A Word from Our Leadership
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A Word From Our Leadership We are so pleased that should be able to stay thank you to Amna you are here tonight for in their own homes Nawaz, Senior National our 2020 Virtual Annual and get services in their Correspondent, PBS Awards! communities. People need NewsHour, for making this jobs - just like people evening special. This event is a celebration who don’t have disabilities. of the 30th Anniversary That’s what we’re fighting of the Americans with for.” Disabilities Act (ADA) and the leaders whose work Showing your support has made such a difference by joining us this evening in the lives of people with means a great deal, as we disabilities, and, by doing and our special guests so, has made a difference take time to recognize in the lives of all of us. the Honorable Tony Coelho, a primary The Judge David L. sponsor of the ADA, who Bazelon Center for Mental is receiving our Lifetime Eve Hill Health Law has been Achievement Award. Chair | Board of Trustees championing the rights and dignity of people with We also honor Advocate disabilities since 1972. of the Year, Allilsa We advocate for the Fernandez, Advocate of civil rights, full inclusion the Year, Chacku Mathai, and equality of children Outstanding Pro Bono and adults with mental Lawyer, Jeff Goldman, and disabilities. Through high- Outstanding Pro Bono impact litigation, policy Partner, Paul, Weiss, advocacy, and technical Rifkind, Wharton & assistance, the Bazelon Garrison LLP. Through Center works to improve tonight’s program, we systems of Health Care hope you will learn Holly O’Donnell & Mental Health Care; more about the Bazelon President and CEO Education; Employment; Center’s important and Housing; Criminal Justice; impactful work and that and Access to Community you will continue to Services. support our movement to protect and advance As our Legal Director, Ira the rights of people with Burnim, put it succinctly, mental disabilities. “Our ideas are pretty simple. Kids should grow Congratulations to our up in families and have honorees. Thank you to access to a meaningful tonight’s sponsors and Welcome! education. People donors. And a special WWW.BAZELON.ORG @BAZELONCENTER 2 Mission & Vision Our ideas are pretty simple. The mission of the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is to protect and advance Kids should grow up in the civil rights of adults and children with mental illness or developmental disabilities. families and have access to a We envision a society where Americans with meaningful education. People mental disabilities live with autonomy, dignity, should be able to stay in their and opportunity in welcoming communities, supported by law, policy, and practices that help own homes and get services in them reach their full potential. their communities. People need The Center works on issues relating to: jobs – just like people who • Health Care & Mental Health Care • Education don’t have disabilities. • Employment That’s what we’re fighting for. • Housing • Criminal Justice IRA BURNIM • Access to Community Services Bazelon Center • Immigration WWW.BAZELON.ORG @BAZELONCENTER 3 Select 2020 Achievements Doe v. State of Ohio Ground-breaking settlement agreement with State Alameda County, of Ohio in longstanding special education class action lawsuit that will improve the academic achievement California of students with disabilities, in part by supporting their inclusion in regular classrooms. In July 2020, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and our partners filed a federal lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) against Alameda County and Alameda Health System. Katie A. v. Bontá The lawsuit challenges the unnecessary and illegal After an 18 year battle, foster children and youth segregation of people with mental health disabilities in Los Angeles County get the intensive home and community-based mental services they need. -- especially Black people with disabilities -- in psychiatric institutions and the failure to ensure people with disabilities are provided the services Baltimore, Maryland they need. Large advocacy effort, working with partners, including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU of Maryland, to ensure that the City of Baltimore and its police department effectively implement reforms required by a 2017 Consent Decree with the U.S. Department of Justice. COVID-19 Advocacy Ensuring that people with disabilities are treated fairly Watch this video, read the complaint and the press during the COVID-19 crisis in the United States. release. Read about our other 2020 Achievements at http://www.bazelon.org/newsroom/press-releases/ WWW.BAZELON.ORG @BAZELONCENTER 4 Past Awardees Keynote Speaker VANITA GUPTA President & CEO, 2019 Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights Outstanding Pro Bono Lawyer AARON M. PANNER Partner, Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Fredrick, PLLC Outstanding Pro Bono Partner STEPTOE & JOHNSON, LLP Advocate of the Year KATHY FLAHERTY Outstanding Public Executive Director, Service Award Connecticut Legal Rights KENNETH FEINBERG Project 2017 Emerging Young Pro Bono Service Advocate Award NYAMUON “MOON” SCHULTE ROTH & NGUANY MACHAR ZABEL LLP Cultural Strategist and Excellence in Advocate, Disability Rights Advocacy Award Maine SENATOR PATTY Corporation of the Year MURRAY ERNST & YOUNG LLP (D-WA) Excellence in Leadership Award ROBERT BERNSTEIN, PH.D. WWW.BAZELON.ORG @BAZELONCENTER 5 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient The Honorable Tony Coelho The Honorable Anthony “Tony” Coelho Director and then as President has spent his entire adult life helping and CEO of Wertheim Schroder advance the lives of people with Investment Services, a firm that he disabilities. He calls this his “ministry” grew from $400 million to $4 billion in while those in the disability community managed investments. call him their “voice” and “champion.” In 2018, Mr. Coelho founded The Diagnosed with epilepsy when he was Coelho Center for Disability Law, 22 years old, Mr. Coelho’s ministry Policy and Innovation at Loyola is marked by significant milestones: Marymount University. The Coelho primary author and sponsor of the Center convenes thought leaders to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) pursue positive change on disability — the most important piece of civil issues; leverages technology to advance rights legislation in the last 30 years; the lives of people with disabilities; advocating for the ratification of the and creates a pipeline of lawyers with U.N. Convention on the Rights of disabilities to populate the bench and Persons with Disabilities; and convincing hold elected office. President Bill Clinton to establish the Office of Disability Employment Policy A native of California, Mr. Coelho at the U.S. Department of Labor. earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1964 from Mr. Coelho is a former six-term United Loyola University in Los Angeles States Congressman from California, (now Loyola Marymount University), elected in 1978 and serving until where he served as Student Body 1989. In 1986, Mr. Coelho was elected President during his senior year. Mr. House Majority Whip, the third most Coelho has served as a member powerful position in the House of of Loyola Marymount University’s Representatives. Board of Trustees and received an Honorary Doctorate in 1987. Mr. After leaving Congress, Mr. Coelho Coelho currently serves on the Board joined Wertheim Schroder & Company, of Directors of both the Epilepsy Inc., an investment-banking firm in New Foundation and the American York, where he served as a Managing Association of People with Disabilities. WWW.BAZELON.ORG @BAZELONCENTER 6 2020 Outstanding Pro Bono Lawyer Award Recipient Jeff Goldman Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius LLP Jeff Goldman is of counsel to Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, where he focuses on securities litigation. Jeff has had frequent successes representing companies and individuals in securities fraud cases and in sales practice disputes. Jeff also represents clients in other types of complex litigation and is regularly asked to assist clients in presenting difficult legal issues to courts, and in preparing critical motions. As a versatile advocate and explainer, Jeff has a history of success in front of jurors, judges, and arbitrators. Jeff often appears before regulatory agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission where he presents understandable, common-language explanations of sophisticated trading strategies and difficult accounting guidance. As a longtime resident of Maine, Jeff has also assisted Morgan Lewis clients in a wide range of matters in Maine federal and state courts, and in state regulatory agencies. Prior to entering private practice, Jeff served as a law clerk for Judge Kermit V. Lipez of the First Circuit Court of Appeals and for Margaret H. Marshall, Chief Justice of Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. WWW.BAZELON.ORG @BAZELONCENTER 7 2020 Outstanding Pro Bono Partner Award Recipient Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison Brown v. Board of Education to representing LLP is a firm of more than 1,000 lawyers Edith Windsor in challenging the Defense of with diverse backgrounds, personalities, Marriage Act in United States v. Windsor, our ideas and interests who provide innovative attorneys have achieved landmark victories and effective solutions to our clients’ most in civil rights cases that have changed complex legal and business challenges. society for the better. Paul, Weiss lawyers participate in all levels of pro bono work, Paul, Weiss represents some of the working directly with individual