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His disability did not deter him from dreaming big, and today, he is an inspiration not only to the millions of Filipinos but also to people with disability everywhere. Last May, President George W. Bush appointed Olegario ‘Ollie’ Cantos VII to serve a full two-year term as Member of the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.
Cantos is a blind lawyer who rose from the ranks to become the highest designated person with disability in the US federal government with positions such as the Associate Director of Disabilities of the White House Domestic Policy Council, where he served for two terms. He was the first ethnic minority and first Filipino-American ever to serve in this capacity.
"It is such an honor to get to serve the president in this capacity. It is so wonderful. President Bush is such a wonderful human being and to get to work on domestic policy issues and help millions of Americans is so much fun," Cantos told the Asian Journal in a previous interview in Washington, DC.
According to the article The Winner’s Circle by David Block, one of Cantos' proudest moments with President Bush was when the Commander-in-Chief said to him during a private meeting, "Ollie, you have inspired this president."
Cantos has led a distinguished career as a public official in the United States federal government and a staunch advocate for people with disabilities.
One of the highest-placed persons with a disability in the federal government today, Mr. Cantos began his work at the Justice Department in August 2004 when he was originally commissioned by Attorney General John D. Ashcroft as Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.
"Members of the disability community, including children and adults with intellectual disabilities, deserve to live in a world that is free from barriers to full societal participation," Cantos said. "I am honored to serve the President yet again, and I look forward to working with colleagues on the Committee to craft meaningful recommendations whose decisive implementation will foster ongoing improvement in real opportunities for greater integration than ever before."
He was responsible for the coordination of national disability policy across federal agencies, briefing the United States President on issues related to the disabled community, advising on potential presidential appointments, representing the Bush Administration at speaking engagements, and fostering ongoing dialogue with leaders from the public, private and non-profit sectors.
Currently, the 37-year-old Cantos also serves as Special Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, concurrent with his new presidential appointment.
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