8 Asian and Pacific Islander Disabled artists to know

4 min readMay 9, 2024

May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the U.S.

In celebration, here is a list of some amazing Disabled artists of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage to check out.

Sujeet Desai (he/him/his)

Sujeet Desai, a musician of Indian heritage, smiles from onstage while gesturing appreciatively at his audience. He wears a white shirt and a red waistcoat and bowtie.

Musician Sujeet Desai, who plays the saxophone, B-flat and bass clarinet, the violin, the trumpet, the piano, and the drums, has toured in thirteen countries. Of Indian heritage, Desai is the first artist with Down Syndrome to perform at Carnegie Hall and the first to be inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. He has also received the World Down Syndrome Day Award from Down Syndrome International.

2. Amelia Fei (she/her/hers)

Amelia Fei, an actor of East Asian descent, sits on a piano bench and looks into the camera. She wears a black full-length dress and nude heels. She has long, wavy blond hair.

Amelia Fei recently originated the role of Caroline in the historic musical “How to Dance in Ohio”, as one of the first openly-Autistic actors to play an explicitly Autistic character on Broadway.

This groundbreaking performance also made her the first Taiwanese actor to originate a role not specifically written as Asian on Broadway.

A graduate of AMDA, Fei has also worked extensively in regional theatre, as well as narrating audiobooks for Audible and other companies.

3. Shaina Ghurava (she/her/hers)

Shaina Ghuraya, a writer and director of Punjabi descent, smiles into the camera. She has brown eyes and long black hair. She is wearing silver earrings and a colorful blouse. She is sitting in a black wheelchair.

Shaina Ghuraya is a Punjabi writer and director. A wheelchair user, Gharaya advocates for greater representation of Disabled people in media. She was a 2021 Sundance Institute’s Accessible Futures Initative Fellow, and her film ‘Wheelchair Wendy’ was an official selection at major disability film festivals ReelAbilities and Superfest.

4. Marisa Hamamoto (she/her/hers)

Marisa Hamamoto, a dancer of Japanese heritage, smiles into the camera. She has brown eyes and long black hair. She wears a cobalt-blue dress. White background.

Marisa Hamamoto is a ballroom and salsa dancer, choreographer, and inclusion advocate of Japanese-American heritage. In 2007, she was left partially paralyzed after a stroke, though she later recovered most of her movement ability. This life-changing experience inspired her to found Infinite Flow Dance Company, an award-winning nonprofit professional dance company that includes dancers of diverse abilities, many of whom use wheelchairs. Her work has been recognized by People Magazine, Good Morning America, Forbes, and NBC Today.

Hamamoto has spoken openly about her experience living with autism and PTSD.

5. Leo J. Long (he/him/his)

Actor Leo J. Long, who is of Japanese heritage, smiles at the camera. He has short black hair and brown eyes. He wears a white t-shirt. In his left hand he is holding a drumstick. White background.

Autistic actor Leo J. Long, who is of Japanese heritage, is best known for starring in the 2022 movie I Used to Be Famous, about the relationship between a washed-up former pop star and a gifted Autistic drummer. An accomplished drummer in real life, Long has performed with a number of orchestras and ensembles.

6. Chella Man (he/him/his)

Chella Man, a Deaf actor of Chinese and Jewish heritage, makes the “I love you” sign while looking into the camera. He wears a grey t-shirt and a black hat.

Chella Man is a Deaf actor, model, filmmaker, painter, and LGBTQ activist. Man, who is of Chinese and Jewish heritage, is perhaps best known for playing superhero Jericho in Marvel’s “Titans”. He also vlogs about his experiences as a Deaf, trans person of color on YouTube @ ChellaManArt, where he has over 200,000 subscribers.

7. Sue Ann Pien (she/her/hers)

Actor Sue Ann Pien, who is of East Asian descent, smiles into the camera. She has brown eyes and long, wavy black hair. She wears three gold necklaces. Gray background.

Actor Sue Ann Pien is best known for playing the lead role of Violet on Amazon’s “As We See It”. She also voices Juniper “June” Chen on Disney Channel’s “The Ghost and Molly McGee”.

8. Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (she/her/hers/they/them/theirs)

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, who is of South Asian, Irish, and Galician Roma heritage, looks directly at the camera. She has medium-to-long, wavy blue-green hair and wears deep pink lipstick. She has on a pink jacket and a white skirt, with a grey t-shirt that says “I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams” in white letters. Background: A grey brick wall with graffiti.

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha is a performing artist, poet, and writer. Their one-person show, Grown Woman Show, has been performed at the National Queer Arts Festival, Swarthmore College, Yale, Reed College, and McGill University, and they are a commissioned performer with Sins Invalid, a national performance organization for queer people with disabilities. Piepzna-Samarasinha, who is of Berber and Tamil Sri Lankan, Irish, and Galician Roma heritage, is also the author and/or editor of over a dozen books.

Thank you for reading!

Questions? Thoughts? Did I leave anyone out? Please let me know in the comments!

8 Asian and Pacific Islander Disabled artists to know

Written by Alexandra L. Burris