On the heels of the successfully held Legislative Policy Forums, as hosted by the Virgin Islands University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VIUCEDD) in both districts, on Thursday, Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. proudly accepted the endorsement of former Democratic congressman Tony Coelho, a pioneering disabilities advocate and legislator from California. Coelho is credited as being the primary sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as signed into law in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush. The wide-ranging civil rights legislation prohibits discrimination based on disability.

Coelho said he chose to endorse Governor de Jongh in his bid for re-election due to the governor’s demonstrated commitment to advancing the cause of the disabled, including his many collaborative efforts to ensure access to public facilities; employment opportunities; ADA compliance with local and federal mandates; and Visitability in the Virgin Islands.

“Governor de Jongh is the first elected leader of the Virgin Islands to comprehensively implement provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act since that landmark legislation I sponsored became law 20 years ago. He has done more to advance the rights of the disabled in the Virgin Islands than any of his predecessors, and First Lady Cecile de Jongh has championed the cause of children with special needs. For that reason, I am proud to endorse Governor de Jongh's candidacy for Governor of the Virgin Islands as he seeks a second term in office.”

In February, Governor de Jongh announced the appointment of Stephanie Barnes as the Territory’s first-ever Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator. The governor tasked Barnes with ensuring that all government agencies comply with the federal mandate prohibiting discrimination because of disability.

Barnes evaluates government communication and employment policies, reviews all government entities, and seeks to ensure that all public schools comply with ADA requirements. She also oversees training, complaint and grievance procedures, and education policies as they relate to assisting those with disabilities.

“The ADA empowered a large group of Americans, allowing them to finally claim the rights they deserved and opened the door to employment and other critical opportunities. It is the era's great civil rights accomplishment, and did so much to promote fairness in our society,” de Jongh said. “I am honored to receive the endorsement of a man who had so much to do with the passage of the ADA and advancing the cause of the disabled,” de Jongh added.