2001 Latino Heritage Local Heroes: Rocio de Mateo Smith
Festival Executive Director, Area Board 5 on Developmental Disabilities
For the past 25 years, Rocio has worked in the field of developmental disabilities. She was the director of an early intervention program for infants with disabilities and their families in Fremont, CA. Her experience in that program made her realize the importance of policy and legislation in making it possible for families and children with disabilities to receive the supports and services they needed. She worked as the coordinator for developmental disabilities in Alameda County and for the past 6 years she has been the director of Area Board 5 on Developmental Disabilities, a state agency that provides advocacy and monitoring of services for people with developmental disabilities in the Bay Area.
In her role as director of Area Board 5, she has been able to provide advocacy for families and individuals with developmental disabilities to ensure that they receive the supports they need to live lives of their choice in their community. She has worked to affect local and state policy in several arenas, especially early intervention services. She has a special interest in ensuring that Latino families are educated and informed about the service system and their rights. She is a member of the steering committee for Fiesta Educativa del Norte, a conference for Spanish speaking families with son and daughters with disabilities. She provides workshops and presentations in Spanish throughout the State.
She is a member of the Alameda County Children and Families Commission and has served in many Boards and Committees of organizations that are concerned with the welfare of people with developmental disabilities.
Born and raised in Mexico City, where she attended school at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and received a Bachelors degree in Mathematics. She holds a BA in Psychology from Cal State University Hayward and an MSW from UC Berkeley. She has lived in the Bay Area since 1968. She is married to Carl Smith and has 3 children, Sylvie, Alicia and Nicolas.
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