Blind Childrens Center

4120 Marathon Street, Los Angeles, California 90029 (323)664-2153

A family-centered agency serving children with visual impairments

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San Gabriel Valley Weekly
March 9, 2001

Running to help others

Blind West Covina lawyer completes his fourth L.A. Marathon to raise funds for charity

By Aisha Mori

Olegario “Ollie” D. Cantos VII is just an average guy or so he claims.

But Cantos, 30 has done many things that other people will never do, and he does it all without the benefit of sight.

Blindness is a non-issue for Cantos, who has retinopathy of prematurity or ROP, a retinal condition that affects premature and the oxygen pumped into the incubator resulted in blindness.

“I’m just a guy who happens to be blind who just happens to do lots of stuff,” he said.“Blindness is just one of those things. It’s a characteristic like your height, the sound of your voice or the color of your hair.”

People who are sighted need to recognize that ... If crossing the street is so amazing, then what does that say about what people think about blindness?”

Cantos, who ran in his fourth Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, is still collecting donations for the Blind Childrens Center, at which he was a student in the 1970s and is now a board member.

He has raised more than $2,000 so far, surpassing his previous donation of about $500.

In previous years, he also raised money for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, which offers legal services to the poor.

On Sunday, Cantos beat is personal record by more than 20 minutes, finishing in under 7 1/2 hours. He went from a finish in the mid-16,000 range to 14,852 out of about 21,000 runners.

In his first year of running the marathon, Cantos decided to add a 26.2-mile bike ride to the 26.2 mile foot race, something he vows never to do again.

“I must admit that I’m not exactly in the higher echelons of the running world yet, but big goals come slowly, and I, for one, am very pleased with this year’s progress,” said Cantos, who runs alongside his best friend, David Gordon.

“It represents my reaching a new height of personal growth in the sport of running. Granted, I have a long way to go, but I feel I’ve come so far.”

Cantos said he heard that less than one half of 1% of the entire population even attempts to complete a marathon and many don’t finish, which makes him particularly proud.

Cantos, who has limited light perception, said he was in denial for a long time and just told people he had poor eyesight. His parents wouldn’t acknowledge his blindness and wouldn’t support his use of a cane for many years.

His sister, Jennifer, 24 is very protective of him, taking particular offense at people who stare.

Cantos said he had a hard time in elementary school because of harassment by other children who thought he was dumb.

Cantos, who is active in the National Federation of the Blind, graduated from Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente with high honors. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Loyola Marymount University in 1992 after serving as vice president of student services and student body executive vice president.

After graduation, Cantos enrolled at the Louisiana Center for the Blind, a full-time residential program that specializes in teaching skills such as Braille and the use of adaptive computer technology.

He got through law school with a little help–personal and technological. Cantos completed reading assignments after fellow students read the material onto an audio tape.

Cantos, who types 90 words per minute, used an adaptive computer with specialized software. He took notes in Braille on a slate or laptop computer. He has a Braille Printer, a scanner that allows him to convert printed documents and a computer that “read” back to him.

Cantos graduated from Loyola Law School in 1997 and is now a staff outreach coordinator and education lawyer at the Western Law Center for Disability Rights.

He was elected to the Loyola School Alumni Assoc.’s Board the second youngest member of the board. He has his sights set on elected office, particularly Congress. His grandfather, Olegario B. Cantos, was a congressman in the Philippines.

His parents, Orlando, a respiratory care practitioner, and Linda, a retired secretary, drives from West Covina to downtown Los Angeles to pick him up and they take turns driving him around when he isn’t using public transportation. Linda Cantos, is the typical proud mother who loves to brag about her son’s achievements.

“I admire this guy so much,” she said. “I knew ... he could do it because he was very strong-willed, determined, has strong faith and very high values.”

Cantos, who converted to Mormonism four years ago, said his faith has sustained and guided him through rough times. He also is active in the Catholic Big Brothers organization, spending every other weekend with a 10-year-old Upland boy.

Cantos is philosophical about his life, finding something positive in every person and situation and rejecting labels.

“Blindness is no big deal and it’s no big tragedy,” he said. “It doesn’t mean you have any less or lower level of quality of life. It means things are different, but it doesn’t mean a blind person can’t be happy.”

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