Reasons for Pride in 2012, Part 2

Because some of us are vertically challenged and still amazing

Tiphany Adams was in high school when a drunk driver hit the car she was in head-on. She and her two friends were all pronounced dead on the scene, but the EMTs heard a faint heartbeat and airlifted Adams to a hospital, where she spent months recovering. The accident put her in a wheelchair, but it certainly didn’t stop her dreams of becoming a model — or exploring her sexuality, both of which she does in the Sundance Channel’s groundbreaking new docu-series Push Girls, which premieres June 5. “I am not easily defined,” says Adams. “I am attracted on a soul level. Yes the physical definitely catches my attention, but I need an individual that is intellectual, humorous, and confident and who values spirituality. Regardless of defining a person disabled or not, we all have wants and needs just like anyone else.” 

Along with three other dynamic, outspoken, attractive women who, by accident or illness, have been paralyzed (all of whom were friends before the cameras rolled), Adams takes a matter-of-fact attitude toward her disability and her ability to inspire others. “I am mostly surprised at how many people I inspire just by simply getting out of bed and rolling around the neighborhood for cardio or rolling to the grocery store. I am grateful that I can motivate people just by living my life.”