Disability Advocate and holder of the Minister’s Multicultural Award, Sara Shams has been nominated as one of Logan City Council’s Logan Legends – an initiative that celebrates the everyday heroes of Logan.
From a victim of school bullying to prestigious awards, Sara Shams is a woman of many titles – pharmacist, disability advocate, keynote speaker, model, and founder of a consultancy business.
Mrs Shams is the first woman of colour with disability to sit on the board of Carers Queensland – the state’s largest NDIS partner in the community – and in 2024 she was honoured with the Minister’s Multicultural Award for her advocacy on behalf of culturally and linguistically diverse people with disability.
Born in Bangladesh with tibial hemimelia, a rare condition where the tibial bones are absent, Mrs Shams early life was shaped by both cultural and physical challenges.
Her parents decided to move to New Zealand in the mid-1990s seeking better opportunities and healthcare for their family. As a result, Mrs Shams underwent a bilateral above-knee amputation at the age of 6.
At primary school she used to walk around on her knees, not really seeing herself as hugely different from her peers. Unfortunately, as a teenage she had a completely different experience.
“High school was tough. I was bullied and unimaginatively called ‘No Legs Sara.’ That’s why my Instagram handle is ‘No Legs, No Worries’, a nod to those bullies and a reclaiming of my identity,” she said.
For years, Mrs Shams hid her prosthetic legs, wearing long pants and feeling adrift in a world that didn’t seem to be made for her.
After finishing high school her curiosity about genetics and her desire to connect with people led her to study pharmacy at university.
While she thrived professionally, Mrs Shams grappled with internalised ableism and societal bias.
“I realised I was holding myself back. I wasn’t seeing people like me represented anywhere, not in media, not in fashion, not in leadership,” she said.
That realisation sparked a personal revolution, and she began sharing her story on social media, posting photos that revealed her prosthetic legs, something she’d never dared to do before.
“I wore skirts without stockings for the first time. I was terrified, but nothing bad happened. That post changed everything,” she said.
From that moment her visibility grew, and brands approached her for modelling, she walked runways and in 2024 she was one of eight Australian’s chosen to be an ambassador for International Day of People with Disability.
“When people see themselves represented, they feel included. That’s why diversity in modelling and media is so important,” she said.
As her advocacy work grew, Mrs Shams said she started noticing a gap in culturally safe disability awareness training.
This led her to create Ethnobility, a consultancy business providing workshops, policy reviews, and keynote engagements to help organisations move beyond performative inclusion.
“I’m passionate about sharing my story and authentic inclusion starts with listening to lived experience,” she said.
“I want business leaders to know it’s okay to get it wrong but so long as they learn and do better next time.”
Through her social media account, Mrs Shams continues to inspire other amputees and those who live with disability both in Australia and overseas.
“I’ve had people tell me they wore shorts or a dress for the first time because of me. One message from a mother in Florida said her daughter, who has a similar disability, sees my posts and believes she has no limitations. That’s why I do this,” she said.
“I’m a proud disabled woman of colour and my advocacy takes an intersectional lens because disability doesn’t exist in isolation.”
“Logan, being the most multicultural city council in Australia, also allows me to elevate voices that are often unheard.”
