Disability:IN

Written by Jill Houghton

President & Chief Executive Officer of Disability:IN

U.S. Congressman Tony Coelho, the primary author and sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) utilizes every opportunity to share his personal experience with epilepsy. He never misses a chance to educate others. Through his actions he promotes disability pride and visibility, challenges stereotypes, and vigorously advocates for disability rights.

In 1994, Tony was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve as the Chair of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. The President’s Committee was an independent federal agency charged with reporting to the President on the progress and problems of maximizing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

He immediately began working in partnership with the Employer Subcommittee of the President’s Committee to identify how to bring the public and private sectors together at the state and local levels in a

manner that would lead to more people with disabilities becoming employed.

The result of this effort was the development of a movement called the Business Leadership Network (BLN) in 1994. The BLN movement was based on the premise that the inclusion of employes with disabilities is a competitive business advantage and that businesses respond to their peers.

This was the first time a business-led venture of this nature had been undertaken nationwide. It resulted in creating a forum where companies could network, share disability inclusive best practices, and engage with local resources to attract, hire and retain talent with disabilities.

In 1998, Chairman Coelho appointed Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO, of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as Head CEO of the national BLN movement.

For the next three years, Tony traveled from state to state focused on igniting the BLN movement calling on business leaders to take concrete steps to increase the hiring, retention and advancement of employees with disabilities.

Tony is quoted as saying, “I'm asking for your genuine commitment to seek out and select qualified persons with disabilities for positions at all levels of your company -- from top management to the mailroom. I am asking you today to accept the challenge of leading a major national movement, the Business Leadership Network.”

In 2002, it was time to move the highly successful BLN movement that Tony founded to become independent. A National BLN Summit took place at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and when it concluded, the business leaders that Tony had brought to the movement committed to forming a national non-profit organization named the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) which was officially incorporated in 2007.

In 2018, USBLN rebranded to Disability:IN which reflects the disability pride and visibility that Tony leads with and invites others to embrace.

Thirty years later, Disability:IN is a global non-profit organization driving disability inclusion and equality in business with more than 550 multinational corporations because of Tony’s visionary leadership to work together with business to ignite a movement.