Featured speakers announced for Disability and Mental Health Summit

State Rep. Dan Miller, D-Mt. Lebanon, announced the keynote speaker for his upcoming Disability and Mental Health Summit March 3 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Tony Coelho, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California and author of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, will provide the keynote address from 4:40 to 5:10 p.m.
“I am so excited that Congressman Coelho is able to join us, especially given that 2020 is the 30th anniversary of the passage of his bill,” Miller said. “The ADA is a seminal piece of civil rights legislation for our country and is responsible for increasing opportunity and access for millions of Americans.”
The ADA, passed in 1990 by a Democratic Congress and Republican president, prohibits discrimination based on disability and requires reasonable accommodations for employees and accessibility requirements on public accommodations.
“The Americans with Disabilities Act was never the product of one individual,” Miller said, “but no doubt, Congressman Coelho and his work played a key role in advancing the rights of Americans with disabilities. His experience, motivation and insight into the historical context are important for all of us to know and understand.”
Additional speakers of note include Teresa Miller, Pennsylvania secretary of human services; Kirstin Ahrens, deputy secretary of the Office of Developmental Programs; Michael Gamel-McCormick, disability policy director for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey; and Bobby Silverstein, a member of the State Exchange on Employment and Disability team and key Senate staffer who worked on the passage of the ADA.
Demand is already high for the Disability and Mental Health Summit. Interested parties can visit DisabilitySummit.com to reserve their spots. There is no cost to attend.