COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN DIVISION ON VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS PRESENTS 2009 AWARDS AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN SEATTLE

DIVISION ON VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS EXEMPLY ADVOCATE AWARD

The Council for Exceptional Children, Division on Visual Impairments is proud to present the Exemplary Advocate Award to Olegario D. Cantos, VII at the Council for Exceptional Children Convention and Expo in Seattle, Washington on April 2, 2009.  The Exemplary Advocate Award honors a person who has done something of significance to promote the quality of life for people who are blind and visually impaired.

Mr. Cantos has influenced both practice and policy to assure equal rights for all individuals with disabilities. He is presently Vice-Chairman of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities and serves as Special Counsel to the Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Justice, originally commissioned by the Attorney General in March 2006.  Mr. Cantos previously served as Associate Director for Domestic Policy at the White House, where he led the implementation of the President’s New Freedom Initiative, the agenda for advancing equality of opportunity for people with all types of disabilities in information and assistive technology, education, employment, and every aspect of community living. Mr. Cantos was the first and only person ever to serve as General Counsel and Director of Programs for the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD).  As a blind individual, Mr. Cantos’s sphere of influence extends far past his own disability.  He is a shining example of how one individual can work on behalf of all individuals with disabilities.

Click here to listen to Mr. Cantos' acceptance speech.