Online Professional Conference on Abuse of Children and Adults with Disabilities
Basics on Abuse and Disability: The Law, Victims’ Rights, and Service Delivery
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ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR – ATTORNEY OLEGARIO “OLLIE” D. CANTOS VII
A leader in the disability rights community for more than 14 years and blind since birth, Olegario “Ollie” D. Cantos VII is the first person ever to serve as General Counsel and Director of Programs for the 81,000-member American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the largest cross-disability national membership organization in the country, based in Washington DC.
Widely known for his ability to network and bring stakeholders together for a common purpose, Mr. Cantos also works with national leaders of disability rights organizations and high-ranking officials from the White House and various federal departments to provide consumer perspective on policies affecting the disability community. A 2001 Regional Finalist for the White House Fellowship Program and active in work both within and outside the disability community, he has been hailed by AAPD’s President and Chief Executive Officer Andrew J. Imparato as “an ambassador for the organization” and continues to be a sought-after speaker as an example of how people with disabilities may reach the highest levels of success in every area of life by exercising both the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. His engaging personal style and ability to convey thoughts through the written word have established him as one of the fastest-rising up-and-coming leaders in the disability community.
Prior to joining AAPD in June 2002, he served as Staff Attorney and Director of Outreach and Education for three years at the Western Law Center for Disability Rights in Los Angeles. During that time, he created the Case Aggregation Strategy Team as a way of fostering greater pro bono involvement by the legal community, made substantial progress in reaching out to people with disabilities from diverse ethnic backgrounds, developed and executed a comprehensive disability rights training curriculum for targeted audiences, and fostered a more harmonious environment that promoted cross-organizational, cross-disability collaboration through establishing and building the Southern California Disability Rights Leadership Conference, which has since grown to encompass partnerships at a statewide level.
A graduate of Loyola Law School in 1997 and Loyola Marymount University in 1992, Mr. Cantos continues to write on a range of topics. He wrote a comprehensive toolkit for assisting students and job seekers with disabilities in identifying and determining viable career options, a California primer for crime victims with disabilities and their families, a comprehensive report to the State Bar of California on the delivery of legal services to low-income Californians with disabilities, and a series of widely-circulated online bulletins that addressed issues of transportation, special education, veterans’ benefits, physical accessibility, the criminal justice system, the arts, religion, and employment. He has also appeared on radio and television and in newspapers and magazines and has written articles for nationally-circulated periodicals including “The Braille Monitor” and “Future Reflections.” He also edited a candid book on experiences of people who are blind, and he was featured in a 1991 book published by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB).
Having traveled around the country, Mr. Cantos has addressed crowds ranging from a handful to more than 6,000. Audiences have included business entrepreneurs, disability rights activists, attorneys and other legal professionals, school children of all ages, college and university students, press representatives at the National Press Club, meetings of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2002 and 2003, gatherings of government officials, and civil rights leaders at national conferences. He has received numerous honors for his work, both within and outside the field of disability. These include 2004 California Big Brother of the Year; the Key to the City from Mayor Kay Barnes in Kansas City (Missouri) in 2003; a 2002 Leader of Tomorrow Award from Speaking For Ourselves in Pennsylvania; a 2002 Service Award from the State Bar of California; an Outstanding Service Award from the Loyola Marymount University National Alumni Association; a 2001 Award of Recognition from Employment Diversity Source, four awards in 2000 including the Paul G. Hearne National Leadership Award from AAPD, an Outstanding Service Award from the City of West Covina, the Access Award from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities, the “Award of Excellence, Service, and Achievement” from a large Southern California Filipino organization, and a Distinguished Service Award from the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles in 1998.
A three-time finisher of the 26.2-mile Los Angeles Marathon, hobbies include rollerblading, horseback riding, and exercise. Mr. Cantos is also a science fiction fan and loves being involved with his church and community. He is often noted for his energy and enthusiasm and derives inspiration from God, his family, books on personal development, and various mentors he has had throughout his life.
In the words of Dr. Jonathan Young, formerly with the White House Office of Public Liaison, “Ollie Cantos has an abiding passion for making the world a better place. He has a capacity for channeling his extraordinary level of energy to produce not just great results in his own work, but also to inspire those around him to do more and do better. His enthusiasm is infectious! Ollie is a deeply caring person, someone who takes his work seriously because he knows it makes a real difference in the lives of real people.”