Following her accident, she spent twelve months in the spinal unit of Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland.
Reid was a columnist at The Herald in Glasgow and a former associate editor of The Sunday Mail before joining The Times and reporting and commentating from Scotland.
Reid's memoir The World I Fell Out Of was published in 2019 by 4th Estate (HarperCollins) and won the Saltire Non Fiction Book of the Year Award.
In June 2014, Reid received an honorary degree from the University of Stirling "in recognition of her contribution to journalism, to disability rights and awareness, and for being an inspirational example of human resilience and dignity".
[7] Reid was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to journalism and to people with disabilities.