Let's rewrite the
Disability Narrative together!
Sarah Tuberty
Sarah Tuberty, OTD, OTR/L has the lived experience of a congenital hand difference, meaning she was born without fingers on her left hand and was a patient of the Shriners Hospital for Children – Northern California. After earning a BS in Biology from Saint Mary’s College of California, she became an AmeriCorps volunteer, and then a flight attendant.
Her life has been a journey of adaptation and understanding of the disability experience. These have been incredible assets to her professional education. She earned her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy from Boston University, ranked #1 in Occupational Therapy by U.S. News and World Report. She is nationally registered and licensed to provide therapeutic services in the state of Pennsylvania. Her doctorate project was the development of the Congenital Hand Differences Resource website, which is an online resource for parents of children with hand differences.
Sarah’s particular interests surround the social and emotional aspects of growing up with physical differences. Her work includes co-founding and co-hosting Disarming Disability, a podcast on deconstructing the social construct on disability and an author of Super-Abled Comics, featuring 6 short stories of superheroes with limb differences written by authors who have limb differences.
She is an internationally trained aerialist with an emphasis on adaptive aerial arts, incorporating disability into her performances to help rewrite the narrative we have on disability.
She works to provide consulting services on disability related topics, modeling, and has presented at multiple events on topics around inclusion, disability stigma, and lived experience with a congenital hand difference. All of these efforts are to create a true and positive narrative of disability, where we can all be proud of who we are, what our bodies look like, and how they move.
Here's to creating a more inclusive and understanding society!
Let's work together!
Sarah's biggest strength is interdisciplinary collaboration, from research projects to comic books, from modeling to aerial circus arts- she is always down for meaningful and impactful projects to help share the authentic disability narrative. Here are some pathways for working with Sarah- if you are interested in a project please connect!
For a full outline of Sarah's work
For recent highlights of Sarah's work
Collaborate on Research
Sarah is in a PhD in Occupational Therapy program at Texas Woman's University. Her research interests surround the psychosocial impact of disability, the disability identity development, and social participation.
Guest Lecture
Sarah's expertise in congenital limb differences, disability studies and the lens of Occupational Therapy provides meaningful guest lectures for those in collegiate education for health care professions
Guest Speaker
Sarah's work around disability pride and her kind approach to unpacking tough topics has lead her to succeed as a guest speaker and keynote speaker
Sarah is a Rotarian and would love to speak at your club meetings
Check out Sarah's Presentation on Disability and the Aerial Arts for the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
Create Disability Positive Art
Sarah finds such freedom and beauty in art expression celebrating the advantages of the disability identity.
Check out her work in aerial circus arts with Watermelon Bathtub Theatre Company
Sarah would so love to collaborate on projects combing art and limb differences
Client/ Patient Education
Sarah discovered liberation of disability stigma through the educational curriculum in her Occupational Therapy program, she is driven to help connect patients and families to meaningful content to empower their journey.
Sarah developed the Online Resource for Parents of Children with Limb Differences and co-authored The Hand Book with Dr. Nina Lightdale-Miric
Interviews
Seeking anyone for your show, podcast, magazine? Sarah's dynamic lifestyle, interests, and expertise surrounding disability and identity will provide interesting and meaningful content
Modeling
Sarah is just launching professionally modeling, and would love to work together to celebrate human variation in mainstream media
Check out some recent work here:
Sarah is represented by GAMUT Management, contact here for Modeling bookings
Content Review
Sarah's experiences as a person from the Disability, combined with her educational background in Disability studies, Occupational Therapy, and Limb Differences, she can provide helpful and thoughtful reviews of content for and about the Disability Community. Check out come of her content review work here
Let's write!
Collaboration on written works, whether they are professional in nature such as an article for a magazine or creative and engaging like a comic- Sarah is always here to create meaningful content that connects audiences.