Sarah Berger Sandelius

Sarah Sandelius is a lawyer with twenty years of experience implementing strategy and policy on behalf of our nation's youth. Her work connects policy, process, and performance to create strong systems that produce positive academic outcomes and students prepared for life after graduation. In founding The Ability Challenge, Sarah set out to offer partnership and support to schools and districts working to improve learning outcomes for students with disabilities.

Since 2019, The Ability Challenge has partnered with schools and districts nationwide, reaching more than 600 schools and nearly 39,000 students with disabilities. Sarah presents regularly at national conferences, including CEC, CASE, and NASDE, and her work has appeared in several publications, including The 74 Million. In 2026, she was named a Gratitude Network Fellow, adding to fellowships and recognition from Cambiar Education, SEED SPOT, and 4.0 Schools.

Sarah spent most of her career at the New York City Department of Education, serving as Executive Director of Policy and Student Advocacy for the alternative schools district and then as Senior Counsel for Litigation and Policy. In those roles, she led special education across the city's alternative programs, managed the Litigation Implementation Unit that successfully ended several long-running class action settlements, and built systems that helped move the City's 1,700 schools toward more equitable educational opportunities for all learners.

Earlier in her career, Sarah practiced law at a Washington firm, advising schools and universities, and worked at Teach For America before moving into public education. She received her B.A. from Cornell University and her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.  She currently lives in Maryland with her husband, daughter, and four-year-old doodle.