Lawyers and disabilities
Printed in the Republican in 2019
Carrie Writes
Disabilities and Lawyers
Carrie Barrepski
Former Representative of the House Tony Coelho of California donated $1 million to the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles to establish a department for disability law. This section is called the Coehlo Center for Disability Law, Policy and Innovation. It also works in conjunction with the seven other schools of Loyola University.
His interest in disability law was sparked at least in part by his epilepsy, and he was one of the major sponsors of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
In his opinion, many federal judges and elected officials make decisions based on their own experiences, which is why he wants to have more people with disabilities in those positions deciding disability issues. The law school plans on becoming a leader in accommodations for law students with disabilities and to create a national dialogue that identifies barriers. The school hopes to recruit law students with disabilities and hold “prelaw boot camps” for the public.
The group has several plans in the works for the next year, such as a paper on workplace accommodations for people with mental disabilities, a summer program for disability law fellows and a summer conference to discuss disability issues in general.