Dan McConchie

CEO, Accessibility Policy Institute
Former Illinois State Senator
Lover of all things Midwestern

[TFAS @TFASorg]

TFAS Board of Trustees member and alumnus @DanMcConchie, ’93, ’95, emphasized the TFAS mission of sowing seeds in courageous young citizens to inspire the ideas of liberty in their communities at the 2026 TFAS Annual Conference.

Join Dan in supporting the next generation of leaders. TFAS's Alumni Giving Day is just around the corner, and we invite you to be part of our mission. Your donation, no matter the size, makes a difference.

https://t.co/sOsCBfIzje

[Roger Ream @rogerrream]

Listen to and repost these 90 seconds from a man whose name everyone in the free world should know. #Courage

[Dan McConchie @DanMcConchie]

In some obvious ways, this last year was a year I’d rather forget. Frustrating doctor visits. Long days and longer nights in the hospital. Sadness, a glimmer of hope, then sadness again.

And then my beloved went much too early to the place we all must go.

The days, weeks and months after that have been dark. Some days, they’ve been pitch black. The world keeps turning. Life goes on. And yet some days all I can do is ache for one more day, one more hour, with her.

It used to seem easy to check off another holiday season. Decorations up? Gifts purchased? Party plans set?

And now my biggest question is, “How do I make the time I have with those I love last a little longer?”

So do yourself a favor: have another helping, tell another story, dance another dance.

Squeeze the neck of your loved one a little harder.
And make the night last just a little longer.

May God give you many memorable moments with your loved ones this new year.

[Dan McConchie @DanMcConchie]

Privileged to join this incredible organization

[TFAS @TFASorg]

#TFAS is pleased to welcome alumnus and former Illinois state senator @DanMcConchie ’93, ’95 to its Board of Trustees!  His career reflects servant leadership, resilience and a dedication to freedom, and we are honored to have his wisdom guiding TFAS forward.

https://t.co/em9x6BgXY2

[James Woods @RealJamesWoods]

This is what they destroyed today. I am so heartbroken, I can’t speak.

[Erika Kirk @MrsErikaKirk]

Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

[Accessibility Policy Institute @AccessibilityPI]

Congratulations to our CEO, Dan McConchie, on his recognition as a champion of disability rights! 🎉🌟

“It is an honor to be recognized by the Illinois Municipal League! As we mark 35 years of ADA, so many people don’t realize that, while ADA is helpful, there’s still more work to do. There are 70 million Americans with disabilities, and this is a group anyone can join at any time, whether through accident (like me), illness, or aging. When we ensure access to housing, transportation, and employment, we empower people to live independently and be productive members of society.” - CEO, Daniel McConchie

[Dan McConchie @DanMcConchie]

Thank you to all who contributed. We met the goal!

[Dan McConchie @DanMcConchie]

Just a few hours left! All donations to this @TFASorg scholarship fund in honor my wife’s legacy is being tripled. Thank you to all who have given already! https://t.co/jgbjT2flfB

[Dan McConchie @DanMcConchie]

I met my wife, Milena, at a @TFASorg program in 1995. After she passed, I started a scholarship fund to help young students from Bulgaria and Ukraine have the same opportunity she did. Every $1 donated by Wednesday night is being tripled. Over $2400 donated so far! https://t.co/QdftRZJD0q

[TFAS @TFASorg]

This TFAS Alumni Giving Day, @DanMcConchie ’93, ’95 and #TFAS will match all donations to the McConchie Scholarship Fund up to $5K, in honor and memory of Milena.

Give to the McConchie Scholarship Fund ➡️ https://t.co/SR3YhMR34R

[Dan McConchie @DanMcConchie]

https://t.co/a8GPM6Evqi

[Dan McConchie @DanMcConchie]

My bride has left much too early for the place where we all must go.

My wife, Milena, grew up in the seaside town of Varna in the country of Bulgaria just north of Greece. Even though her homeland was controlled by Communists, Milena was a lover of freedom and wanted to see the world. At a young age, she determined that she would marry a ship’s captain, because a captain could take his wife on his voyages and that way, she could see the world.

But Communism collapsed in Bulgaria in 1990 when Milena was just 16 years old and the freedom she yearned for was now hers. She knew she would go to college and decided on one particular college, the American University in Bulgaria. So committed was she to this school that she refused to even apply to other schools vowing to her mother that if she was not accepted, she would simply apply again the next year.

But she was accepted and excelled. During her collegiate tenure, she went to a summer program on free market economics in Prague offered by The Fund for American Studies. It was there that we met. In downtown Prague, surrounded by amazing historical architecture, attending a university that was more than 600 years old, and drinking a bunch of beer because it only cost a quarter, it was easy to fall in love with this beautiful and intelligent young woman.

Six months later we were engaged. But shortly after that, she was diagnosed with cancer linked back to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that had happened a decade before. We both committed to the “for better or worse” part of our relationship and got married right in the middle of her cancer treatment - hairless and all.

It was the start of a great life. We both became accomplished professionals. We had two wonderful daughters. And she let me chase my dreams including what would became the honor of a lifetime, becoming an Illinois State Senator.

Both she and my daughters often bore the burden of service even more than I did. They were there for the endless events, meetings, parades, photo shoots, dropping off signs, picking up signs - and I don’t remember them ever complaining.

Milena in particular endured the long absences while I was away at the state capital. She would always send me to work with containers of homemade food for my lunches because, as she told me, “That’s how I participate.”

During those good years, there were bad times too - times that can be best described by their locations - a doctor’s office, a hospital room, or on a bed undergoing yet another medical test. She suffered immensely over the years, but rarely let on how much she was suffering.

Unfortunately, the health troubles that plagued her since Chernobyl were not to be outrun. She passed away from heart failure due to the cancer, the radiation, and the chemotherapy treatments that we now know cause the heart muscle to harden.

Fortunately, she is now free of those troubles and is finally in a place where there is no sickness and there is no death with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

While I already miss her terribly and always will, I am happy to know that she has finally found the healing for which I always prayed.

And now I rest on on the words of the Apostle Paul:

“I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:

‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?’”

See you soon my love. Until then, rest…

[Patrick Sheehan @paddypolitics37]

Bittersweet farewell to my friend and mentor State Senator @DanMcConchie Congratulations on your retirement, cheers!☘️

[Dan McConchie @DanMcConchie]

Today, I am announcing that I am retiring from the Illinois Senate effective February 2.

Representing the people of the 26th District for the past 8+ years has been an amazing experience. And leaving is bittersweet as I will certainly miss serving the constituents of this area, but I cannot wait for what’s next.

As a society, we are judged by how we care for the weakest amongst us. When I became disabled 17 years ago, society stepped in with supports and programs and helped ensure that I was not left behind.

And I did not just survive, but I have thrived. I have had access to housing, transportation and been gainfully employed ever since my accident. I have even made my way to public office and am the first paraplegic elected to state-level office in Illinois history.

Everyone disabled American deserves the opportunity to thrive. That is why I have started the Accessibility Policy Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the very best ideas in public policy to help every disabled person succeed to the greatest extent possible.

A huge thank you to everyone who has helped me over the years serve the state as Senator. I owe an even bigger thanks to my wonderful wife, Milena, and my kids who bore the burden of service even more than me.

And now, on to what’s next. Let’s go.

[Dan McConchie @DanMcConchie]

@elonmusk Why are usernames on X limited to 15 characters?