The Sister of 'Today' Show Co-Anchor Peter Alexander Has Opened up on Embracing Her Usher Syndrome

Progress toward representation and awareness of the disability community has been steadily on the rise on multiple fronts. Over the years, streaming shows and video games have granted folks more accessibility options to allow blind people to participate in binge-watching and fighting game tournaments more fluidly than ever. In 2024, deaf actress Alaqua Cox graced the small screen by portraying the first deaf hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Echo on Hulu.

But while certain strides continue to be made for both the blind community and the deaf community, Rebecca Alexander has to balance both in her daily life. The sister of Today show co-anchor Peter Alexander has long been an advocate for the disability community ever since she was diagnosed with Usher syndrome at a very young age. Today, she is a leading psychotherapist and accomplished athlete who strives to raise even more awareness for her community. Get to know Rebecca and her achievements.

It can be said that Rebecca Alexander has been working to raise awareness and bring progress to the disability community for practically all her life. When she was only 12 years old, she was diagnosed with Usher syndrome. This is a rare genetic disorder that causes gradual hearing loss and severe visual impairment. The process can take place over the course of several years and the disorder currently has no known cure.

Having received this news at such a young age, Rebecca would go on to become an award-winning advocate for the deafblind community. In 2014, she released a memoir about coming to terms with the loss of her senses and achieving great things while living with Usher syndrome. Along with being a professional psychotherapist, she is an extreme athlete, having climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in her life. Unsurprisingly, she has used her platform to uplift other deaf and blind folks.

In 2024, she appeared on the Today show alongside her brother Peter as she described her life and career. In this profile, she revealed that she can hear nothing without the assistance of cochlear implants and her line of sight has become incredibly narrow.

However, Rebecca has been unafraid to talk about her experience. Instead of trying to "overcome" the vulnerability she feels as she loses her senses, she has decided to embrace the experience and move forward.

"I allow myself to feel all of the loss [and] all of the grief," she states in her profile. "And it's only in allowing myself to feel the full range of my emotions that I'm able to feel all of the joy and all of the happiness and all of the sense of meaning that comes with being alive."

To this day, she continues to inspire many people as she continues to take care of herself and raise awareness for the deafblind community.