Sophie Downing

Youth Independent Living Specialist
803-779-5121
sdowning@able-sc.org
Columbia Office
Pronouns: She/her/hers

As a Youth Independent Living Specialist, Sophie supports youth with disabilities to learn independent living skills and get connected to resources to help them reach their goals.  She first started working with the disability community in 2021 when she worked for a small nonprofit in her hometown that provides community engagement and vocational training to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Since then, she has done respite care, protection and advocacy, and most recently worked with college students with IDD as an academic, independent living, and personal development coach. She is passionate about disability pride, advocacy, and the right to self-determination. She grew up as a person who stutters but did not begin to embrace her identity as a disabled person until she immersed herself in the disability community and saw that there is so much to celebrate in being a little bit different. She graduated from USC with both her Bachelor's and Master's of Social Work, "I have found my purpose in helping others and wanting to make a difference in the lives of the individuals I serve." In her free time, she likes to spend time with friends and family and go on long walks with her pit bull, Sadie.