Research and Policy at The Coelho Center
The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation is committed to our policy and advocacy efforts to advance the rights of people with disabilities. The Coelho Center works on local, state, national, and international levels, often in collaboration with other disability rights organizations who share our principles and commitment to disability rights and justice.
Our work is both external and internal to our home at Loyola Marymount University. As a law and policy center embedded at an R2 University, we join our colleagues in engaging in cutting edge research. The Coelho Center aims to support LMU’s vision of being a leader in developing cutting edge, accessible programs that encourage our students to be future leaders of tomorrow. The Coelho Center works across LMU to help foster a scholarly community dedicated to Disability Studies, fostering students and practitioners interested in working with the disability community, and providing training to enhance campus-wide efforts to improve a positive climate at LMU for people with disabilities.
As scholar practitioners at the Center, we put our research into practice informing our policy agenda and vice versa.
Amicus Curiae
The Coelho Center joins other individuals and groups to submit Amicus Curiae (“Friend of the Court”) Briefs in disability rights and other civil rights cases where the court’s decision will have implications for the rights of people with disabilities. Here is a list of some of the briefs:
A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools (U.S. Supreme Court 2025)
The amicus brief filed by Representative Tony Coelho and The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation urges the Supreme Court to reverse the Eighth Circuit’s decision in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools. The brief argues that Congress explicitly enacted 20 U.S.C. § 1415(l) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to ensure that children with disabilities retain their full rights under other federal civil rights laws, such as the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. It challenges the Eighth Circuit’s reliance on Monahan v. Nebraska, which imposed a heightened “bad faith or gross misjudgment” standard for students seeking relief under these laws, asserting that such a reading directly contradicts the statutory text and legislative intent of the IDEA. The brief highlights the historical context of disability rights legislation, emphasizing that Congress intended the IDEA to supplement—not limit—existing protections. It explains that § 1415(l) was enacted to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision in Smith v. Robinson, which had held that the IDEA was the exclusive remedy for students with disabilities. By reinstating access to remedies under Section 504 and broader civil rights statutes, Congress made clear that students with disabilities must be able to pursue the same legal avenues as any other protected group. Therefore, the Amici argue, the Court should reject Monahan and affirm that students with disabilities can seek redress under the ADA and Section 504 without additional burdens.
Letters of Support or Opposition
The Coelho Center joins other individuals and groups to submit letters in support or opposition of laws, policies, and practices that have implications for the rights of people with disabilities. Here is a list of some of the letters: