Sarah Todd Hammer
About Sarah Todd
Author. Influencer. Speaker. Consultant.
Sarah Todd Hammer (goes by "Sarah Todd" as a double name) is a 24-year-old three-time published author, influencer, speaker, and consultant. She uses her disability inclusion and accessibility expertise, paired with her lived experience as a disabled individual, to educate individuals and businesses on how to create and foster disability inclusive products, services, and environments.
When Sarah Todd was eight years old, she developed a severe head and neck ache that very quickly turned into her arms and hands becoming paralyzed. In a matter of hours, Sarah Todd became paralyzed from the neck down. She was diagnosed with Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), a neuro-immunological disorder caused by a viral attack on the spinal cord. She has regained the ability to walk, but she still has partial paralysis in her arms and hands.
Sarah Todd co-wrote and published her first memoir about her disability journey at 11 years old and when she was 14 and 17, she co-wrote and published her second and third books, which detail growing up as a disabled teenager. In 2014, Sarah Todd met the band One Direction, where she gave Harry Styles her first memoir. In September 2019, Sarah Todd modeled Kohl's Adaptive in New York Fashion Week. She has also modeled Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive in a virtual adaptive fashion show and been featured in Zappos Adaptive modeling campaigns. In March 2020, Sarah Todd began creating content focused on disability inclusion for social media. She now has a collective following of over 400,000 people on her social media, where she shares her life as a disabled individual in a fun, positive manner. Her YouTube videos have reached over 100 million views collectively.
Sarah Todd has a B.S. from Davidson College in Psychology and Communication Studies. She holds a certification as a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC), issued by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). She has been featured in national media, including People Magazine, Newsweek, ABC Nightline, and more. Notable brands and organizations Sarah Todd has partnered with include Tommy Hilfiger, JCPenney, PBS, Easterseals Southern California, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Bubble Skincare, and more.
