What do you do in the courtroom? How do you get -- how do you communicate with your clients?' There's also an extensive community of blind attorneys and organizations for blind lawyers, as well as organizations for deaf lawyers. And they are able to share quite a bit of strategies for accessing information, for legal research and connecting with clients. I really, really value the few deafblind attorneys that I know, that I can turn to for information, and those in the greater deafblind community who have introduced me to using tactile communication, using digital braille displays and keyboards, using various voice transliteration, having assistance to help facilitate that communication between the individual and the world, whether it's at conferences or at the office. So I want to share a few more stories from my experiences and my journeys, to learn to celebrate this identity of deafblindness. There is a woman named Rebecca Alexander, and she wrote a book called, Not Fade Away, about her experiences with Usher syndrome. She works as a social therapist in New York City. And she recently released this book about her life and coming to celebrate the deafblind identity. She released that book in September of 2014, and by that point, all my friends had known that I preferred to use the identity of deafblindness, and that I'm always eager and excited to meet and learn about other deafblind individuals and their experiences. So one day in September, one of my friends told me, 'Coming to Berkeley is an author who's deafblind and writing about her experiences as a deafblind individual. And this coming Tuesday, she's giving a presentation, here in Berkeley. You should attend.' That sounded like a great idea to me. So I went to the book reading, and there were about 70 people there. And Rebecca was answering questions and telling people about her experiences growing up with Usher syndrome, and first being afraid to accept it, and afraid of the unknown, and afraid of being a pioneer, and a leader learning to celebrate this identity. And I was there, and I brought a friend to facilitate communication and type on a QWERTY keyboard that's connected to my braille display. And after everyone had asked their questions, they lined up to meet Rebecca Alexander. And most of the individuals who were lined up didn't seem to have disabilities. There were maybe five deaf individuals there signing, and two or three blind individuals with canes or dogs. But most of the individuals there didn't seem to have obvious disabilities, whereas I had a guide dog and a digital braille display, and a QWERTY keyboard, and a communication assistant. [ Laughter ] So I had to think strategically. I'd love to meet this person. I'd love to meet Rebecca, but there are over 50 people here. How on earth am I going to do this? And then I remembered, her parents were there. So I asked my communication assistant to help find one of her parents. Her dad was there, and I let him know that I'm an attorney, and I'm also deafblind, and I'd love to be able to meet his daughter. And it just so happened that because she's also deafblind, and she and her parents are, both, very -- are all very interested in learning more about deafblindness and communication, they were very, very excited to help make that interaction happen. And I did get to meet Rebecca Alexander and we we've been able to talk and communicate since then. And it's just so interesting to know that if I weren't deafblind, I probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to make that connection. There are some friendships, some interactions, that are facilitated through deafblindness, some because of the shared experience of being deafblind, but others because some individuals prefer alternative forms of communication. I use a QWERTY keyboard and a digital braille display. One thing I like about them, is most people know how to type. Some people might be slow typists, but they still have the ability to type. So, it allows me to connect with many individuals who might not even know sign language or the-- the alphabet, but they might -- they would be able to type on the keyboard. And I found that while some people, especially some shy individuals who might be more introverts, having a keyboard and having the opportunity to express themselves through text, absolutely helps to break the ice and connect with someone. So some people prefer using a keyboard to connect and facilitate communication. So the story of meeting Rebecca Alexander is just one example of how there are benefits to identifying as deafblind. I've also found in my career that -- in order to bring media attention for my cases and help promote the interests of my clients -- I represent the National Federation of the Blind in one case against a digital library called Script that is inaccessible to screen readers. And in trying to get media attention, to spread awareness about the importance of making sure that websites, especially digital libraries, are accessible to blind individuals, it helps to get reporters' attention by saying, 'I'm a deafblind attorney.' [ Laughter ] It's a little more unique. [Applause] It's unique. It catches their attention. And it's a way to take something that's -- often isolating and different and use it for benefits, to get attention for clients, to meet authors, to connect with other individuals, but it takes a lot of courage to get to the point. With a lot of disabilities there's a process of, first fear and challenge, and then, later, acceptance and celebration. So if deafblind individuals are strategic about it and celebrate deafblindness, there are a lot of benefits that come with identifying as someone who is deafblind. So, originally, I was a little afraid to use the term 'deafblind,' because of the challenge of being different. And in middle school and elementary school, I didn't want to be different, and I wanted to down play the ways that I was different; different from sighted and hearing kids, different from blind kids, different from deaf kids. But since then, I've, I've learned that, actually, it's great to be different. It's great to stand out. [Applause] The more I've used this, the more opportunities that have come. When I went to Boston for Harvard Law school, I didn't know that much about S-S-Ps. I only just learned about S-S-Ps through Deafblind Citizens in Action and the leadership program with Dr. Amy Parker. When I went to Boston, they had a thriving deafblind community access network, D-B Can, that provided S-S-Ps to deafblind individuals in Boston. So when I arrived, and I was telling people that I'm deafblind, and explaining to them how I access information, from using computers to communicating, interpreters; and leaders who had been in Boston told me, 'You should join D-B Can. You should sign up for S-S-P services.' And in doing that, I learned about the benefits of having S-S-Ps and having an individual to facilitate communication. None of that would have been possible if I hadn't started using the term 'deafblind' and celebrating this very unique experience of having both vision and hearing loss. Later, I attended a workshop on Pro-Tactile. And that system of communication has a central philosophy of celebrating tactile communication, and finding non-verbal and non-visual ways to communicate emotions or interest in a conversation, or identifying oneself, or the layout of a room. And I took those lessons and have been teaching them to my friends, or the communication assistants that I've used, whether in the office or around the world, and it's, it's just amazing how many different ways there are to connect and communicate with people and express information. It's a small community, but sometimes it seems really, really big. And there's so many different ways of looking at things, big enough to even have political divides within the community. [ Laughter ] It's very, very rich. So one -- I have more stories of my own experiences as someone who is deafblind, a lawyer, in California, the daughter of immigrants, but I'd love to pause and take a moment and see if people have any questions. If there are any specific areas that you would like me to address and cover? So for questions, I have two communication assistants, with a QWERTY keyboard. And as they -- as individuals ask their questions, they'll type the questions, and I'll read them on my braille display. So do people have any questions they would like to ask? [Silence] Attendee: You are poised and your body language is excellent. Have you had lessons on positioning, either for other people or the courtroom, that have helped you? And if so, how do I get a copy? [ Laughter ] [Silence] Girma: Those are good questions. So how do I learn about posture and positioning and how do I learn about what to do in a courtroom? So let me start off by saying, I'm a dancer. And that might answer half of the questions. [ Laughter ] I started taking dance classes when I was about six, and dancing and dance lessons help a lot with posture. And -- people who are blind are maybe a little more at risk of tripping over things, because we don't see a lot of the objects in our environment; and we'll use our canes and guide dogs and sighted individuals, but sometimes we still are at risk of tripping over things. And when you -- when you dance and build up your balance, you are less likely to trip over things. So there are many benefits to dancing. My dad really wanted me to do some kind of extracurricular activity when I was in elementary school, but he was nervous about finding someone who would be able to teach someone -- to teach his daughter who is deafblind. So he took his concerns to my special education teacher. And she said, 'Absolutely. She can do dance. She can do ballet. She can do jazz.' She went and found an instructor in Oakland, California, where we were -- where I lived and attended elementary school. And she explained what I would need to be able to participate in the class; and helped my dad get me enrolled in a dance class. And I absolutely loved it. Later, I attended a camp for the blind, called Enchanted Hills Camp in Napa, California. And we had a dance instructor, who was blind, come in and teach salsa and swing. [ Laughter ] It was inspiring to have a blind person teaching dance. And from then on, I have loved salsa. Oftentimes, I can't hear the beat in the music. So dances like salsa, swing, and other ballroom dances are better, easier for me, because I can feel the rhythm through my dance partner. To the lead -- when I was -- my first semester at Harvard, I participated in competitive ballroom dancing. And every song has a slightly different rhythm. So all salsa has a particular style, but some songs are a little faster, some songs are a little slower, so I needed to know, as soon as possible, how fast or how slow for swing or salsa. So my partner and I, and I had various dance partners, would have come up with different strategies, whereas we were waiting in line to go on to the dance floor, they would tap the rhythm for that particular song, either on my shoulder or on my hand, and that way I would be able to begin to internalize that particular rhythm for that particular song and dance. So we came up with various strategies, and I would love to have come out of this with more deafblind individuals taking dance classes. It's wonderful. [Applause] It's great. It's great for posture. Attendee: Whoa! [ Laughter ] So the other part of the question was about the courtroom. And in law school, I had many opportunities to go and see a courtroom. So we had sample courtrooms where we would do mock trials, mock hearings; and before those would begin, I would have the opportunity to go up... and feel where the judge would sit, where each side would be, and that was really helpful. And I had interpreters and S-S-Ps throughout that process. One thing that everyone should know is that not every attorney is a trial attorney. So there are many different ways to practice law. So, in my experiences, I was licensed in late -- in December of 2013, so I have been an attorney for about a year and a few months. And as an attorney, I have yet to go to a courtroom. [ Laughter ] I've gone there... Attendee: Whoa! as a law student, but not as an attorney. But it's actually going to happen for the first time in two weeks. [Applause] And I've been talking with the -- the judicial assistant of that court, that I'm going to be going to in two weeks, and she's been amazing. Very, very supportive in helping me find communication assistance and -- and letting me know what we need to know about that particular courtroom. So I'm -- I'm being a pioneer. She's excited about being a pioneer and she asked me, 'Have you ever been to a courtroom before?' And I said, 'Well, I've only been a lawyer for about a year. No.' [ Laughter ] But she was still excited and willing to help make it work. When I was thinking about going into law, I had no idea how it would work. And I was a little terrified, 'How on earth am I going to communicate with the judge, have access to information?' I -- I grew up with this stereotype of the trial attorney and knew very little about other types of attorneys. So I was very nervous about the possibility of going to court and how that would work. But I've learned over the years that things will work out, so I decided to go to law school and become a lawyer, even though I was not sure exactly how everything would work out. But they -- they always work out. I -- I think of potential solutions. I tap into the deafblind community and ask other people for ideas of how to make things work. What are their suggested solutions? What have other people done? And, as in this particular court, there are people there who are also eager to make things work and help figure things out. So I -- I know a lot of people say optimism is important, and it's good to think positive, but it really has been helpful for me, and the people that I've worked with. So if you're a pioneer, and are going into the Wild West of deafblind lawyering... [ Laughter ] Just do it. Figure it out! You'll find a way. [ Laughter ] Any other questions? Attendee: I wanted to know what is the etiology of your deafblindness? When were you identified and how did that look -- being educated -- growing up? Girma: So, I have vision loss and hearing loss. The vision is optic nerve atrophy, the hearing loss is sensorineural hearing loss, and it's genetic. I was probably born deafblind, but it wasn't noticed until around age five or six. And I -- I had really good teachers that started giving me skills early on, teaching braille, cane travel, exposing me to assistive hearing devices, sign language, and that was really, really helpful. I had more vision and hearing when I was younger. And it slowly deteriorated from about birth to about age 13. And it's not Usher Syndrome and it doesn't have a name. So it's -- it's very unique. I have an older brother who is six years older than me, his name is Mussie Gebre. And he's in California. He also has similar vision and hearing loss; more severe than mine, but the same optic nerve atrophy and sensorineural hearing loss. [Silence] Attendee: Hi, thank you. I'm just blown away by what you have to say today. So thank you. I just wanted to ask a quick question. My daughter happens to be deafblind, as well. She has optic nerve hypoplasia, and she is seven years old and is learning braille. She also is dual media, so she's a print reader and also learning braille. My question to you is, did you -- you said at six years old you started learning braille. Did you experience any possible frustration, initially? I mean, I know you were a young child then, it's hard probably to process everything. Do you have any, like, words of encouragement or something for a little one learning braille, so you can become proficient? Because you're a lawyer, that rocks. I mean -- [ Laughter ] [Silence] Girma: So when I was learning braille, I didn't really understand that I was blind, or that I was deaf. The teacher just all of a sudden started showing me these dots. [ Laughter ] 'Can you see what this is?' And then I would get a gold star if I got it right. And it was a fun game. Later, I realized that braille is a communication-- is a reading tool for people who are blind. But my teacher presented it in a really fun and positive way. And I -- I treated it like a game, and I'm a little competitive. So I wanted to get really good at it. [ Laughter ] [Applause] So, my experiences with braille were very, very positive. Later, learning sign language was a little harder. And I -- I was introduced to braille around age six. I was introduced to sign language, first, around age nine. And -- and around that age, around that middle school time, a lot of individuals are interested in seeming cool; and interested in avoiding seeming different. And I was very frustrated with sign language. Because, all right, I read braille. Now they want me to do one more thing that would make me different! So I -- I was very frustrated and I -- I understand when people tell me that they felt frustrated learning braille, or they felt frustrated with their child, their student who is pushing against braille, because I had those same, similar experiences with sign language. And my teachers started teaching me at nine. I wasn't very helpful or interested. They tried teaching me again at age 13, and I still wasn't very interested. And only in my senior year in high school did I actually say, 'Hey, I want to learn sign language.' And-- through my last year of high school, and then later in college, and then again in law school, I started taking more sign language classes, and I'm still not fluent. But I know more, now, than I did at age nine, when I was more resistant to learning something that would make me seem even more different than I already seemed to people. So I -- I would try to advise, if it's possible, to try to frame sign language or braille, in this instance braille, in as positive and fun way, as possible. I was teaching a middle schooler braille once, and we did it by reading Harry Potter together, because the student was very interested and excited about Harry Potter. Make it a game, as much as possible. Make it fun. There's a national braille challenge, and I loved doing that. Not only is it competitive, and a challenge, but it's a chance for people to come together and form a community. Once a year, we come together at the Stanford campus and compete, and compete with other blind middle schoolers and high schoolers who were learning braille. And there were raffles and -- and they would have a rock climbing wall, a chance to meet other friends who are blind, or sighted, but supportive of disabilities. So, if -- in hopes of your daughter learning more braille, maybe try to frame it as a game and get real games, like cards, or there are braille games that can be ordered from websites like the National Federation of the Blind -- website that has a game section with various braille games. The more fun it is, the more excited people will get. There's actually a -- a music class that teaches both sighted and blind individuals how to read braille music. So another opportunity is to turn braille into a social experience, and have her sighted friends or other blind friends come together to learn braille and make it more social and fun. [Silence] Miller: Do you have time for one more question? Girma: Go for it. Attendee: I wanted to talk about orientation and mobility. In other words, cane travel. I did my O&M internship at Louisiana, a lot of Ushers. I worked with a lot of deafblind clients who stated they had difficulty accessing cane travel that was specific to their needs. It could be done as sign language. So my question to you is: What were your experiences with cane travel, when you were younger? And what are your experiences with cane travel, now? And what are the issues? [Silence] Girma: So using a cane is a very tactile experience. So in terms of actually using -- so I remember I actually did cane travel lessons in Louisiana. I attended the Louisiana Center for the Blind for about three months. So I assume that you went to Louisiana Tech, right? Attendee: Yes. Girma: Very cool, yeah, I was right by there, and one of my instructors actually studied there and became an O&M instructor through Louisiana Tech. [Silence] So it's helpful if -- if the client prefers sign language as their as their primary form of communication, it's absolutely helpful to have the instructor know sign language. If not, you could bring in an interpreter, but for learning braille, and learning O&M, it definitely helps to have that instructor also know sign language and be able to communicate directly with the client. It -- it's also helpful because sometimes the O&M instructors are -- are trained to tell the individual to listen to auditory cues, and I remember those were some of my struggles when I was at the Louisiana Center for the Blind. My instructors were saying, you know, 'Listen to the sound of your cane, how it makes a different sound here and a different sound there.' And I had to keep reminding him, 'That doesn't work for me. I need a tactile form of getting information.' And -- and there were two instructors, one was better at that than the other. [ Laughter ] So it -- if you have an instructor who knows sign language, I'm sure that person is going to be more aware of what a deaf individual needs and a deafblind individual needs to get environmental information from their cane. And for deafblind individuals, it helps to be open to a variety of different ways to get information about your environment. So in -- every intersection is crossed differently. Sometimes you're going to need to ask for assistance. Sometimes you're going to be able to observe the traffic patterns. Sometimes you can find sneaky ways to go underground, through a subway and come out the other side to get through an intersection. [ Laughter ] There's one like that at Harvard Square that was really nice. So many, many different tools and strategies. [Silence] So I'm going to be here till late Saturday, through Sunday, and I'm going to try to make myself available in the main lobby area. So if individuals have questions, feel free to find me, and we can talk more about anything from dance to lawyering, to crossing streets. I'm also having a session later this afternoon. So, please come and introduce yourself. I want to meet you. I want to learn more. I'm sure there are strategies that you know, that I haven't heard about, yet. So thanks for your time and thanks for listening to me. [Applause] [Silence] Fade up from black. Animation: Text for TSBVI transform into braille cells for TSBVI. Fade to black.