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Defending our rights in many roles
Interview with Andres Gallegos , Chairman of the National Council on Disability
Written by St . Could State Student , Taylor Mulcahy , B . A . in Psychology
Four years ago , Andres Gallegos participated in the Pikes Peak Challenge in Colorado Springs , Colorado . He rolled up Pikes Peak Mountain in his manual wheelchair from the base at 7,300 feet above elevation to the mountain summit at 14,100 feet above elevation , which took him just over six hours . In doing so , he raised over $ 7,000 for the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado .
Gallegos did not initially intend to become a fierce advocate ( professionally and personally ). After graduation , the Chicago native enlisted in the United States Air Force and spent 14 years in active duty until being honorably discharged . He worked to obtain his undergraduate business management degree from the University of Southern Mississippi . He then went on to attend law school at St . Louis University , working in their evening program for the first year until he separated from the Air Force to finish law school fulltime . Post-completion of his law degree , Gallegos moved back to Chicago . However , Gallegos
sustained a spinal cord injury in a horrific automobile accident in November 1996 , resulting in quadriplegia . At the time of the accident , he was only three years into his already successful legal career , working as an associate attorney and focusing his talents on corporate and international trade law . After spending five months in the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago , Gallegos returned to work as an associate attorney , having to reinvent how he did things . He was still working on corporate and international trade matters , and began working with healthcare clients , and eventually made partner at that firm and was with them for about 10 more years .
Gallegos then left his firm and started working at Robbins , Salomon & Patt after merger discussions between the two firms fizzled . It was at Robbins , Salomon & Patt that he started focusing on addressing the needs of people with disabilities – Gallegos did not embrace his disability until about 10 years after his accident , and began advocating for himself when he truly realized the depth of the barriers he and his community faced . It was this realization that lead Gallegos ’ practice to transition from corporate and international trade to healthcare matters and disability rights and advocacy . This transition was fully supported by Robbins , Salomon & Patt , and led to the founding of the firm ’ s disability rights practice , which is now a national practice with its main focus of addressing inaccessible healthcare for people across all categories of disabilities throughout the country .
Under Robbins , Salomon & Patt ’ s new disability rights practice , Gallegos has achieved several stunning accomplishments that helped to change how disabled individuals access healthcare services . Their first case was class action lawsuits against the seven leading retail providers of eye examination services – LensCrafters , Pearle Vision , America ’ s Best , For Eyes , Costco , Sears Optical , and Target Optical – to make their examination services accessible to people with mobility disabilities who use mobility devices and cannot independently transfer .