Making
a Difference
by Lance
H. Hegland
Mr. Olegario “Ollie” D. Cantos VII recently visited
the Twin Cities and spoke passionately about disability awareness
and mentoring for various audiences. An incredibly inspirational
individual, Ollie shared insight regarding how to make a difference
in the world. Before divulging his wisdom, it is important to peek
into his life’s journey so far.
Ollie was born in Los
Angeles to Filipino immigrants. He was born two months prematurely
and was diagnosed as having retrolental fibroplasia: he had no
vision in his left eye and only partial vision in his right. In
early childhood, his attitudes were shaped by an emphasis on using
the vision he had. Ollie remembers playing with fully-sighted children
who were allowed to run around and play. Although he sometimes participated,
more often he was discouraged from engaging in any "vigorous
activities". He was told, "You can't see too well, and
there are just some things that you can't do." He began to feel
that he was inferior to those with full vision, that having sight
meant having ability, and that his lack of sight meant that he was
not as capable as those with sight. Further, the greater a person's
physical limitations, the less capable he or she will be. Ollie felt
lucky to be "less disabled” – he didn’t want
to be referred to as blind or disabled – in other words, incapable.
Ollie learned to read
and write with his non-visually impaired classmates. However, as
time went on, his peers began to read and write more quickly and
easily. By fourth grade, he began to use magnifying glasses, closed-circuit
televisions and other adaptive equipment. He resisted using Braille
as that might imply disability. He also refused to use a cane despite
his occasional bumping into obstacles, tripping over curbs, and
falling down steps. He struggled with acceptance just like the
rest of us experiencing some sort of "disability";
he wanted to "blend in" and "be normal.”
Eventually his thinking
changed. He realized no one is truly hindered by a "disability";
people are hindered by their focus and attitude. If someone focuses
on limitations, abilities will be neglected. For example, when
Ollie was in late-elementary school, he was being bullied during
recess. One day, he mustered up the courage to approach the bully,
explained how he was feeling as a result of being bullied, and
indicated that he wanted to be friends. The bully was thrown off
guard by his courage, and Ollie earned his respect and friendship.
His knack for helping people see things from a different perspective
and the ability to build friendships served him well; later he was
elected to the student government. When Ollie was 14, he decided
he wanted to become a politician and lawyer.
Ollie finished high school,
learned Braille, began using a cane, graduated college, and finished
law school. He struggled during law school and, at one point, even
wrote a resignation letter to the school's dean. Ollie’s story wasn’t one of overcoming
an obstacle and living happily ever after. Like everyone else, he
encounters challenges, often struggles, becomes frustrated, and occasionally
experiences despair. But, he focuses on using his strengths, remains
committed to his goals, and he plows ahead. When asked about the
other things that help him through the "tough times,” he
stressed his immensely supportive and encouraging family, vast expanse
of friends, faith in God, and passion to make a difference in the
world.
Ollie is humble in discussing
his accomplishments. He is widely known for his ability to get
to know people and bring people together to work toward common
goals. He has been referred to as "a rising
star in the nation’s disability community.” He has served
in leadership positions not typically held by people his age, let
alone by those experiencing disability. The first and only person
ever to serve as General Counsel and Director of Programs for the
American Association of People with Disabilities, whose membership
now exceeds 90,000, he spearheaded Disability Mentoring Day. Under
his leadership, the program now encompasses efforts in all 50 states,
three territories, and 18 foreign countries on 5 continents. And
recently, Ollie joined the United States Department of Justice's
Civil Rights Division as Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney
General. In his new role, he continues to raise public awareness
of disability issues through fostering closer working relationships
with disability rights organizations, the private sector, ethnic
minority organizations, and government officials at all levels.
Since high school, he has been actively involved in numerous community
groups for which he has been recognized on several occasions. He
points out that each of us is a member of several communities, not
just the disability community, and that we have responsibilities
to them too. Plus, involvement outside the disability community helps
introduce disability to the general public, who may not otherwise
have an opportunity to interact with someone experiencing a disability.
Leading by example, he was recently named 2004 Big Brother of the
Year for his involvement in the California Collaborative of Big Brothers
Big Sisters. In addition to being an active volunteer, spokesman,
and lawyer, he is also an accomplished writer. In his free time,
he enjoys horseback riding, rollerblading, church involvement, science
fiction, and running (he is a three-time finisher of the Los Angeles
Marathon).
Imagine what the world
would be like if we all chose Ollie's attitude and dedication.
One of his most closely-held philosophies is "pay
it forward" (remember the movie?). Basically, the philosophy
is unselfishly helping a person and asking that they "pay it
forward" by helping three other people. This means that, if
you help three people this month, and those three people each help
three people next month, those nine people each help three people
the following month (a total of 27 people), and so on. The number
of people helped each month would blossom exponentially. After a
year, a half-million lives would be touched by a network started
by just one person! Think about it...
Thanks Ollie!
