Sheila is an oral and signing Deaf woman who aspires to become a deaf astronaut. She has broken barriers and made history as the first deaf Asian female pilot and as one of the first deaf trainees in a commercial analog astronaut program. She flew experiments on zero-gravity parabolic flights with AstroAccess and continues to lead strategic development initiatives to advance disability inclusion within the space sector. Her work bridges STEM, disability, policy, and business, with a focus on advancing multimodal communication systems in human exploration activities, including the space sector. Sheila is dedicated to making exploration activities accessible to all, ensuring that physical or sensory differences are not barriers to the frontiers of discovery.
She holds master’s degrees in public policy and business administration from Harvard and Wharton, and a Bachelor of Science from MIT. Sheila is a fierce public speaker and advocate for the inclusion and recognition of the leadership potential and talents of the deaf and hard-of-hearing people and people with disabilities in all sectors. She believes that by designing for the margins, we enhance the safety, efficiency, and success of exploration for every explorer, from deep sea to deep space.