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Sophie Morgan, model, artist and TV presenter, has been on a singular mission since she was paralyzed in car accident at the age of 18, to change how the world perceives disability, and she has been making some serious changes since beginning her quest. Read on for her story.
Why She’s Fearless
Injured in a car accident right before leaving high school, becoming a T6 spinal cord injury as a result, Sophie had to shift her life plans. She had thought she wanted to go to law school, but changed her mind, deciding to pursue art instead after graduating.
This is when her life began to evolve. Sophie was offered a scholarship to study Fine Art at Goldsmiths University in London, and she her first solo show in 2004. The following year she was asked to be on the reality show Beyond Boundaries, where they took disabled contestants on treks across extreme environments. In this case it was Nicaragua. This show put Sophie on the media radar in the UK.
After coming home from Nicaragua, she was asked to be on Britain’s Missing Top Model, a show where disabled women competed for a modeling contract. She got second place, and this was when she began to really feel strongly about changing the way disability is perceived via the media.
After Britain’s Missing Top Model, and finding that few doors were opened in the fashion world to disabled models despite the show, she founded the “IMperfect” campaign, highlighting models with disabilities in still photos. She also created MANNEQUAL (mannequins + equal), a wheelchair for mannequins. Before she knew it, Sophie was asked to be a TV presenter for the BBC.
Over the years, while working for the BBC, she has been a presenter for the Paralympics on several occasions, and she’s reported hard news for Channel 4, reporting on important disability-related issues as well, such as disabled UK children not getting adequate wheelchairs. And she’s hosted popular BBC shows such as Luxury for Less and co-hosted the morning show, Loose Women.
What’s Next?
Sophie has also been an ambassador for several disability products, such as Rex, an exoskeleton from New Zealand, and Can-Am, an accessible motorcycle that has three wheels, and a machine she absolutely loves. She has traveled around the world with her bike. Her artistic side is always ever-present as well. Sophie still works as a freelance artist, doing commissioned work, and she’s a published author.
In 2022, she published her memoir Driving Forwards: A journey of resilience and empowerment after life-changing injury. This book shares her journey from the age of 19 to her 30s, and her work in the media and artworld. Fierce, formidable, and unforgettable, Sophie Morgan has reached her goal and then-some of making a difference in how the world views people with disabilities.
ideas@spinalpedia.com
