Ollie Cantos is First Member of Disabled #AAPI Community to Chair National Disability Group

Los Angeles, CA, July 27 – RespectAbility, a national nonprofit organization that fights stigmas and advances opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community, has elected Ollie Cantos as its chair. He previously served as Vice Chair.

Cantos, a blind civil rights attorney who was ABC News Person of the Week, has been active in the civil rights arena since 1990. With past leadership roles at the Disability Rights Legal Center, the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Justice Department’s Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, and the White House, he currently is Special Assistant in the Office of the Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

Ollie Cantos

Cantos adopted Colombia-born triplets – Leo, Nick, and Steven – all of whom have become distinguished Eagle Scouts, survived COVID-19 together, and are blind as well. Cantos is the first disabled person from the Asian American Pacific Islander community to chair a national disability group. A “nothing about us without us” organization, the majority of RespectAbility’s team has disabilities. The majority of its board is also from BIPOC communities.

Cantos took the helm as Hon. Steve Bartlett’s term came to an extremely successful close. During Bartlett’s tenure, RespectAbility expanded dramatically, impacting public policy on workforce and COVID-19 related issues; consulted on 200+ entertainment media productions; and trained dozens of disabled people for leadership. When he previously served in Congress, Bartlett was a lead co-author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which is celebrating its 31st anniversary.

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Justin Borses

Justin Borses is a 21-year-old “valley kid from California” who lives with Cerebral Palsy. Currently, he is a student at California State University at Northridge (CSUN), majoring in broadcasting and journalism, but he’s secretly a theatre kid at heart. Justin is a major extrovert and thrives on conversation and interaction with others, which makes his job as a sports broadcaster the perfect fit!

Justin has had Cerebral Palsy his whole life. Growing up, his parents enrolled him in equine therapy, not only to help his motor skills, but to give him an emotional outlet as well. From this, Justin learned he likes his feet to be “firmly planted on the ground,” so horseback riding most likely isn’t in his future! [continue reading…]

Idan Degani, a special education student, communicating with his teacher via iPad

Ignacio Estrada, the educational consultant and motivator, once said: “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” The Torah put it even more forcefully, “train a youth in his own way, he will not swerve from it even in old age.” (Proverbs 22:6) In 2015, Athena Fund found that while many special education students had iPads, their teachers did not. Therefore, Athena Fund initiated the “Digital Toolbox for Every Special Education Teacher” program, where each teacher receives an iPad along with techno-pedagogical training, a projector, wireless internet for the classroom, and more.

Athena Fund is an Israeli nonprofit dedicated to empowering Israeli teachers by providing them with advanced technological tools and training. Established in 2006, the Fund has several programs: “Digital Toolbox for Every Teacher in Israel” (launched in 2007 and extended to kindergarten teachers in 2012), “Digital Toolbox for Every Science Teacher” (launched 2014), “Digital Toolbox for Every Special Education Teacher” (launched 2015), and “Digital Toolbox for Every English Teacher” (launched 2018). [continue reading…]

The mission of Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles is to assist youth in reaching their full potential through innovative, impactful programs. For over 100 years, JBBBSLA has been offering one-to-one mentoring for Jewish youth who could benefit from an additional positive adult role model. In addition, JBBBSLA offers a Jewish and secular residential camp for youth in Greater Los Angeles. Once program participants reach high school, they are eligible to participate in college guidance services and apply for scholarships to help them reach their higher educational goals.

RespectAbility recently had the opportunity to partner with Teen Talk App, one of JBBBSLA’s newer programs. Teen Talk App provides a free, anonymous, safe place for teens to request support from trained peers and learn from others with similar experiences. The free app is available to download on iOS and Android devices for teens 13-19. The app is used by teens in over 100 countries and averages about 150 daily active users. [continue reading…]

Los Angeles, July 22 – When starting out a career in the entertainment industry, many creators find themselves needing to learn how to protect their intellectual property and navigate various contracts. That is where entertainment lawyers often play a role. Entertainment law is often the unsung hero that makes it possible for a script to make it on screen without any hiccups.

As the RespectAbility Lab for Entertainment Professionals continues to expand its teaching and mentoring opportunities, additional sessions are added to ensure all participants are fully prepared to continue advancing their career in the entertainment industry. As such, RespectAbility Board Member Delbert Whetter sat down with Anita Surendran and Zachary Stein of Granderson Des Rochers LLP to discuss one of the most daunting aspects of filmmaking. [continue reading…]

Jim Sinocchi

Washington, D.C., July 22 – July 2021 marks the 31st anniversary of when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. On Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern, Jim Sinocchi, the Head of Disability Inclusion at JPMorgan Chase, will host a special online conversation to help mark the anniversary and to discuss how to substantively advance disability inclusion, hiring and accommodations in the workplace. Over a long private sector career, Sinocchi has proved himself to be a true thought leader on practical strategies for expanding job opportunities for thousands of people with disabilities and a role model as a businessperson with a physical disability. [continue reading…]

“The Jack and Shirley Silver Center for Special Needs builds and nurtures an inclusive and accepting community where individuals with disabilities and their families have opportunities to make meaningful connections to each other and their communities. We serve as a catalyst and leader for transforming the ways in which the community at large understands and interacts with people with different abilities.” [continue reading…]

Shlomo Meyers

Shlomo Meyers was born in Manhasset, New York on December 6, 1985 with Down Syndrome. He is the middle child in a family of seven children. Meyers currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Danielle. He has been working at Maimonides Academy in Los Angeles since 2014.

Meyers describes himself as a kind, respectful person. Growing up, Judaism was a major component of his life. He is “proud to be a Jewish person, even if it’s hard to be a Jewish person sometimes.” He joked, “especially when we get to Yom Kippur!” He began to read the Torah at the age of five as he says it helps to be a Jewish person and read the Torah. Aside from this, his favorite Jewish holiday is Hanukkah, although Purim comes in a close second! [continue reading…]

Francesco Hayez painting of the destruction of the Jewish temple

Saturday night began the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av. This is a fast day, and traditionally requires a great deal of mourning. When determining our individual observance, however, we must remember core Jewish values. Judaism emphasizes the wellbeing of individuals and their safety. One should not put themselves in a position of harm because they are trying to follow religious traditions. Judaism recognizes this with the concept of Pikuach Nefesh, the saving of a life. [continue reading…]