Ali Stroker is leading the way for disabled women in the entertainment industry.
The actress made history as the first wheelchair user to appear on Broadway as part of the cast of Deaf West Theater’s Spring Awakening, which ran from September 2015 to January 2016 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. In 2019, her dedication to the art of performance paid off when she won the Tony Award for best featured actress in a musical for her performance as Ado Annie in Oklahoma!
Stroker used her acceptance speech to offer words of encouragement to young kids with disabilities. “This award is for every kid who is watching tonight who has a disability, who has a limitation or a challenge who has been waiting to see themselves represented in this arena. You are.” she said.
When she’s not breaking barriers on Broadway, Stroker performs a cabaret show based on her life experiences at acclaimed theaters across the United States, from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in Manhattan.
First introduced to the world on season two of the reality television series “The Glee Project,” during which a second-place finish earned her a guest spot on season 4 of “Glee,” Stroker has since appeared on popular television shows including “Only Murders in the Building,” “And Just Like That…,” and “The Bold Type.” Stroker also portrayed disability rights pioneer Judy Heumann on an episode of “Drunk History” in 2018 and starred in the Lifetime movie “Christmas Ever After” in 2020.
In 2021, she co-authored the YA novel The Chance to Fly with Stacy Davidowitz, which celebrates authenticity, diversity, and adaptive choreography among a group of theater kids led by a wheelchair user named Nat. Stroker and Davidowitz released a companion novel, continuing Nat’s adventures, called Cut Loose!, in 2023.
Stroker continues to shine a spotlight on the importance of authentic disability representation—key to carrying forward the legacy of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Read all 35 stories of the New York-based leaders profiled in our ADA 35 edition.