George Gallego (above, center) is focused on increased quality of life for people with SCI.

NSCIA Chapter Check-In: Greater New York City


Collaborating with Other Disability Organizations for a Unified Vision
As a past president and a current board member of the Greater New York Chapter, George Gallego is intimately familiar with the bounty of resources available to the Big Apple’s SCI/D community. For years, Gallego and his predecessors and successors with NYCSCIA have worked to unite that web of nonprofits and organizations.

George Gallego (center) is focused on increased quality of life for people with SCI.
George Gallego (center) is focused on increased quality of life for people with SCI.

“I’ve always thought it was an issue that the disability community was so segmented. It seems like everyone breaks off and goes in their own direction and deals with whatever they’re trying to deal with and then that’s it, there is no connection to other organizations who have similar target groups or a similar mission,” says Gallego. “We’re all trying to increase the quality of life of the people we’re working with and we have so many nonprofits here in New York and never in the past have we actually decided that we’re going to collaborate on one project to try and unify the organizations.”

Until now.

On Oct. 11, NYCSCIA will join with the Alan T. Brown Foundation, Wheeling Forward, Wheelchair Sports Federation and Gallego’s own Wheels of Progress to host New York’s inaugural SCI Awareness 5K Run-Roll-Walk. The event, to be held at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, is the result of months of collaboration and planning.

“We’ve always talked about working together, doing an event and now we’re actually doing it,” says Daniel Tratt, current president of NYCSCIA. Tratt says the chapter considered sponsoring the event by itself when it first started discussing the idea, but is much more excited about the joint effort.

Daniel Tratt is excited to host NYC’s first SCI Awareness Run-Walk-Roll.
Daniel Tratt is excited to host NYC’s first SCI Awareness Run-Walk-Roll.

“The main goal here is to raise awareness and also establish new partnerships and relations with other stakeholders in the community,” says Gallego. “It’s an opportunity for people with and without disabilities to come out and have fun and meet a lot of our supporters and even more so we want to use this as an opportunity to create awareness.”

Getting New York’s leading organizations on the same page and reaching all of their combined members was the primary motivator for reaching out to the other four organizations, but splitting the estimated $15,000 bill five ways was an added boon.

“It makes it so much more manageable,” says Tratt, “because even if we see none of the money back we’re happy to raise awareness and get people out there. But we’re comfortable we’re going to be able to break even and maybe even do better.”

“With this project everyone has been really good about not fighting over dollars and working well together to accomplish one goal,” adds Gallego.
Tratt emphasized that fundraising is really a secondary goal.

“I didn’t think it would be fair for the very first year to make fundraising a primary goal, because I wanted people to enjoy this. My goal for this first year is just to put together a successful event that is run well. Then the people who register will have such a great time that they’re going to want to come back the next year.” The same goes for bringing more sponsors into the fold. “After we have an established event, it’s going to be a little easier for us to go and ask for corporate sponsorship … because we have the experience and a successful event to show for it.”

Organizers are working to sign up 200 volunteers and 300 participants for the event’s multiple divisions. Participants can enjoy a leisurely walk or roll around Flushing Meadow Park, or take part in one of the four competitive divisions: runner (adult), runner (teen), pushrim wheelchair or handcycle.

Gallego, an accomplished parathlete, is excited to see all the planning come to fruition. He thinks the event could be the beginning of something special.

“I’ve really enjoyed collaborating with all the other organizations. I think this was really important for us to be able to get to this point,” he says. “We don’t have a shortage of folks with SCI, but we do have a shortage of leaders. We’re always trying to come up with new ways to create positive leadership within the community and this is a great one.”

For more information on the Run-Roll-Walk, visit the event’s official site: www.sciawareness5k.com. For more on the Greater New York Chapter, visit www.nycspinalcord.org.


Spotlight: New York City

Daniel Trattby Daniel Tratt

My Take
New York City is known as the city that never sleeps. This is very true, and also one of the main reasons that I live in the suburbs just out of Manhattan in Westchester. But don’t get me wrong. I love NYC and go into the city all the time for drinks or dinner with friends, to give my dog Olive time to romp at one of the many dog parks, or to attend concerts and shows or volunteer at one of the many hospitals.

Central Park is one of my top destinations as it is the rare place New Yorkers and tourists can go to get out of the urban sprawl and immerse themselves in nature. Athletes with and without disabilities go to train on bikes or racing chairs, taking advantage of the 6-mile loop that goes along the outer parts of the park and includes the very challenging Harlem Hill on the upper east corner. This hill can also be navigated in 3- and 5-mile loops as well. Not into training? No worries! The park has accessible playgrounds, walkways, dog parks, fountains and even boating for you to enjoy throughout the interior of the park.

NYC Empire State BuildingSkinny on the City
Between Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, Broadway and the night life, New York City has something to offer everyone, including a museum for you to visit no matter what your interests may be. Most of the tourist attractions throughout the city are wheelchair friendly, and some (like the Empire State Building) may allow wheelchair users to skip lengthy lines.

The wheelchair-accessible Highline is a garden in the sky, and a rare spot of nature in uber-urban New York City.
The wheelchair-accessible Highline is a garden in the sky, and a rare spot of nature in uber-urban New York City.

Places to Go
One of my favorite places to take friends and family is the Highline on the Lower West Side. The Highline is an elevated railway that has been repurposed into a lush, accessible greenway. It is a unique opportunity to walk or roll through a beautiful raised walkway that includes gardens, flowers and trees and allows you to see the city from a bird’s-eye view.  The Highline is flat and has wide walkways that are very easy to navigate for any wheelchair. Furthermore, the Highline has elevators at 14th, 16th, and 30th Street so that you can enter and leave at various points — although I suggest starting at 30th and walking south to 14th Street. Then you can finish off with a drink at the Standard Beer Garden that is just a block away. Another favorite of mine is to walk or roll the awesome Brooklyn Bridge, which is also accessible with flat and wide walkways.  Both activities are free!

Getting Around
I drive everywhere in my car, but New York City has ample trains and subways that can get you from place to place. However, not every stop is accessible, so do your due diligence and find out where you want to get off first. The city has buses and cabs to help you get around as well. In fact, lots of new cabs equipped with wheelchair ramps are available today, thanks to a new agreement United Spinal helped secure.

Must See, Must Do
Working in the Bronx has given me the opportunity to spend time and enjoy some of the hidden gems in this borough. If you love animals, the Bronx Zoo is a must. If you love gardens, then the New York Botanical Garden is right next to the zoo. Are you a fan of Italian food? Get to Arthur Avenue (also close to the zoo and gardens), which has an awesome market and some of the best Italian restaurants in the country.

Most of these places are wheelchair accessible. The zoo and gardens have walking paths and accessible entrances into the various buildings, and the market and most restaurants on Arthur Avenue are accessible. I highly recommend getting some brick oven pizza at Giovanni’s or any Italian dish at Enzo’s.


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