Tiphany Adams

Tiphany Adams was a 17-year-old high school senior who dreamed of becoming a model when a drunk driver going 130 mph crashed head-on into the car she and two of her friends were in. Both of her friends were killed in the collision and Adams barely survived (initially, doctors gave her a 5 percent chance of survival), suffering trauma to her spinal cord that left her paralyzed from the waist down. However, never one to be kept down for long, the remarkable Adams returned to school six months later, actually graduated with her class and went on to successfully pursue a career in modeling and acting. Now, she and Angela Rockwood, Auti Angel and Mia Schaikewitz—all of whom are also paralyzed—are the subjects of the Sundance Channel docu-series Push Girls, premiering June 4 on the Sundance Channel.

The series, which is being touted as an unfiltered and unsentimental look at the lives of these women, promises to be an eye-opening experience, and Adams assures us that the series will depict the broad spectrum of her life, from the familiar territory of L.A.’s lesbian dating scene to her close friendships with her inspiring castmates, and will even follow her back to her Northern California hometown to attend a high school reunion as well as visit—for the first time—the scene of her near-fatal car accident.

While there is no shortage of reality TV series these days, Push Girls offers us a fascinating insight into a misunderstood and underrepresented group that has been in need of a spokesperson—and the inspiring and lovely Adams is just the lesbian to do it.

She has spoken at high schools and universities about spinal cord injuries and the consequences of driving while intoxicated. She attends charity dinners and galas for those with spinal cord injuries. She sometimes attends UCLA Adaptive Recreation events, participating in kayaking and other sporting activities. She is focused on becoming a fitness model and is designing a clothing line called Wheely Famous. Tiphany is Angelas new roommate. She is sponsored by Colours Wheelchairs.