As an autistic and legally blind person Mickey Rowe believes that when we design for accessibility, we help everyone to perform at their best, not just disabled folks. As an actor who has been on Broadway at the Gershwin Theater, Mickey is a speaker with incredible stage presence and charisma. Mickey has had to advocate for himself his whole life as an autistic and legally blind person, yet becoming better at advocating for oneself and one’s business is a skill we all would benefit from. As a disabled stage actor Mickey knows that often people want so badly to fit in that they forget what makes them stand out. But only when we learn to value each other’s differences can we truly succeed.
Mickey Rowe (he/him) has had a prolific and varied career as an actor, director, consultant, and public speaker; now highly sought after both nationally and internationally. Past clients include Pfizer, BrightHouse, TD Bank, APRA, The Kennedy Center, LEAD Conference, Nordstrom, and more. He was the first autistic actor to play Christopher Boone, the lead role in the Tony Award-winning play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He has also appeared as the title role in the Tony Award-winning play Amadeus and more. Mickey has been featured in the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, The TODAY Show, PBS, Vogue, Playbill, NPR, CNN, Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, Forbes, and has keynoted at organizations including the International Council on Development and Learning, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Kennedy Center, Yale University, Columbia University, Disability Rights Washington, The Gershwin Theatre on Broadway, New York Public Library, the DAC of the South Korean government, and more. Mickey is endorsed as a recommended speaker by the National Organization for Youth Safety and is a council member of the International Center for Development and Learning. Mickey is a disability and accessibility expert has led DEIA trainings and workshops for companies including Nordstrom, Pfizer, BrightHouse, TD Bank, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, and more. Mickey was the founding Artistic Director of National Disability Theatre, which works in partnership with Tony Award-winning companies such as La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego and the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. He is the Author of the award winning, bestselling book Fearlessly Different. Mickey Rowe is in Seattle on the land of the Duwamish people past, present, and future.