Sarah Orem holds a bachelor's degree in English from Rice University, a master's in performance studies from New York University, and she recently earned her doctorate from the English department at the University of Texas at Austin. She joined Smith College as a postdoctoral fellow in American Studies in 2016.

Orem teaches courses in disability studies. She also enjoys teaching women’s literature, popular culture and media studies, and theater and drama. Her work has appeared in such journals as The Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies, enculturation, and Women & Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory.

She is currently working on a book project examining modes of protest that are uniquely mobilized by women with disabilities.