Breaking Silences Community Collective is for everyone struggling with the impact from the COVID pandemic. The group is not a support group and does not focus on any one specific issue, but embraces all issues relevant to individuals with disabilities, this pandemic, and the aftereffects.

Hosted by: Dr. Julie Williams from Wright State University and Maria Matzik of Access Center for Independent Living

The group’s intent is to offer community connectiveness to individuals who are isolated by the impact of COVID-19. The group has worked on ways to develop emergency resources and has developed an awareness regarding individuals with significant disabilities. Our goal is to initiate social connections and to offer support within the community.

Breaking Silences Community Collective is for those who live as a body at the margin(s) of disability/chronic illness/aging, and/or for those who are centering themselves as advocate/ally/provider for disability, chronically ill and any other bodies at risk of discriminatory triaging, social and emotional isolation, medication rationing and/or loss of access to food, resources, and access to phones…

This is not a therapy group but rather a liberatory response to what is a social justice pandemic. There is no charge and no screening process.

About Open and Closed Meetings:

Breaking Silences has witnessed ripples in community support because of the ever-changing tides of our communities. In mid-2021 individuals expressed a need for time and space to share only with individuals who self-identified as having a disability. We honored that request and separated Breaking Silences Community Collective into 2 separate meetings: Closed and Open. Each Group meets once a month.

Closed Meetings:

Closed meetings or (safe space) allows members of specific marginalized communities a space to talk more freely and not feel watched or placed in a position to educate. Closed meetings means that only folks who identify as an individual with a disability, any disability, are welcome to attend. This would not include family members or allies unless they have a disability themself,  and are representing themself.

CLOSED Meetings are held on the 1^st Tuesday of each month from 5:30 PM to 7 PM. They are hosted by the Access Center for Independent Living and will be held on the Zoom Platform.

A C-Print Captionist and ASL Interpreter will be streaming live throughout the meeting.

If you would like to be added to the invitation list for Closed meetings, and self-identify as an individual with a disability, please contact:

Maria Matzik: [email protected]

(937) 739-8178 (Direct Line)

(937) 341-5202 office

711 Ohio Relay

Once you receive a link for Closed meetings, we ask that you PLEASE do NOT share that email, or link, with anyone.

Open Meetings:

Open Meetings means that anyone is welcomed to attend. Open meetings are opportunities for community members, professionals, students, family members, etc. to come together and engage in discussions regarding issues that affect the disability community.

OPEN Meetings are held on the 3^rd Wednesday of each month from 5:30 PM to 7 PM. They are hosted by Wright State University and will be held on the WebEx Platform.

A C-Print Captionist and ASL Interpreter will be streaming live throughout the meetings.

If you would like to be added to the invitation list for Open meetings, please contact:

Dr. Julie Williams: (937) 266-9375