Katherine Pèrez
Katherine Pérez is the inaugural Director of the Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation, founded in 2018 by the Honorable Tony Coelho. She graduated from the UCLA School of Law (2013) and is a current doctoral candidate in Disability Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago where she is writing a dissertation on the Burger Supreme Court (1969-1986) cases on the criminal legal system and mental disability. Katherine writes about and presents on Disability and Immigration law and policy. Her article, "A Critical Race and Disability Legal Studies Approach to Immigration Law and Policy" advocates for an intersectional approach to understanding immigration that considers disability as well as a multidisciplinary approach that combines grassroots activism with legal work. Katherine teaches a Disability Rights Law course at Loyola Law School as a Visiting Professor of Law. She serves on the board of directors for Disability Rights California and Mental Health Advocacy Services. Katherine identifies as a queer disabled Latina who grandparents/great-grandparents immigrated from Mexico.