Richard Pimentel

Richard Keith Pimentel (born 1948) is an American disability rights advocate, trainer, and speaker who was a strong advocate for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He developed training materials aimed to help employers integrate persons with disabilities into the workplace.

Pimentel was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, by his grandmother, as his mother was mentally ill. He lost the majority of his hearing while serving in the Vietnam War, returning to the United States in 1970 almost entirely deaf. He attempted to apply for a rehabilitation program for veterans, but was denied by the Veterans Administration, marking the beginning of a battle with the Administration in order to allow his admittance to Portland State University.

His life story is recounted in the 2007 film Music Within. He is a senior partner of Milt Wright & Associates, Inc.

Early life Pimentel was born in Portland, Oregon. His mother was mentally ill, his father died in Richard's childhood, he temporarily stayed in a local orphanage, and was mainly raised by his grandmother. He graduated from Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon, then enlisted in the U.S. Army, was deployed to the Vietnam War, and returned in 1970 almost completely deaf. He enrolled in a vocational rehabilitation program for veterans but, based on his deafness, the Veterans Administration declined his application to help him become a professional speaker. With support by the university's Speech and Hearing Department's professor and College Bowl founder Ben Padrow, Pimentel finally received a veteran rehabilitation grant to enroll at Portland State University.

Career Starting as a sociology class project at the university, Pimentel developed a training program for supervisors on disability issues to see if that would increase job placements of disabled people.

Since then he trained tens of thousands of workers, supervisors, managers, and representatives of US government agencies and Fortune 500 companies

Pimentel started in 2008 with designing and implementing a training program for the employers of disabled veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan focusing on PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.

Publications

Pimentel, R., Bissonnette, D., & Lotito, M. J. (1992). What Managers & Supervisors Need to Know about the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act. Northridge, CA: Milt Wright & Associates.

Americans with Disabilities Act: A comprehensive guide to Title I. 1992.

Taking control process: Beyond light duty. 1995.

2011.