Governor Dean Endorses Coelho's Call For Action for
Disability Rights, Employment
SEATTLE -- Democratic presidential candidate Governor
Howard Dean, M.D., today became the first Presidential
candidate to endorse former Congressman Tony Coelho's five-
point agenda for dismantling barriers to work for people
with disabilities. Mr. Coelho, who represented California
from 1979 to 1989 and served as Minority Whip, shared his
priorities in an address at the New York Law School on
October 24th.
"Tony Coelho was a disability rights hero in the U.S. House
of Representatives, where he championed the Americans with
Disabilities Act. As one of the authors of the ADA, Tony
channeled his experience into making America a better place
that fulfills its promise to the one in five people with
disabilities," Gov. Dean noted.
Mr. Coelho has called on the Presidential candidates to
endorse the following five-plank agenda:
1.
appoint federal judges who will respect the Americans
with Disabilities Act as originally passed by Congress;
2. reverse the damage done to the ADA by ideologically-
driven court decisions;
3. boost employment for people with disabilities through
changes in federal contracting, affirmative action, and
small business policies;
4. increase federal employment of people with disabilities
by 100,000 as required under the Executive Order
promulgated by President Clinton; and,
5. reform Federal programs so that disabled people
have incentives to seek work rather than stay at home.
"Tony has outlined the correct agenda for ensuring the
rights and opportunities of a substantial number of
Americans, and this will be a priority during a Dean
administration," Dean said. "His points complement and
reflect the commitment that I made on the ADA's 13th
anniversary this past July 26, when I became the first
candidate in this race to release a comprehensive
disability rights platform."
Governor Dean's platform can be found at:
http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=poli