Content warning: The article briefly refers to suicidal ideation.
Tony Coelho, a former California congressman and majority whip of the United States House of Representatives, visited USC on Tuesday to discuss accessibility for people with disabilities and the process behind his authorship of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
University Student Government hosted the event in coordination with Trojan Democrats and the Student Assembly for Accessibility.
The Americans with Disabilities Act, which Congress passed in 1990 with bipartisan support, was a landmark bill that prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities. An amendment was passed to include intellectual disabilities, passing nearly unanimously in 2008. The bill and amendment were signed into law by presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, respectively.
Coelho served in U.S. Congress for 10 years before resigning in 1989 and joining the private sector.
During the event, Coelho discussed his upbringing and how it shaped his passion for disability advocacy.
“If I pass out, it’s because I’m 82 years old and I have epilepsy,” he said. “I’ve had seizures for 64 years, and I still have them.”
As a young man, Coelho said that, after a series of job applications were rejected due to his condition, he suffered bouts of depression and heavy drinking. He said he even considered taking his own life, but Coelho said he heard a voice telling him not to.
Shortly after that, a priest friend of his got him a live-in job with comedian Bob Hope. He said that during this time, Hope suggested that he become involved in politics, changing his life in the process.
After working under Rep. Bernie Sisk for 13 years, Coelho was elected in 1978 to his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing a district based in California’s Central Valley. He began drafting the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1986 and championed the legislation until it became law four years later.
While fielding questions following his speech, Coelho thanked the audience for showing up.
“It’s important for those of us with disabilities to have people who support us,” he said. “Looking around the room, I assume some of you don’t have disabilities, and the fact that you’re here is what’s exciting.”
“I did not expect tonight to be as thought-provoking as it was,” said Garrett Hartfelder, a freshman majoring in legal studies. “Without the ADA, I’m probably not at this school.”
Hartfelder, who is on the autism spectrum, said that if the ADA did not pass, he would never have been able to have opportunities like gifted or honors programs and AP classes that led him to USC. He said that without the ADA, “I’m getting put into the special ed classes where they don’t invest any resources into me.”
Hartfelder added that he feels that, in his first few months on campus, USC has been fully accommodating to his needs as a student identifying as having a disability.
Emma Fallon, a junior majoring in political science, also said she found the event inspiring.
“I think hearing from him was amazing,” she said. “So many quotes and things he said today that resonated with me.”
Fallon, who has a brother with a disability, is co-vice president of the USC chapter of Best Buddies, a club promoting inclusivity of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and was a member of the USG’s Committee on Accessibility Affairs last year. She said she wants USC to continue moving forward with inclusion of people affected by disabilities.
“There are so many obstacles and hindrances for things and, especially at a school like USC, which is hard to get into, it’s hard to do anything here, just getting the ‘right to fail’ and the ‘right to try,’ I think is huge, and it will stick with me for sure,” said Fallon, referring to Coelho’s oft-repeated message of inclusivity.
“Give me the right to fail,” Coelho said. “If you give me the right to fail, then I can succeed or fail, but if you don’t give me the right to fail, I can never get there.”