Sofia Pantel del Cueto

Sofia, a white hispanic female, kneeling to put the harness on her black Labrador Seeing Eye Dog.

Sofia Pantel del Cueto, She/her/hers

Disability Advocate & Access Consultant | NCIL Region 2 Representative | Founder, Abre Tus Ojos, Puerto Rico

Sofia Pantel del Cueto is a blind governance, accessibility, and strategy consultant, Independent Living advocate, and founder of Abre Tus Ojos. She is also the first Puerto Rican representative for NCIL Region 2 and holds a master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations. Her leadership is rooted in consumer power, dignity, and the belief that accessibility must work in real life—not only on paper. For more than eight years, Sofia has served on Independent Living Center boards and Puerto Rico’s Statewide Independent Living Council. She has also served as president of Proyecto Matria, addressing gender-based violence and the needs of marginalized women, and completed her term as President of CEVI in 2026. Since 2024, Sofia has defended the autonomy of Statewide Independent Living Councils, advanced the State Plan for Independent Living, led accessible communications trainings, supported service-animal access education, mentored emerging leaders, and represented her community nationally. Through her advocacy and consulting, she helps people who are often unheard understand systems, claim their voices, and build pathways for disabled people to lead. Her work continues to strengthen consumer-led disability advocacy and Independent Living.