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Inaccessible Cities

December 23, 2021 | I was responsible for reporting on the New York part of this multimedia project. Additionally, I wrote summary articles on the state of accessibility in NYC, Mumbai, and Lagos. You can find those articles here.

Recognitions of this project:

• 2022 Shorty Awards | Winner in NEWS & MEDIA; Gold Distinction in SOCIAL JUSTICE; Silver Distinction in DISABILITY AWARENESS

• The Gracies 2022 | Best National Website

• 2022 One World Media | Digital Media Award

• The Drum 2022 | Editorial Innovation of the Year; Grand Prix

• Nomination for the 43rd News & Doc Emmys | Outstanding Interactive Media: Innovation

• Online Journalism Awards 2022 | Excellence in Social Justice Reporting winner; Excellence & Innovation in Visual Digital Storytelling

The beauty industry might actually be catching up on accessibility

November 16, 2022 | “Most products aren't disability-friendly — but these advocates are making change happen.”

Disability Justice and Elder Activism: Two Sides of the Same Coin

November 1, 2022 | “As we age, disability is likely to become a part of daily life. Sadly, ageism and ableism are often intertwined.”

Beauty & Disability: The Entrenched History of Ableism in the Beauty Industry

December 8, 2021 | “The beauty and fashion industries have long fallen short of diversity and inclusion. But in the era of social media activism, the status quo has started to shift. More and more beauty brands are being inclusive of more body shapes, sizes, and colors. But what continues to be left out is disability representation.”

7 DEI Missteps to Avoid at Your Company

November 3, 2021 | “While 90% of companies have made DEI a top priority this year, many organizations make major missteps that lead to initiatives without impact. Find out the pitfalls to avoid.”

An Intimate Backyard Summer Wedding in a Friend’s Backyard in Yorba Linda, CA

October 4, 2021 | “The groom details his favorite moment from the event. ‘There was a special moment during the ceremony when Jessie’s veil was flying away, and so both our moms held down the veil together throughout the ceremony,’ he says. ‘It felt like a symbolic gesture, the coming together of our families.’”

Marriage Penalty Prevents Marriage Equity for People with Disabilities

September 22, 2021 | “The disability marriage penalty punishes people with disabilities in the U.S. who get married by stripping them of disability benefits such as Social Security benefits and Medicaid. The clause has remained a part of the benefits policy for years, affecting many thousands of people with disabilities. Consequently, marriage rates among Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients are half that of the general public.”

Why the #FreeBritney Movement Intersects with the Disability Rights Movement

July 14, 2021 | “[U]nder the gaze of the legal system, she is essentially deemed as a person with a disability. What sets Britney Spears’s conservatorship case apart from millions of people with disabilities is that it has the public batting an eye.”

Why intersectional reporting can’t ignore people of color with disabilities

June 17, 2021 | “There isn’t only a “race issue,” “disability issue” or “LGBTQ+ issue.” All types of discrimination are influenced by one another, and journalists need to treat them as such.”

Mental Wellness Among Adults with Cerebral Palsy

June 10, 2021 | “Mental health is not talked about nearly enough in the cerebral palsy community. Mental health care should be included at the outset, as part of discussions around physical, occupational, and speech therapies.”

As an Asian Woman With a Disability, I Am Triply Invisible

May 25, 2021 | “I am a minority within a minority—hypersexualized, stereotyped, ignored. But none of those things defines me.”

We are not a monolith: The spike in violence against Asian Americans shows the danger of the 'model minority' myth

March 7, 2021 | “The model minority mentality is instilled within the AAPI community so much so that many were reluctant to reach out for help even during these desperate times.”

(Contributing Reporter)

November, 2020 - Present | I am a contributing reporter at HealthyWomen.org, which is a leading women’s health publication on a mission to educate women aged 35 to 64 to make informed health decisions.

As someone with a disability, Biden's inclusion of 'disability' in his victory speech was monumental

November 16, 2020 | “Throughout his presidential campaign, Biden has been open about his own speech disability and shamelessly embraced and accepted his son Hunter's addiction and mental health issues. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only US president who used a wheelchair, but he deliberately hid his disability – paralysis from polio – from the public. It took until 2020, but it is so refreshing to finally have a president who both acknowledges the disability community and is honest with his own disability.”

1920 vs 2020: What Has Changed and What Has Remained and What These Six Women Are Doing About It

November 2, 2020 | “This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. However, what is too often omitted from the retelling of such a celebrated milestone is that women of color had to wait over 20 years to have access to the same civic right. Native American women had to wait until 1947, Asian American women until 1952, and Black women waited until, obviously, the Civil Rights Movement in 1965. Yet, after all that strife to achieve equal voting rights, voter suppression is still very much prevalent in 2020, with the current conditions under the pandemic further disenfranchising communities of color from voting.”

RBG Fundamentally Shaped the Lives of Women with Disabilities

October 16, 2020 | “These days, when I think about Ginsburg’s legacy, I think about the access I have to abortion, my ability to open my own bank account, and the right to lease an apartment my name. But perhaps even more, I think about her less-exalted legacy of fighting for disability rights. The same erasure of disability in my otherwise intersectional feminist-theory classes and readings is evident in discussions about Ginsburg’s legacy.”

Sustainability Efforts Must Include the Disability Perceptive

October 13, 2020 | “The disability perceptive is too often left out from sustainability efforts. People with disabilities are no strangers to adapting, especially since the world fundamentally was not made with folks like us in mind. Instead of having strict eco-friendly policies and practices that inevitably shut out the disability community, include our voices and concerns in the planning process and work with us to come up with viable, alternative solutions, and not offload all the burden on us.”

Meet the Activist Mobilizing People with Disabilities to Vote

October 9, 2020 | “People with disabilities constitute the largest minority group in the U.S.; one in four Americans — people of all genders, ages, races, classes, and backgrounds — have a disability. Yet politicians have historically failed to represent or pay attention to the needs of this group…That’s why disability advocates across the country are mobilizing and organizing their communities to get out the vote this November. Among them is award-winning actress, writer, and advocate Emily Kranking, who lives with cerebral palsy.”

The Future of Recruitment

September 25, 2020 | (Branded content in partnership with Indeed.com). Why now is the time to evolve the culture of hiring to become more equitable

Freelance Content Writer

January 2020 - September 2020 | Greatist is a sister website of Healthline, and is aimed primarily at an 18-35-year-old audience. I write about a wide array of health and medical topics, and each article is thoroughly reviewed by a medical professional.

We Can’t Afford to Ignore Kamala Harris’ Asian-American Identity

August 14, 2020 | “During her 2010 bid for California attorney general, many in San Francisco’s Indian American community were surprised to learn about her Indian ancestry. Until this week, the media often omitted her South Asian identity and merely identified her as the first Black woman so-and-so. During the presidential primary race, reporters and analyzers seldom referred to Harris as the “Asian American candidate”–such title only went to Andrew Yang.”

It’s Been 30 Years Since The ADA. Will We Be Waiting Another 30 For True Equality?

July 25, 2020 | “The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990, marking its 30th anniversary this month. The ADA was the country’s first-ever comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities, offering protection against discrimination and imposing accessibility requirements in workplaces and the public. However, equality in theory, unfortunately, does not equate to equality in practice.”

The Last of Us Part 2 accessibility options mean literally no one is left behind

July 6, 2020 | “People will, hopefully, look back on The Last of Us Part 2 as the domino piece that started a massive cascade. The game pushes the envelope in several ways, of course; that The Last of Us 2 has such an extensive cast of diverse characters who range in gender, race, and sexuality is important for an industry that has struggled in the past with inclusivity.” Written with Trevor Rukwava.

Black Disabled Lives Matter: We Can't Erase Disability in #BLM

July 3, 2020 | In this op-ed, Sarah Kim explains why we need to say Black Disabled Lives Matter.

Jason DaSilva Documents His Journey, Even Through His Hardest Times

June 17, 2020 | A profile of Jason DaSilva, an Emmy-winning filmmaker with multiple scoliosis. His documentary, “When We Walk,” was featured at the Center of Asian American Media’s 40th Anniversary film festival.

Zoom-ing With A Speech Impediment

May 26, 2020 | For the Ruderman Family Foundation’s LINK20 blog, I wrote about what it’s like to video-conference with a speech impediment in the age of coronavirus.

It Happens To Us, Too: Sexually Harassed While Disabled

May 25, 2020 | I contributed a story about sexual assault and disabilities to Jameela Jamil’s “I Weigh” campaign.

Being Quarantined With My Ex Is Better Than Our Actual Relationship

May 5, 2020 | Here we are, broken up but physically closer than ever, quarantined together in the middle of a global crisis. 

The risks and rewards of freelancing with a disability

February 27, 2020 | Often, freelancing for a publication means that you work without the assurances of full-time employment; expenses and risks are offloaded onto you.

Freelance Content Writer

January 2020 - September 2020 | Each week, I wrote a blog post on an issue concerning the cerebral palsy community and the overall disability population.

(Contributing Diversity and Inclusion Writer)

February 2019 - February 2020: Each month, I wrote 5-7 stories about diversity and inclusion in the realm of disabilities. I focused on the intersectionality of race, socioeconomic status, and politics on people with disabilities, especially women. 

I Spent Years Accepting Mistreatment Because of My Disability

September 13, 2019 | In this op-ed, Sarah Kim explains how her boyfriend helped remind her that microagressions shouldn't be an acceptable part of life.

Walking on the Wild Mind

March 2, 2019 | I was the producer’s assistant to Judith Kampfner of Corporation for Independent Media, and I specially helped produce this audio documentary on the life and legacy of Lou Reed.

(Real Weddings Writer)

January 2019 - April 2019 | Wrote for the Martha Stewart Weddings “Real Weddings” section about couples’ weddings from all around the world.

(Staff Writer)

October 2018 - January 2019 | Over the four months, I wrote 41 articles about fashion, beauty, finance, wellness and health, and politics and culture for this bootstrapped online publication. NYgal curates an online environment for NYC women and is comprised of feminist writers.

Maternal Figures

Winter 2019 Issue, Print | After Sarah Kim lost the grandmother who raised her, many women at Barnard offered her a lifeline.

Vision of a Truly Accessible World (Audio)

May 11, 2018 | We’re living in the most technologically advanced time right now. With the advent of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality, the sky is a very low limit. However, these high tech features are not getting used in inventing assistive technology that could really improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. Here’s reporter Sarah Kim on this topic. Kim herself uses assistive technology to narrate the story.

‘So Can You F*ck?’: What It’s Like to Online Date With a Disability

April 14, 2018 | Most people have experienced rejection, but it never gets easier when it’s based on something about yourself that you can’t control or change.

I Challenge the Tim Tebow Foundation to Promote the True Meaning of Inclusion

February 23, 2018 | Although the Tim Tebow Foundation had good intentions, its “Night to Shine” is a huge step back on achieving the true meaning of integration. By having able-bodied volunteers serve the prom-goers with disabilities, it depicts befriending people with disabilities as charity work.

27 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act passes, advocates push MTA for change

October 17, 2017 | New York City disability advocate organizations speak up about MTA’s lack of accessibility.

Nordstrom Rack to open in Herald Square as department store industry shrinks

October 9, 2017 | Nordstrom Rack opens a new store in Midtown as brick-and-mortar store sales are declining.

People with disabilities report obstacles despite Lincoln Center’s continuous efforts to improve accessibility

September 21, 2017 | Lincoln Center still falls short when it comes to accessibility for people with disabilities, according to audience members at a recent outdoor concert series.

Over 1 Million Young People are Reducing Texting and Driving. Now You Can Too!

June 19, 2017 | Sign up for the Thumb Wars campaign from DoSomething.org and Toyota. 

Over 40,000 People Are Sending Happy Ramadan Cards to Mosques Across the Country

June 8, 2017 | DoSomething.org is sending Happy Ramadan cards to mosques as part of “Sincerely, Us” campaign.

How Coco Jones Is Standing Up Against Big Tobacco, and How You Can Too

May 31, 2017 | Coco is the face of the Who Has Their Eye on You? campaign from DoSomething.org and truth, which exposes the way Big Tobacco uses predatory tactics to target low-income, black, and LGBTQ populations with their deadly product.

The Pledge We Can Take to Help Beat Bullying of People With Disabilities

February 28, 2017 | As part of the "Spread the Word to End the Word" movement, DoSomething.org, the largest tech company exclusively for social change, launched the I Beat Bullying campaign to create the largest crowdsourced anti-bullying guide ever.

How I’m Spreading the Love to My Grandma and Other Seniors This Valentine’s Day

February 7, 2017 | DoSomething.org is activating thousands of young people to connect with older adults this Valentine’s Day through the Love Letters Challenge.

How These Teenage Stars Are Activating Thousands of Students to Take on Science and Math

November 29, 2016 | Actresses of Netflix's Project Mc2 are promoting the Science Sleuth game from DoSomething.org and 3M! In this text-message game, players use science and math to gather clues and solve a mystery. In the end, they can unlock donations to (real!) classrooms through DonorsChoose.org.

The ugly truth about campus (in)accessibility

March 1, 2016 | We all came here to receive the best education we can, but how are we supposed to reach our full potential when many of the physical and contextual (especially when it comes to the language we use) spaces here are inaccessible, inequitable, and inconsiderate?

Student With Cerebral Palsy Has Perfect Response to Those Who Pity Her

by Elisabeth Brentano

November 19, 2015 | When Tiffany Kontoyiannis asked Sarah Kim if she wanted to be the subject of her film project, Kim was happy to oblige. 

Sarah Kim, BC '17, thrives on campus despite physical disability

by Giulia Olssen

October 1, 2015 | Sarah Kim, BC '17, has never let her cerebral palsy get in her way. The condition is just one of many things that make her who she is.