DANIELLE SHEYPUK promotes her very real message that people with disabilities are sexy, datable, educated, and glamorous – and that they are integrating more successfully than ever into the social scene. After an explosion of media attention when Dr. Sheypuk became the first model in a wheelchair to “walk” the runway at New York Fashion Week, Spring 2014, her impact on the disabled community and on the way society views this population has been tremendous and universal. Holding a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The New School for Social Research in New York City, Dr. Sheypuk is widely regarded as a “sexpert” and leading commentator on the psychology of dating, relationships, and sexuality for people with disabilities. She established a successful and innovative private therapy practice in 2016 that was one of the first to implement “telehealth” as a treatment platform, which she engineered specifically to make it easier for people with disabilities to attend sessions.
Using her personal story as a central supporting example, including winning the title of Ms. Wheelchair New York 2012, Dr. Sheypuk has received positive responses from social media followers and media outlets around the world. As Yahoo! News stated, “Danielle Sheypuk, a psychologist, can rock a pair of Louboutins, regardless of her wheelchair, and is fighting the stereotypes and stigmas surrounding people with disabilities.” Her approach to life and love as an urban-dwelling professional has been favorably compared to an episode of “Sex and the City.” Media appearances have included segments on PBS, The New York Daily News, Upworthy, Huffington Post, The Daily Mail (U.K.), WCBS Radio, SiriusXM Doctor Radio, WNBC’s Weekend Today in NY, WNBC’s New York Nightly News, ABC News, Yahoo!, POPSugar, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and Elle Magazine, among many others.
Dr. Sheypuk has been the recipient of many prestigious awards and titles. She has been named an “Outstanding Woman with a Physical Disability” by the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation and featured in their Paralysis Resource Guide. Marywood University, one of Dr. Sheypuk’s Alma Mater, honored her with their Distinguished Alumni Award. She’s also received the 92nd Street Y Extraordinary Women Award and featured as a “21 Leaders of the 21st Century,” by Women’s eNews. Dr. Sheypuk is actively involved in consulting, public speaking, modeling, and advocacy work with engagements for United Cerebral Palsy, Runway of Dreams, the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Association, NYU’s Initiative for Women with Disabilities, Kimberly Clark, Parson’s School of Design, NYU’s Rusk Institute, AHRC of New York City, The New School for Social Research, the Myotonic Dystrophy Association of California, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association among many others. Dr. Sheypuk has also written columns for several major magazines, including Quest (the national publication of the Muscular Dystrophy Association), SheKnows, Women’s eNews, and Directions (the national publication of the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Association). She has worked throughout the years and has been a strong supporter of Reelabilities Film Festival
In May 2015, Dr. Sheypuk appeared in her first TEDx Talk, originating from Barnard College at Columbia University. The topic, the changing culture of American sexuality and the mainstreaming of people with disabilities as potential romantic and sexual partners in everyday life, was the first of its kind to be presented at a TEDx event.
Visit daniellesheypuk.com for more information and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @daniellesheypuk.
