Former Six-Term United States Congressman Anthony “Tony” Coelho rallied advocates and spoke on the Senate Floor on behalf of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities Employment Advocacy Day during Georgia’s Legislative Session
EVENT RECAP
Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017
Former Six-Term United States Congressman Anthony “Tony” Coelho rallied advocates and spoke on the Senate Floor on behalf of the
Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities Employment Advocacy Day during Georgia’s Legislative Session
Coelho, an original author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), encouraged Georgia to commit resources and policy to support employment for people with disabilities
Former US Congressman from California, Anthony “Tony” Coelho, spoke to advocates and before the Georgia Senate on Thursday to encourage the state to commit resources and policy to support employment for persons living with disabilities. He was introduced by Senator Butch Miller (R-49). Prior to addressing senators, he joined individuals who gathered from across the state for Employment Advocacy Day training sponsored by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD). More than 100 people participated in the training session and were treated to motivational remarks from Coelho; Eric Jacobson, executive director of GCDD, Elizabeth Appley, attorney and policy analyst; and Senator Nan Orrock (D-36). Additionally, self-advocates, Josh Wells and Kurt Vogel, each spoke about their dream of having the opportunity to have a paying job and the dignity of work.
They underscore the importance of making their concerns known to their legislators and encouraged everyone in the audience to let their voices be heard. Representative Valencia Stovall (D-74) also attended. After the training, advocates headed to the Capitol mobilized to call on their elected representatives for resources and policies to support people with disabilities. The overall theme of the day was Employment First, which means that employment in an integrated setting paying at or above minimum wage must be the first and preferred priority for all workers with disabilities. As Coelho, who lives with epilepsy, stated, “We want to be given the chance to fail just like everybody else.”
Photo Credit (for all): courtesy of GCDD
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Meadows Suber, Public Information Director
Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities
404-657-2122 (office); 404-801-7873 (mobile)
www.gcdd.org
Twitter: @georgiacouncil
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