Alumni Profile: Ollie Cantos
Alumni Profile
Barriers Beware
A national advocate of disability rights helps others find
opportunity.
There was a time when Ollie Cantos didn't want people to know
he was blind. He avoided using his cane or even uttering the word.
But at LMU, Cantos came to realize that what he really wanted was
for people to know his disability didn't matter. Today, Cantos is a
national leader in the disability rights community, helping ensure
that other people with disabilities have the opportunity to prove
the same.
"A disability is not an offensive thing, and it's not a big deal to
ask or talk about," he says. "It doesn't have to be a sentimental
thing about 'beating the odds' either. People with disabilities are
just as capable or incapable, mean or nice, as anyone else. We all
need to be judged as individuals."
Recently appointed by the U.S. Attorney General as special
assistant to the assistant attorney general for civil rights in the
Department of Justice, Cantos was the first person to serve as
general counsel and director of programs for the 90,000-member
American Association of People with Disabilities in Washington,
D.C. There, he forged key partnerships to remove both physical and
prejudicial barriers facing people with disabilities.
Among the duties of his new position, Cantos is charged with
fostering dialogue about disability issues with leaders at the
local, state, and national level—from grassroots
organizations to the White House. And while he says the disability
rights movement has come a long way, there is still a lot of work
to be done.
"We have many good laws on the books to prevent discrimination on
the basis of disability," he says. "On paper, they're great, but
enforcement is still lacking. We want to spread the word about how
easy it is to implement these laws when you're armed with the
proper tools and information."
Cantos credits his experience at LMU with cultivating the
confidence as well as the networking and motivational skills he now
calls upon in his daily work. "I was challenged at LMU to make the
most of myself in the classroom, but beyond that, there were so
many opportunities to make friends and grow. LMU wasn't just where
I studied and retreated to my dorm room. It was a way of life."
Cantos' involvement in campus ministry and student government had a
great impact on him. "It was the intersection between the need to
make a difference and the commitment to a spiritual life—the
combination of social causes and political efforts."
It is a principle Cantos has applied beyond his professional
career, serving as a volunteer adoption attorney, a board member of
the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (eventually becoming its
vice president), and a board member of both the LMU and Loyola Law
School Alumni Associations. And this year, Cantos was named Big
Brother of the Year by the California Collaborative of Big Brothers
and Big Sisters for his longtime support of two Los Angeles youth:
Vicente, 19, who suffered a brain injury in a car accident as a
child, and Seth, 14.
"Even though I'm in Washington now, we still have long talks. I'm
the one who gets the better end of the deal," Cantos says. "It
continues to be an awesome experience." One of many. —Aaron
Smith
Ollegario "Ollie" D. Cantos VII
[LibArts '92, JD '97]
Major: Political Science
LMU Activities: ASLMU, Campus Ministry, Crimson Circle
Recent Honors: 2004 National Daily Point of Light Award,
2004 California Big Brother of the Year
Hobbies: Running (three-time Los Angeles Marathon finisher),
church and com-munity involvement, science fiction, horseback
riding, rollerblading, ice skating
On LMU: "Over the years LMU has grown not just in campus
size, but also in the diversity of its programs and student body.
But every time I return, I still feel like I am going home."