KEYNOTE ADDRESS PROGRAM

Mark your calendars and join us to kick-off the 39th Annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference with an exciting livestreamed Keynote Address and awards presentation. We look forward to gathering together, to commence a dynamic week of conference events, on Tuesday, March 19th at 8:00 am in the Platinum 6 Ballroom.

2024 Keynote Address Live Stream

Keynote Speaker

We are pleased to announce Haben Girma as the Keynote Speaker for the 2024 CSUN Assistive Technology Conference.

The first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma is a human rights lawyer advancing disability justice. President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change. She received the Helen Keller Achievement Award, a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and TIME100 Talks. President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Chancellor Angela Merkel have all honored Haben. Haben believes disability is an opportunity for innovation, and she teaches organizations the importance of choosing inclusion. The New York Times, Oprah Magazine, and TODAY Show featured her memoir, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law.

Haben was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she currently lives. Her memoir takes readers on adventures around the world, including her parents' homes in Eritrea and Ethiopia, building a school under the scorching Saharan sun, training with a guide dog in New Jersey, climbing an iceberg in Alaska, fighting for blind readers at a courthouse in Vermont, and talking with President Obama at The White House. Warm, funny, thoughtful, and uplifting, this captivating book is a testament to Haben's determination to resist isolation and find the keys to connection.

Don't miss this year's Keynote Address as Haben Girma kicks off the 2024 CSUN Assistive Technology Conference with an inspiring talk.

Strache Leadership Award

The Center on Disabilities annually recognizes a leader who has made a significant impact in education and research. This year, we are pleased to honor Dan Habib.

Dan Habib is the Inclusive Communities Project Director at the Westchester Institute for Human Development and the founder of LikeRightNow Films. He is the Director and Producer of the nationally broadcast documentary films Intelligent Lives, Including Samuel, Who Cares About Kelsey?, Mr. Connolly Has ALS and many other films on disability-related topics. Dan’s films have been featured in dozens of film festivals, translated into 17 languages, and used worldwide to support inclusive education and disability rights.

His current project is the Emmy Award-winning My Disability Roadmap, which he co-directed with his son Samuel Habib. The film follows Samuel as he navigates the path to work, college, and relationships while seeking out wisdom from disability activists across the country. My Disability Roadmap premiered as an Op-Doc film on the New York Times website on May 17, 2022.

They are also working on a feature-length version of the film, titled The Ride Ahead, for mid-20234 release.

Habib gave the TEDx talk “Disabling Segregation” in 2014. He has received the Champion of Human and Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association and the Justice for All Grassroots Award from the American Association of People with Disabilities. Habib served on President Obama’s President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities from 2014-2017.

Habib and his wife, Betsy McNamara, live in Concord, NH, and have two sons: Isaiah, 27, and Samuel, 23.

Dr. Arthur I. Karshmer Award for Assistive Technology Research

Each year, the Journal Track submission with the highest marks is recognized with the Dr. Arthur Karshmer Award for Assistive Technology Research. Award winners are honored for their exemplary submission and excellence in research and the advancement of assistive technology.

The 2024 Dr. Arthur I. Karshmer Award for Assistive Technology Research is awarded to Predictors of Postsecondary Web Accessibility, 2012 to 2022, by Terrill Thompson, Scott Ferguson, Dustine Bowker, Jared Smith, and Elizabeth Moore.