Ollie Cantos

Ollie Cantos as a blind Filipino-American has defied the odds -- in more ways  than one.  Having become blind as the result of medical complications at birth, Ollie was the object of bullying and  taunts as a little boy with no self-confidence.  He eventually came to defy  conventional thinking by rising in prominence to becoming the highest-ranking  person with a disability in the United States federal government.
 
Not yet 40 years old, Ollie has been a tireless champion for  legal services to low-income persons for 20 years, having served as Board  Member and eventually as Vice President of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los  Angeles, one of the largest providers of legal services in the nation.   Within a disability context, and in spite of significant obstacles, he became a  civil rights attorney and worked at the Disability Rights Legal Center in Los  Angeles.  

Following a three-year term there, he was recruited to relocate to Washington DC to become General Counsel and Director of Programs for the  now-130,000-member American Association of People with Disabilities.  That  led to him serving as a leader in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S.  Department of Justice as Special Assistant and later Special Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General.  Ollie was then appointed for two terms of service as Associate Director of the Domestic Policy Council at the White House under  President George W. Bush.  Ollie subsequently returned to the Justice  Department, accepting an appointment at age 37 to serve as Vice-Chairman of the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.  

Today, he continues his public service under President Barack Obama as part of this same body and is now Trial Attorney in the Disability Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division, investigating and  enforcing Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
 
But, Ollie's work spans far beyond his leadership in the public arena.  He has served as a long-time attorney mentor for the American Bar Association Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law and  was once a member of the Commission as well.  For 10 years, he has been a  Big Brother mentor in a Los Angeles-based program; and, he formally mentors African-American foster children living in Washington, DC while serving on the board of a local non-profit providing social services to the local Latino low-income community and as Academic Advisory Board Member for LeadAmerica, a national youth leadership development organization.   Ollie has also dedicated years to disability-related issues including assistive technology, civil rights, criminal justice, emergency  preparedness, employment, special education, transportation, veterans' issues, and independent living.
 
Loving to have fun ice skating, roller blading, horseback riding, and other activities, Ollie is a three-time finisher of the Los Angeles Marathon.  He is also past Board Member of the Blind Children's Center in Los Angeles, the ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia, and the  Westside Center for Independent Living.  In addition, with a  uniformed equivalent rank of Lieutenant Commander, he is "District Staff  Officer - Legal Parliamentarian" in the United States Coast Guard  Auxiliary.  He has been featured on radio and television and in newspapers and magazines and once received an honor from the President of the Republic of  the Philippines before a broadcasting audience of 80 million.  Over his  lifetime thus far, Ollie has spoken directly to audiences totaling more than 50,000 individuals.
 
KEYNOTE ADDRESSES
 
Keynote presentations are tailored to each  audience, and Ollie works with organizers to craft the kind of remarks that  should be made and the messages that should be conveyed in order to assist the  host organization, agency, or company in achieving its own specific goals and  objectives.  As a way of adding value to the long-term work of the hosting entity, Ollie also provides supplementary assistance and support behind the  scenes as a way to help cultivate long-term working relationships and to leverage these for the benefit of associated leaders.

 
WORKSHOP PRESENTATIONS

Workshops are conducted in a dynamic and interactive  way.  They are marketed as a "must" for anyone who has always wanted to reach the highest levels of success but who has wondered exactly how  it is done.  Through a series of  practical step-by-step approaches that may be put into place right away, participants will learn:

· The biggest roadblock to success and how to overcome it. 
· A turnkey approach to creating an ever-growing network of influential movers and shakers. 
· A proven system for optimizing human capital. 
· The art of mass communications but with a unique  personal touch. 
· The importance of  social networking sites and how to know when to use which. 
· The "Email  Introduction": how to write one and when to use it. 
· Contact management: why  it is important and what it can do for you. 
· Ways to set up  networking benchmarks to maximize quantifiable results and track progress toward  goals. 
· The methodology for  creating and using a Quotations Database to enhance personal  credibility. 
· Optimizing knowledge acquisition through building a Brain Trust of core advisors.

Who  Should Attend? 

· Business  entrepreneurs. 
· Non-profit organization executives. 
· Working professionals, eager to advance their careers. 
· Job-seekers, interested in mastering networking skills. 
· Aspiring leaders, determined to make their positive mark on the world. 
· Visionaries of every background, looking for concrete ways to make their dreams come true!

By the end of the workshop session (where length of time may be tailored however the host organization or agency wishes) participants will have both the practical steps and the specific online resources that they will need to move forward down the road to greater success than ever!