The Deaf & Autistic Occupational Therapist

Sarah Selvaggi Hernandez

Sarah Selvaggi Hernandez is an Autistic Deaf author, educator, occupational therapist, and international speaker. She was also the first openly Autistic person elected to serve in the United States government at any level. Sarah is passionate about occupational science, sensory processing and mental wellness, and positive disability identity. Her vision remains centered on the creation of identity-affirming contexts to support neurodivergent development. She runs the popular social media site The Autistic OT.

Sarah’s professional experience includes headteacher at Head Start in Bristol, assistant professor at Bay Path University, early intervention therapist in Springfield, MA, and occupational therapist at Solnit North in East Windsor, CT. Sarah and her husband Jeremy also served as a therapeutic foster family for the State of Connecticut for nearly twenty years, and continue to provide therapeutic respite care for autistic children. Sarah can be found happy-flapping with her family in Enfield, CT.