Sophie Morgan, 38, is an BAFTA nominated TV Presenter, Producer, Writer, Disability Rights Advocate and Artist. As one of the first female wheelchair users globally to host TV, Sophie is transforming the representation of disability on screen and can be seen anchoring live sports such as the Paralympics, fronting in her own prime-time travel series and hard hitting current affairs documentaries and as a regular panelist for ITV’s Loose Women.

She has recently co-founded Making Space Media with Keely Cat Wells. MSM – in a first-look deal with Reece Witherspoon’s Media company Hello Sunshine – focuses on producing TV and film, as well as creating accessible educational and promotional content for education, travel and media.

Recognized among the top 10 most influential disabled people in the UK, Sophie serves on advisory boards for Human Rights Watch, speaks at the United Nations, and acts as a patron for Scope and Back Up.

She is currently spearheading the global disability rights campaign Rights On Flights which has recently taken her to the White House to meet the President.

Sophie’s influence extends internationally as a global ambassador for Can-Am, Airbnb, and PADI, and a monthly columnist for Condé Nast Traveler.

Sophie’s artistic background includes a degree in Fine Art and Integrative Arts Therapy. She lives in London and Los Angeles.

Find out even more on this inspirational woman at https://www.sophiemorgan.com/

This year marked 20 years since my life-altering injury. Before, travel equated to freedom. I yearned to throw on a backpack and wander into the world. After my injury, however, the concept of travel and what it meant to me changed. Robbed mercilessly of the carefree whimsy of a student traveller, I became even more hungry for travel, freedom and adventure as a paraplegic – desperate to discover more of the world than I already had at age 18. It was a pursuit I knew would help me find my way again and ultimately enable me to move forward. I knew deep down it would help me find myself again and identify my place in the world.

However, as a wheelchair user, I was faced with enormous challenges – challenges so daunting they threatened to deter me altogether. Leaving the front door of my home was intimidating enough, let alone experiencing new environments, cultures or countries. On the one hand, my chair liberated my new paralysed body, but on the other hand, barriers I’d known before confronted me at every turn. People stared, pitied me or even refused to acknowledge me. Steps, stairs, buildings and even nature were like concrete barricades in my path.

Two decades later, after perseverance, persistent effort and unwavering determination, I have finally mastered the art of travel and I now feel the world – albeit adapted – can be mine for the taking. To celebrate my 20 year anniversary, I went on an epic cross-country adventure; riding a CanAm Spyder F3 (a type of three-wheeled motorcycle) from the east to west coast of the USA. On my journey, I reflected on the invaluable hard-won lessons on travelling with a disability I’ve learnt over the years. If I could go back in time and give my younger self a manual, a how-to guide or road-map to follow in my wheelchair’s tracks, these are the lessons I would share with my younger self..

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