写在前面

人们可能会觉得：不就是没有盲文菜单嘛，没关系，还有很多方式可以点菜。

人们可能会觉得，食堂工作人员很忙，有时忘了把菜单发给残障学生也能理解。

人们还可能会说：工作人员能这样帮助你已经很不容易了，要心存感激。

我也曾经为此犹豫过，可是，我最终还是决定要去争取一份盲文菜单。

因为每天直到把餐盘放到桌子上时才知道吃什么的感觉实在不好受。

因为我和餐厅的其他消费者一样有使用菜单的权利。

因为我知道在餐厅里遇到障碍的不只是我一个人。

点击下方播放按钮可观看视频，视频时长15分36秒。

看不见的权利OR鸡毛蒜皮的小事
——一位聋盲律师与盲文菜单的故事

我叫哈本·吉尔马（Haben Girma），我是世达律师事务所残障者权利倡导领域的研究员，换句话说，我是一名律师。什么是律师呢？人们对于律师有很多成见，还有不少是负面的：他们是一群从来不会正面回答你的问题的人；他们就是只想赚你的钱的人；他们不是人，是鲨鱼……在我们的文化里，这些成见根深蒂固以至于有些人会半开玩笑地对我说：“我不喜欢律师！”事实上，当人们想到律师时他们所想到的的只是律师中的其中一种。你想想，你会遇到什么样的律师？有可能遇到一个妇女吗？这会是你最先想到的吗？有没有可能遇上一个使用轮椅的人呢？或者你见过使用手语的聋人吗？又或者，你会遇到一些很友好的人。律师是有很多种的，从事公共服务的律师正赋予律师这个职业新的含义。这些律师为自己所热爱的社群奔走呼号。对于某些律师来说，个人的经历让他们更渴望消除普遍存在的不公正现象。那些经历过重重考验的人，有时会从中得到能力的提升，这将助力他们成为伟大的倡导者。这些律师遭受过贫穷、种族、性别、残障等方面的歧视，并把这些亲身经历当成法律倡导的阶梯。

My name is Haben Girma. I work as a Skadden Fellow at Disability Rights Advocates. In other words, I'm a lawyer. What's a lawyer? Well, there are many stereotypes, negative stereotypes of lawyers: people who never give you a straight answer. people who just want your money. people who aren't, even people. They’re sharks. These images are so strongly embedded in our culture that people tell me, half joking:”I don't like lawyers.” But when people think of lawyers they really think of just one type of lawyer. Think about it. Imagine when you envision a lawyer, what do you see? Do you see a woman? Is that the first thing that comes to mind? How about someone using a wheel chair? Do you see someone who’s deaf and signing? Or even, do you see someone who's nice? Here are many types of lawyers. And public service lawyers are changing what it means to be a lawyer. These are people who work and advocate for communities they love. For some of these lawyers personal experiences fuel the desire to put an end to widespread injustice. People who experience challenges sometimes develop strengths that make them great advocates. Lawyers take experiences of poverty, race, gender, disability or other forms of discrimination and use that knowledge as a ladder for legal advocacy.

就拿我本人来说，我注定一生都要为自己倡导，这为我进入法律行业打下了良好的基础，我的残障类型是聋盲，海伦凯勒为她之后的聋盲儿童和成年人们闯出了一条路。我们这些人应该成为“先锋”，在这个为健视人和听人而设计的世界里前行。许多少数群体里的人都成为了先锋。在扫除障碍的过程中，先锋们拥有了卓越的“自我倡导”技能，这项技能不仅可以运用在法律倡导中也可以运用在其他形式的倡导中。

For me, a lifetime of needing to advocate for myself prepared me for the field of law. My disability is deafblindness. Helen Keller paved a path of possibilities for deaf-blind children and adults who came after her. These individuals need to move forward as pioneers in a world designed for people who can see and hear. Many members of minority groups move forward as pioneers. The process of pioneering one's way through obstacles builds strong self-advocacy skills that can be used in the field of law or other forms of advocacy.

作为一名先锋，我上了一所完美的大学——路易克拉克大学，他们的足球队就叫先锋队。他们最喜欢在波特兰市中心的什么地方闲逛，先锋广场，还有什么？哦，还有，他们把校车叫做“先锋快车”。

As a pioneer I went to the perfect college, Lewis and Clark. They call their football team the Pioneers. Their favorite place to hang out in downtown Portland? Pioneer Square. What else? Oh, and they call their school bus the Pioneer Express.

作为一名“先锋”，我在路易克拉克大学的宿舍住了两年并去餐厅就餐。那个餐厅分五个餐区，大门口有个菜单，大家根据菜单点菜，像我这样的盲人学生没法看菜单，就算餐厅的工作人员主动提出给我念菜单，也无济于事，我听不见。作为一名盲生，我还是最想阅读盲文菜单，但制作盲文菜单是需要时间的，所以我们就想出了一个折中的方案。 工作人员同意在每次进餐前，把菜单通过电子邮件发给我。这样我就可以在电脑上通过读屏软件阅读电子菜单了。

As a pioneer I lived for two years in the dorms at Lewis and Clark and I ate at the cafeteria. The cafeteria had about five different food stations. And there was a menu at the door. And people would read the menu and choose what they wanted to eat. Blind students like myself couldn’t read the menu. The staff of the cafeteria offered to read me the menu. But I couldn't hear it. As a blind student my first choice would be to read the menu in braille. Braille takes time to produce, so we compromised. The staff agreed to email me the menu at the start of each meal. And I would be able to read it on my computer using a screen reader.

这是一个好主意，但餐厅工作人员经常会忘记给我发菜单。这样，我会因为既无法看菜单也无法听服务员念菜单而无法点菜。因此，下课后我会随意走进一个餐区，走到柜台前服务员给什么我就拿什么。我把食物拿到餐桌上直到这时候，我才会知道我要吃什么，有时候会有意外的“惊喜”，其实是惊吓。作为一个正在为考试和论文忙碌的学生，这样的“惊喜”我一点也不想要。不过有时服务员们也会记起要给我发菜单，每当这时候，我就会为自己能够点菜而真的感到惊喜不已，比如：当我得知第三餐区有意大利饺子配烟熏豪达奶酪时，我便会绕过第一二餐区直奔过去。能收到电子菜单的日子我总能享受美味，然而，忘记给我发菜单才是他们的常态。

It was a great idea, but the cafeteria constantly forgot to email the menus. Since I couldn't read the menu, and I couldn't hear the staff in the cafeteria I couldn't choose what I was going to eat. So after classes I would pick a station at random. I would go up and take whatever what was that was served by the staff behind the counter. I would take it to the table and only then would I realize what I was going to eat, there was some unhappy surprises. As a busy student with classes in preparing for exams and writing papers the last thing I needed was this added frustration. But sometimes they did remember to send the menus. And when they did I was thrilled to have choices. For example, if the menus had station three tortellini with smoked gouda cheese I would know to skip stations one and two I would know to skip stations one and two and go straight to station three. When they remember to send the menus life was delicious. But they regularly forgot to send the menus.

在最初的几个月里，我没采取任何行动我生活并且奔波在专为健视人和听人设计的世界里，这让我时常有一些小困扰，比如我不能开车，不能看最新的格莱美颁奖典礼，有时人们也不知道该如何与聋盲人交流。

For the first few months, I didn't do anything about it. I live and operate in a world that's designed for people who can see and hear. And I figured this would just be another thing I would have to deal with. Like not being able to drive or not being able to watch the latest Grammies or people not knowing how to communicate with someone who's deaf-blind.

我最好的朋友之一，她在第一次见到我时也不知道如何与聋盲人沟通。那是在哈佛大学的国际法课上，她被安排坐在我旁边，我们的座位都是安排好了固定下来的。她想通过挥手和我打招呼，但我看不见。但如果和我说话，我也同样听不见。于是她做了一件非常符合学生逻辑的事情，她在脸书上给我发了一条消息：嗨，哈本，我就坐在你旁边！

One of my best friends when she first met me didn't know how to talk to someone who's deaf-blind. In our international law class at Harvard she was assigned to sit next to me and we all had assigned seating. And, she thought she could wave but what if I didn't see it? And if she speaks would I be able to hear it? So, she did the most logical thing for a student to do. She went on to Facebook and sent me a message saying “Hi, Haben, I’m sitting right next to you!”

我很开心能与大家探索与众不同的沟通方式，我喜欢那些乐于拥抱多样性的人，这个世界本身就是丰富多样的。偶尔也会碰到一些个人或组织，不愿意为残障人士提供便利措施。在这种情况下，你会怎么做？是就这样放弃，还是为此做些什么？

I'm happy to teach people how to communicate. I love those who embrace diversity. And there's all kinds of diversity. Occasionally, there are individuals or organizations who are not willing to make accommodations for people with disabilities. And there's that decision. Do you just deal and let it go? Or do you do something about it?

当我在餐厅遇到那些菜单后我就决定要为自己以及以后要入读这所大学的盲人学生还有那些需要用到其他格式菜单的人做些什么。我对餐厅经理说：“我在餐厅消费，和其他学生一样，我有使用菜单的权利，这样我才能享受到该有的服务。”经理说他们很忙，能这样帮助我已经非常不容易了，我应该对此充满感激而不是抱怨。不知道你会怎么看，反正要是4号站有巧克力蛋糕，

And those menus, at that cafeteria, was a pivotal moment for me when I decided that I should do something for myself, and for future blind students who came to that college or anyone else who needed menus in alternative formats. So, I explained to the manager at the cafeteria that I paid to eat at the cafeteria and like all the other students I deserved access to the menu so I could take advantage of these services. The manager told me, they're very busy he's doing me a big favor and I needed to stop complaining and be more appreciative. I don't know about you but if there's chocolate cake at station 4 and no one tells me I'm not feeling appreciative.

于是，在好几次与巧克力蛋糕遗憾错过之后我真的受够了，我开始寻找新的解决方案。1990年美国颁布了《残障人权利法案》（简称ADA），国会通过了这项法律，来保护残障人的权利，这意味着残障人从此不应当再被视为二等公民。ADA规定：诸如餐厅之类的商业机构，要为残障人士，提供合理便利，通过电子邮件给顾客发送菜单就是一项合理便利，我对那位经理说，如果他仍然不按时给我提供电子菜单，我就去起诉他。

So, after several incidents of mist chocolate cake I had enough. I tried something new. The Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, was passed in 1990. Congress passed this law to protect the rights of people with disabilities. The law symbolizes a change from treating people as second-class citizens. The ADA states that businesses like the cafeteria are required to make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Emailing a menu is a reasonable accommodation. I told the manager that if he would not send emails consistently I would sue.

但说实话当时我根本就不知道怎么起诉，我才19岁。我怎么可能请得起律师呢？我很紧张，要是律师或法官不理解我怎么办？再说了，这只是一份菜单而已，不是吗？

To tell you the truth I had no idea how I would do that. I was 19. How would I afford a lawyer? I was nervous that lawyers and judges wouldn't understand. Besides, it's just a menu, right?

这点我的母校就做得很好，他们给我提供的课程材料、课本以及试卷可全都是盲文的。即使到了今天，在其他很多高校视障学生仍然很难获得书本这样的基本便利。所以，我又有什么理由抱怨呢？

Lewis and Clark did an excellent job giving me my course materials, my textbooks, my exams in braille. Students all across the country, blind students in other colleges struggle to get basic access to books. Even today. So who was I to complain?

我妈妈是在长达30年的埃塞俄比亚-厄立特里亚战争里长大的。在她18岁的时候她曾用两周时间从厄立特里亚逃到苏丹，随后通过一个难民组织从苏丹来到美国，寻求更好的生活。所以我又有什么理由去抱怨呢？

My mother grew up in Eritrea amidst a 30-year war with Ethiopia. When she was 18 she tracked for two weeks from Eritrea to Sudan then from Sudan through a refugee organization made it to America for a better life. So who was I to complain?

我想可能有人会觉得一张菜单就是一点鸡毛蒜皮的事情，并且认为这不是权利而是特权。但与此同时即使我的行动只能造福一个之后的视障伙伴，我也为有可能让这所大学变得更好而感到兴奋。我想帮助别人，我想投身到平权运动中去，我甚至可能成为一名律师，我想吃到那块巧克力蛋糕。

I was worried that someone would think that access to a menu was too trivial that it was a privilege and not a right. But at the same time, I was also excited with the possibility of making the college a better place even if it was just one other blind student that came after me. I had a vision of helping other people. I had a vision of joining the civil rights movement maybe even becoming a lawyer. I had a vision of eating that chocolate cake.

在我给餐厅的工作人员科普了ADA之后，一切都改变了。他们同意每次都给我提供电子菜单，他们也确实说到做到。对ADA的了解改变了他们的态度，他们原本认为为残障学生提供合理便利是一种善举，在他们有时间、心情好的时候才去做。对ADA的了解也改变了餐厅的文化，ADA规定残障人和其他人一样有平等的法律权利，如今，很多大学都招收残障学生了，这真是太棒了！

After teaching the cafeteria staff about the ADA everything changed. They agreed to provide menus consistently. They did. Learning about the ADA change their attitude. They originally thought that providing access for students with disabilities was a favor. something they can do in their free time when they were in the right mood. Learning about the ADA changed the culture in the cafeteria. The ADA creates legal obligations to treat people as equals. Schools nowadays admit students with disabilities. And that's great.

便利措施不仅限于校舍之内，我们需要在线学习工具的便利、学习数学和科学课程的便利、出国留学项目的便利、是的，甚至甜点菜单的便利。

Access goes beyond the schoolhouse game. We need access to online learning tools, to math and science courses, to study abroad programs and yes, even dessert menus.

往事激励了我，让我从一个先锋成为了一名律师。我在伯克利 一家名为残障权利倡导(DRA)的机构工作。这是一个全国性的非营利性组织，认为律师只想要钱是一种成见，DRA不向客户收取费用。公民权利应当可以无障碍获得。包括DRA在内的律师常用的一个工具是集体诉讼， 集体诉讼是指一群人联名起诉违法的个体。这是一种促进教育或就业和医疗保健等机会在全国范围内普及的方式。

My experiences as a pioneer inspired me to become a lawyer. I now work in Berkeley at Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a national nonprofit organization. One stereotype of lawyer is that they're just after your money. DRA does not charge clients. civil rights need to be accessible. One tool used by lawyers, including at DRA, is the class action litigation. Class actions are when a group of people come together to sue someone who's doing something wrong. It's a way to help improve access to important things like education or employment and health care, at a national level.

几年前加州大学伯克利分校的几名残障学生带着担忧来到DRA。有纸质阅读障碍的学生需要其他格式的课程材料，如盲文、大号印刷体、电子教材、音频等。这所大学提供这些材料所需的时间太长了以至于学生们面临着考试不及格的风险。通过DRA律师的帮助，这些学生得以与该大学达成协议，这所大学现在有了新的政策，这些政策正在让伯克利大学成为其他学校的典范。

A few years ago, several students at UC Berkeley came to DRA with concerns. Students with print reading disabilities need access to course materials in alternative formats like braille, large print, audio, digital. The university was taking so long to provide these materials that students were at risk of failing their courses. Through the help of lawyers at DRA, students were able to reach an agreement with the university. The university now has new policies that are turning Berkeley into a model for other schools.

律师首先要从社群开始倡导，如果人们知道如何支持我们，他们会很乐意为我们提供帮助。所以，如果你是一名程序员、一名网络工程师了解一下网络可访问性指南吧！如果你是一名建筑师，了解一下ADA关于新建筑的指导方针吧！我们可以选择让我们的社区变得无障碍，我们有能力为每个人提供便利。无论是律师还是其他倡导者，只要是那些敢于成为先锋的先行者们，在帮助他们的社群方面都处于特别有利的地位。

Lawyers first and foremost educate their communities. I know that if people learn how to help, they will. So if you're a programmer, a web engineer, learn about the web accessibility guidelines. If you're an architect learn about the ADA guidelines for new constructions. We can choose to make our communities accessible. It's in our power to provide access for everyone. Those individuals who have had to move forward as pioneers are particularly well positioned to help their communities, whether it's lawyers or as other advocates.

我叫哈本·吉尔马，希望我的故事能让你从一个全新的角度认识律师。

My name is Haben Girma. And I hope I've given you a new vision of lawyers.

谢谢！

Thank you.

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