Tony Coelho

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Epilepsy Foundation, member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of People with Disabilities, member of Council on American Politics, member of the Advisory board of George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management

Tony Coelho is a former member of the House of Representatives from California’s 15^th district. He was also the House Majority Whip for 2 years. Tony was the chairperson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for 6 years.

Tony Coelho wanted to become a priest after the Kennedy assassination but when he went for a medical exam prior to him applying he found out that he had epilepsy. After the news and being informed that he would not be able to become a priest Tony turned instead to politics.

Tony is credited by many as the primary sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Act prohibits discrimination based on disability similarly to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, and other features illegal. The Act also requires employers to provide accommodations to employees with disabilities as well as accessibility requirements on public accommodations.

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