AAPD GENERAL COUNSEL OLLIE CANTOS NAMED TO HIGH-LEVEL GOVERNMENT POST

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 6) -- At an event hosted yesterday by the U.S. Department of Justice commemorating the Americans with Disabilities Act, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Loretta King announced the selection of Ollie Cantos, General Counsel and Director of Programs for the 90,000-member American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) as Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights R. Alexander Acosta. Cantos is to begin service in his new post on Monday, August 9.

Among other duties, Cantos will play a key role in strengthening national outreach efforts to disability organizations, expanding the list of jurisdictions under Project Civic Access, and increasing the number of state building codes to become ADA Certified. (See http://www.ada.gov/)

When reflecting on his tenure at AAPD and unwavering optimism for the future, Cantos said, "I am honored to have worked with the hundreds of leaders from around the country and in different parts of the world to help make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of people with disabilities. I am grateful for the time I have spent at AAPD and look forward to collaborating with leaders in a whole new way as I strive to facilitate greater enforcement of disability rights law."

Cantos concluded, "Working closely with the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights to continue to advance equality of opportunity and full societal participation by all Americans with disabilities is a charge I will take very seriously, and I will devote myself to giving this all the energy that I've got."

Cantos is also an advisor to the Center for Personal Assistance Services at the University of California, San Francisco.