AAPD - News

AAPD Hires General Counsel/Director of Programs
July 2002

AAPD is delighted that Olegario "Ollie" D. Cantos VII, recipient of a 2001 Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Award and who has also been the recipient of numerous awards for his leadership and legal expertise, recently joined its staff as General Counsel and Director of Programs. In this capacity, Ollie's primary responsibility will be for all aspects of National Disability Mentoring Day (NDMD), which will be officially commemorated on October 16, 2002 with AAPD serving as National Host. Please peruse this site to learn more about NDMD and what critical roles you can play. Most recently, Ollie was with the Los Angeles-based Western Law Center for Disability Rights, the oldest cross-disability legal advocacy organization in the nation that was founded in 1975.

Ollie, who became blind from Retinopathy of Prematurity, a permanent condition that is caused by medical complications resulting from premature birth, has had a distinguished career since graduating from law school in 1997 and has effectively broken many of the barriers that surround disability. His leadership capabilities were demonstrated much earlier, however-- since the age of twenty, he has had the honor of serving in numerous leadership positions that are rarely held by people his age. At twenty, for instance, Ollie was selected to the State Board of the National Federation of the Blind, the youngest person ever to hold this honor. That same year, he was also elected to the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), the country's largest provider of legal services to low-income people, subsequently becoming its Vice President, the first Client Board Member-- and one with a disability-- ever to reach this leadership level. Ollie was also the first blind person ever to serve on the Board of Directors of the Blind Children's Center. He has also been the youngest member of the Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services of the State Bar of California, and the Boards of Directors of the Westside Center for Independent Living and the Foundation for the Advancement of People with Disabilities, and he continues to serve on the Board of Governors of both the Loyola Marymount University National Alumni Association and the Loyola Law School Alumni Association.

Recognized in 1992 as Loyola Marymount University's Outstanding Graduate in Political Science and subsequently as an inductee into the Alpha Sigma Nu National Jesuit Honor Society, Ollie graduated from Loyola Law School in 1997. Ollie's awards and recognitions since that time are also numerous. In 1998, he received a Distinguished Service Award from LAFLA. In 2000, he received the Distinguished Leadership and Achievement Award (highest honor) from the United Batanguenos of Southern California; the Access Award from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities; and a distinguished service award from the City of West Covina. Last year, he was a Regional Finalist for the White House Fellowship and was also bestowed the Outstanding Service Award from Diversity Employment Source for his work to enhance employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Please help us to welcome Ollie to AAPD. He can be reached at AAPD by phone at 202-457-0046 (voice/TTY), by fax (202-457-0473), or by e-mailing Ollie.