Rebecca Alexander

Rebecca Alexander is an author, psychotherapist, disability rights advocate, group fitness and yoga/meditation instructor, and extreme athlete who is almost completely blind and deaf.

Born with a rare genetic disorder called Usher syndrome (3A), Alexander has been simultaneously losing both her vision and hearing since she was an adolescent. She was told that by age 30, she’d likely be completely blind. Then, at 19, one year after a fall from a second-story window left her athletic body completely shattered, she learned she would lose her hearing as well.

Now, in her 40s, with only a sliver of sight and total deafness without the use of her cochlear implants, Alexander has a thriving psychotherapy practice with two master’s degrees from Columbia University and certifications from the American Institute for Psychoanalysis and the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy. Alexander is best known for her drive, zest for life, innate curiosity, remarkable sense of humor, and willingness to address difficult topics most people avoid with humility and candor. Consistently upbeat, Alexander provides insight and inspiration to others in the face of adversity.

As an extreme athlete, Alexander has racked up an impressive resume. Participating in the 600-mile AIDS Lifecycle ride, summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro, swimming from Alcatraz to shore in the San Francisco Bay, and competing in the Civilian Military Combine (CMC) races are among Alexander’s extraordinary feats.

She is the narrator of the PBS American Masters’ biopic documentary Becoming Helen Keller and the co-creator and host of the PBS American Masters’ short documentary Protactile: A Language of Touch. She’s presented for TEDx, been featured on many TV shows and in numerous publications, has been honored with prestigious awards for her advocacy work, and she’s been the keynote speaker for esteemed organizations, including Microsoft, Peloton, Johnson & Johnson, Citigroup, Initiative, UBS, Harvard Medical School, Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center, NYU Langone Hospital, and many others.

Alexander’s critically acclaimed memoir, "Not Fade Away: A Memoir of Senses Lost and Found," received several awards, including an Indie Book Award, and was recognized by the MS Society’s Books for a Better Life. "Not Fade Away" is currently in development to be made into a motion picture.

Alexander currently serves as a board director for the Usher Syndrome Society, is the board chair for the Foundation Fighting Blindness Mental Health Council, and is an advisory board member for the Disability Rights Advocates and No Limits For Deaf Children.