How to Build a Vast Personal Network of Supporters

Summary:
eSight "Swimming in the Mainstream" Interview with Olegario "Ollie" D. Cantos VII offers you "tips for thriving in today's political, social and economic climate when you're a job seeker with a disability."

Made possible by a grant from Verizon Foundation.


Guest speaker: Olegario "Ollie" D. Cantos VII

A soft job market, vital program cuts and unfriendly court rulings in the U.S. may not be too encouraging if you're a current job seeker who has a disability, but Ollie maintains you can obtain meaningful work by "getting the most out of career-oriented mentoring opportunities and building a vast personal network of supporters."

Blind since birth, Ollie became one of the highest- placed people with a disability in today's U.S. federal government when he accepted a commission from former Attorney General John D. Ashcroft in August 2004 to serve as Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General R. Alexander Acosta in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

His responsibilities include fostering closer ties between the Department and disability rights leaders at all levels.

Before his current commission, Ollie was the first and only person ever to serve as General Counsel and Director of Programs for the now-100,000-member American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the largest cross-disability national membership organization in the country, based in Washington DC.

One of his primary responsibilities was international coordination of Disability Mentoring Day, a broad- based effort to enhance internship and employment opportunities for students and job seekers with disabilities through job shadowing and hands-on career exploration.

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Networking and Job Search Advice from "Ollie"

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Networking and Job Search Advice from "Ollie"

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Recommended Reading

Here are three books about personal development which Ollie, during the eSight Phone Conference, said he has found extremely insightful:

• No Excuse! Key Principles for Balancing Life and Achieving Success by Jay Rifenbary, Mike Markowski, Marjie Markowski.
  
  
• Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical, and Financial by Anthony Robbins
  
  
• The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness by Stephen R. Covey

Other resources Ollie e-mailed to eSight with the "hope that these items are of assistance to anyone who reads them" include:

• Barriers Unseen, American Association of People with Disabilities (detailing the philosophy of the disability rights movement through personal experiences).
  
  
• Arming the Republican Activist in Getting Out the Disability Vote: Steps for Educating the Public About the True Republican Record on Disability Issues, (Word Document, hosted on the web site of the Arlington/Falls Church Young Republicans but circulated nationwide). 04/2004. (focus on "Part 2")
  
  Steps for educating the community about the true republican record on disability issues, Part 1
  
  Steps for educating the community about the true republican record on disability issues, Part 2
  
  
  
• What's This World Coming To, Braille Monitor.
  
  
• A Toolkit for Students and Job Seekers with Disabilities, (Manual on identifying, solidifying, and advancing career goals).
  
  
• Centering on Success, Braille Monitor.
  
  
• Of Judges, Attorneys, Juries, and the Blind, Braille Monitor.
  
  
• What It Means To Be Blind In Our Hearts and In Our Minds, Braille Monitor.

Contact Information

e-mail:
ollie.cantos@usdoj.gov

Phone:
(202) 616 7920

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