The Breaking Silences Advocacy Committee began meeting in May 2020. This group was initially created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of emergency preparedness for individuals with disabilities. The committee started meeting at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and focused efforts on bringing together community partners to respond to this pandemic as well as to better prepare and plan for future events.
The Breaking Silences Advocacy Committee is solely focused on issues pertaining to individuals with disabilities within our communities, especially those individuals who have been impacted most by the lack of planning and preparedness around the COVID-19 pandemic.
The committee is an extension of the Breaking Silences Peer Group, but has maintained one main goal:
To create an active space for advocates to work together to develop and create community awareness and change in the communities that we live, work and participate in.
The goal of this committee is to establish relationships with local and state officials as well as partnering with community organizations. This committee was formed to ensure that our community members obtain and maintain a place among those who will make decisions that impact our lives.
The Breaking Silences Advocacy Committee is hosted by the Access Center for Independent Living in Dayton Ohio. The committee meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month from 3 PM to 4 PM EST via Zoom. For meeting invitations, please send an email request to:
Maria A. Matzik, Education and Advocacy Specialist
Pronouns: She / Her / Hers
Access Center for Independent Living, Inc.
(937) 739-8178 (Direct Line)
I work remotely. The best way to reach me is email: [email protected]
For information regarding our services please visit:
All meetings have live C-Print Captioning and most meetings are recorded. Recording link is available on request. C-Print transcript is sent to Committee participants and is available upon request.
PLEASE Note: An ASL interpreter is available upon request for any meeting without guest presenters, within 48 business hours prior to a scheduled meeting. Most meetings, with guest presenters, have ASL interpreters streaming live.
The Breaking Silences Advocacy Committee has two subcommittees, and then we share a subcommittee with the Ohio Olmstead Task Force (OOTF).
The MyCare Ohio and Self-Direction Subcommittee: Hosted by Maria Sutter
- Meets every other Wednesday via Zoom or Teams from 3 PM to 4 PM
- For more information and / or to be added to the email list, please contact Maria Sutter: [email protected]
The Accommodations Subcommittee: Hosted by Maria Matzik
- Meets monthly via Zoom from 3 PM to 4 PM. The next meeting is Thursday, October 5, 2023. Starting in November the subcommittee will meet on the first Monday of each month.
- For more information and / or to be added to the email list, please contact Maria Matzik: [email protected]
The OOTF Direct Care Workforce Crisis Committee: Hosted by Jennifer Kucera
- Meets every other Friday via Zoom from 1 PM to 2 PM
- For more information and / or to be added to the email list, please contact Jennifer Kucera: [email protected]
