 Gallagher was the first Australian woman to win a medal at the Winter Paralympics, and Australia's second female Winter Paralympian. She was given the opportunity to compete at the highest levels in skiing after being identified during a talent search and because of her snowboarding experience. As she is blind, she competes with a guide with Eric Bickerton being her first guide. She is coached by Steve Graham, who also coached Michael Milton and is the current head coach of the Australian Institute of Sport's Winter Paralympic program. Her Australian training base is at the Victorian Institute of Sport's training centre located at Lakeside Stadium in South Melbourne. While actively training six days a week, her individual training sessions will last between two and three hours each a total of ten to twelve sessions by the end of the week.
