Injured in 1988 by an intoxicated driver, it took her four years and thirty-four surgeries to walk again. She advocated for tougher DUI laws and victim’s rights.

A member of the USA Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team for five years, Tiana is a two-time Paralympic medalist, bringing home bronze and silver. She has been featured on NBC Nightly News, NPR’s Here and Now, and The Takeaway. The author of numerous essays including “I lost my ‘I’ in Iraq,” “Minority Report” and “The Brat,” she is currently working on her memoir: American Noncombatant.

A former humanitarian aid worker, Tiana Tozer developed and implemented an innovative program in Iraq that taught advocacy to people with disabilities. She also ran a program that taught 10,000 women to read and write. Tiana served as State Director in Southern Kordofan, Sudan, until being extracted from the civil war in 2011. Since saving the world didn’t work out, she now makes her living as a speaker, consultant and author, addressing topics such as tenacity, leadership and disability and consulting on 503 (disability) compliance for federal contractors.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx