Steve Ferreira is a world-class athlete, influencer, entrepreneur, writer, and disabilities advocate. Steve was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1988 and was diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy shortly after birth.  At the age of 15, he started speaking at local high schools about what it is like to live with a disability.  He has spoken at schools, colleges, conferences, and businesses. In 2022 he did a TEDx presentation in Santa Barbara, California which can be found on www.ted.com.

Steve is a passionate motivational speaker dedicated to raising disability awareness in every community he visits His goal is to positively affect the lives of people with disabilities and to motivate individuals to accomplish their goals at their own pace.  In November, 2011, Steve started a nonprofit called Beyond Disabilities to further his mission.   

Steve graduated from Bellevue College in 2013 with an Associate’s Degree with a concentration in Communications.  In 2023, he received a Certificate in Accessible Studies from Central Washington University.  Steve is also an accomplished athlete and the winner of 20 national gold medals and 2 international gold medals in Paralympic sports associated with throwing implements such as shot put, club, and discus. Currently, Steve is involved in two projects that relate to accessibility and fitness for people in wheelchairs. He is working with the Engineering Department at UC Santa Barbara to build an adaptive tool to be used in gyms. He is also working with a local high school, Lindberg High School, to create an accessible rowing machine which can be used by people in wheelchairs, as well as, their able-bodied peers. This will enable people in wheelchairs to work out in the gym alongside their peers.