'Southern Winter 2019
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If we have a strong<br />
community and metroarea,<br />
it is going to make<br />
it better for everybody.<br />
ASHLEY RHEA ’11<br />
As a reserved teen, Ashley Rhea never expected to be the incoming freshman<br />
volunteering to run for SGA. But, after being elected as a Freshman Representative and<br />
joining Chi Omega sorority, nothing could stop Rhea from being as involved as possible at<br />
Birmingham-Southern College.<br />
Since graduating, Rhea has made strides professionally and in the community by<br />
continuing to push herself into action.<br />
With a law degree from Samford University and experience representing companies at<br />
Maynard Cooper & Gale, Rhea wanted to pursue her dream of practicing disability-related law.<br />
She quickly realized that if she wanted to live her dream, the only option was to open her own<br />
firm – so once again, Rhea took a chance and pushed herself into making a difference.<br />
In August 2018, Rhea opened Rhea Law LLC, with the motto “Your case shouldn’t be<br />
bigger than your disability.”<br />
“I just did it,” Rhea says. “I felt like there was no reason to keep delaying. If you’re not<br />
doing what you love, then you aren’t going to have motivation to work every day.”<br />
Before going out on her own, Rhea took the time to research and meet with solo<br />
practitioners. What she learned supported what she was already aware of from experience<br />
with her own disability: there was a serious need in the community.<br />
“If you have been discriminated against, your case is disabling and then you have your<br />
actual, physical limitations,” Rhea says. “I can’t take away your limitation, but I can help<br />
this disabling situation become less threatening to you.”<br />
Rhea sees her own disability as a way to<br />
connect with people and show them their<br />
options.<br />
“Often it gets to the point where the<br />
individual can’t negotiate anymore, so<br />
sometimes they just need someone as a<br />
third party to come in with additional<br />
resources,” she says.<br />
Rhea believes that the connections<br />
she has made through civic involvement<br />
have contributed to her firm’s success.<br />
The Rotaract Club and Junior League of<br />
Birmingham are just two ways that Rhea<br />
stays plugged into her community.<br />
Partnering with Birmingham-area nonprofits<br />
is another crucial element of Rhea’s<br />
community involvement. In order to stay<br />
up-to-date on the resources available to<br />
people in the community, she works with<br />
the Lakeshore Foundation, Disability<br />
Rights and Resources, and Alabama<br />
Disabilities Advocacy Program.<br />
Through her law firm, Rhea hopes to add<br />
one more service to the available resources<br />
for people with disabilities.<br />
From studies at BSC in history and<br />
political science, internships during law<br />
school, and partnerships with Alabama<br />
Possible, Rhea saw that statistically,<br />
people with disabilities are the most<br />
underemployed sector in Alabama.<br />
Children with disabilities are also<br />
affected, as they are routinely left behind<br />
and not pushed to the same level of success.<br />
Rhea has a lot of hope for the state’s ability<br />
to improve these issues, and continues to<br />
focus beyond her career on advocacy.<br />
“Whatever is happening now will affect<br />
future generations,” she says. “I live in<br />
Vestavia, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t<br />
pay attention to what is happening in<br />
West Birmingham. If we have a strong<br />
community and metro-area, it is going to<br />
make it better for everybody.”<br />
18 / ’southern