Birmingham-Southern College honored the 2019 Alumni Award Recipients during the festivities of homecoming weekend. The Distinguished Alumni, Outstanding Young Alumni, and Rising Star awards recognize graduates who have achieved outstanding success in their chosen professions. The awards were presented at the Alumni Awards Brunch on Saturday, Oct. 19 in Bruno Great Hall of the Norton Campus Center.

In 2018, after having dinner with an Alpha Chi Omega sorority sister in Washington, D.C., Kelley Brooks Simoneaux ’07 called an Uber to get home. When the driver arrived, he took one look at her and refused to give her a ride. Simoneaux was in a wheelchair.

The incident gave her a mission: Draw attention to how the world is moving forward at such a rapid pace that the disability community is being left on the curb.

She has used a wheelchair since she was 16, when an accident involving a negligent driver and a faulty seatbelt left Simoneaux a paraplegic.

She went on to attend Birmingham-Southern, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in political science. She then graduated from the University of Tennessee Law School in 2010, where she was president of the Student Bar Association. Simoneaux is married to Bradlee J. Simoneaux ’08.

One of Simoneaux’s proudest professional accomplishments has been starting her own law firm. The Spinal Cord Injury Law Firm, PLLC focuses specifically on spinal cord injuries and fosters professional growth for people with disabilities. It is the only firm in the nation to be founded by a nationally recognized attorney who is able to share in the experience of being in a catastrophic event.

In an effort to do more, she created an organization called Wheel2Ride. This advocacy campaign focuses specifically on directing policy changes regarding the inclusion of individuals with mobility disabilities in using ride sharing platforms.

A survey created by Wheel2Ride found that 83 percent of the disability community has faced discrimination in transportation.

“It is a slow process, but is one that I am continuing to work on,” Simoneaux says. “I want to build allies within every state to make changes in legislation.”

In addition to her work and advocacy, she also serves on multiple boards, including the ENDependence Center of North Virginia.

She sees reminders of BSC reflected in her day-to-day life, as the culture on campus emphasized the importance and satisfaction that can be found in helping others.

This story was published in the Fall/Winter 2019 issue of ’Southern, BSC’s alumni magazine.

If you have ideas for our next issue of ’Southern, please email [email protected]. We always welcome stories about outstanding people from the BSC community.