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Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) is pleased to announce that Mat Rice, Public Policy Director, People On the Go Maryland, will be the recipient of the Gayle Hafner Grassroots Advocacy Award at DRM’s 2023 Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on Wednesday, September 20, at the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) in Baltimore, Maryland.

The award’s namesake, Gayle Hafner, was a trailblazer civil rights attorney at DRM whose zealous advocacy for full inclusion in every aspect of community life improved the quality of life for people with disabilities. Established in 2015, the award honors community leaders who empower individuals to take initiative, collaborate and drive positive change.

Mat is an inspirational leader who embodies Gayle Hafner’s courage, drive and effectiveness.

As the lead facilitator on the Equal Employment Coalition, Mat gathered support from community members and advocates to enact the Ken Capone Equal Employment Act, which abolished the payment of subminimum wages to people with disabilities in Maryland. 

When Mat served as Director of Public Policy at The ARC of Maryland, he was instrumental in their work advocating for people with disabilities, particularly during the legislative sessions. In addition to leading many policy priorities, he led the Empowering Partners Self-Advocacy initiative pilot, which raises awareness about the value of self-advocacy and strengthens self-advocacy groups throughout Maryland.

Mat’s powerful public speaking during Maryland legislative sessions inspires people with disabilities and their families to educate Maryland legislators on issues which impact their quality of life. He bravely and selflessly leverages his own personal experiences to rectify the inequities of discrimination against people with disabilities.

To learn more about DRM’s Breaking Barriers Awards Gala, visit DisabilityRightsMD.org/Breaking-Barriers-Gala.

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About Mat Rice:

Mat Rice currently serves as the Public Policy Director and Advocacy Coordinator at People On the Go Maryland. He is a disability advocate and former student at the Maryland School for the Blind and Parkville High School. Mat has served as a support broker and administrative support assistant for Shared Support Maryland, Inc. where he worked for over four years. Mat was formerly the public policy director and project lead for the Empowering Partners self-advocacy initiative at The Arc Maryland. He also served as the public policy specialist for People On the Go. Additionally, Mat served as a board member of Maryland Association of Community Services and MD Works, Inc., and he currently serves as the chair of the Developmental Disabilities Administration Quality Advisory Council.

Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) is pleased to announce that Eric Luedtke, who serves as Chief Legislative Officer in Governor Wes Moore’s administration, will be honored as the recipient of DRM’s Public Policy Leadership Award at our 2023 Breaking Barriers Awards Gala. The Awards Gala will be held on Wednesday, September 20, at the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Public Policy Leadership Award celebrates individuals who demonstrate exceptional commitment, dedication, and ingenuity in shaping and advancing legislation that fosters a more inclusive and equitable world for individuals with disabilities.

For over eleven years from 2011 to January 2023, Eric represented Montgomery County in the Maryland House of Delegates and championed a wide range of issues, with a particular focus on education, environmental concerns and the rights of individuals with disabilities.

Drawing on his background as a middle school social studies teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools for eleven years, Eric spearheaded the preparation and delivery of a written request to the State Department of Education calling for the inclusion of lessons on the LGBTQ+ and disability rights movements in history curricula. Through his unwavering advocacy and with the support of 47 lawmakers, the request was approved. Maryland’s educational curricula now incorporate the rich history of the disability rights movement.

Eric’s successful efforts to advocate for limitations on the use of restraint and seclusion in public schools, as well as the promotion of a restorative approach to student discipline, resulted in improved outcomes and enhanced equity for students with disabilities in Maryland.

Moreover, Eric played a crucial role in the establishment of key initiatives such as the Therapeutic Child Care Grant Program, Work Opportunity Tax Credit for individuals with disabilities and the Maryland ABLE Program. These programs have significantly expanded access to vital resources that foster financial stability and independence for individuals with disabilities.

To learn more about DRM’s Breaking Barriers Awards Gala, visit DisabilityRightsMD.org/Breaking-Barriers-Gala.

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About Eric Luedtke:

A Maryland native and graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, Eric started his career as a social studies teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools. In 2010, he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, where over three terms he was one of the legislature’s leaders on education, economic development, and disability policy. In 2019, he was selected by Speaker Adrienne Jones to serve as House Majority Leader and to help lead Democrats in the House of Delegates. In addition to his legislative service, Eric taught in the School of Public Policy at his alma mater, leaving his elected position and professorship in 2023 to join the Moore administration. He lives in Montgomery County with his wife Dawn, a member of the Montgomery County Council, and their four children.

Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) is pleased to announce that Mitchell Mirviss (Mitch), Partner at Venable LLP, will be honored as the recipient of DRM’s Lorraine Sheehan Lifetime Achievement Award. He will receive the award at DRM’s 2023 Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on Wednesday, September 20, at the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) in Baltimore, Maryland.

This award, established in 2010, recognizes Lorraine Sheehan’s extraordinary and historic achievements on behalf of people with disabilities. Inspired by a desire to see her son, John Sheehan, included in every aspect of life, Lorraine was by many accounts the heart, soul and mastermind of the disability rights movement in Maryland.

Mitch’s unwavering dedication to protecting and advancing children’s rights, civil rights and disability rights for more than 35 years has made a tremendous impact on the lives of Marylanders and helped to create a more integrated and just society.

For instance, he has represented thousands of foster children from Baltimore City in a federal class action since 1988 and has provided important reforms in health, behavioral health and other vital areas. Additionally, he and DRM successfully negotiated a comprehensive system to prevent and investigate sexual assaults in state hospitals, state residential centers for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and residential treatment centers for youth. Moreover, he played a key role in establishing the rights of property guardians to gather evidence and investigate potential misconduct by attorneys representing severely disabled children in medical malpractice cases.

Mitch played a key role in creating significant changes through new laws in several areas. For example, one law requires the state to stop reimbursing itself and instead save a significant portion of the federal benefits received by foster youth with disabilities. Another law requires the state to continue providing services to foster youth with disabilities after they age out of foster care. This particular law was inspired by a landmark case that Mitch successfully argued in the Supreme Court of Maryland.

Recently, Mitch joined DRM to file a lawsuit called T.G., et.al. v. Maryland Department of Human Services, et.al. The lawsuit aims to improve the services and options available in communities for children with disabilities, and to stop the practice of “hospital overstays,” which refers to keeping children in hospitals even when there’s no medical need for it. According to Leslie Seid Margolis, who is the managing attorney and policy counsel at DRM, as well as one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, she states:

 “Mitch and I met as new attorneys representing children in juvenile court more than three decades ago, and his continued dedication to children, to DRM’s work and to systems change is inspiring. Mitch is a brilliant, dedicated attorney and a truly wonderful human being; We are honored to co-counsel the T.G. case with him and thrilled that DRM is recognizing him with our award named to honor the memory of another wonderful human being and outstanding systems change advocate, Lorraine Sheehan.”

To learn more about DRM’s Breaking Barriers Awards Gala, visit DisabilityRightsMD.org/Breaking-Barriers-Gala.

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About Mitch Mirviss:

Mitch Mirviss is a co-chair of Venable’s Appellate Litigation Group. Mitch handles appellate and commercial litigation, tackling a wide array of complex legal issues in both federal and state courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, federal appellate courts, Maryland appellate courts, and state and federal trial courts. He represents clients in complex litigation matters, focusing on commercial torts and punitive damages, complex financial transactions and other commercial matters, product liability, constitutional law and civil rights, intellectual property, children’s rights, and disability issues.

With 3½ decades of appellate experience, including more than 60 cases in the Maryland appellate courts, Mitch has prevailed in matters at every level of appellate practice: the U.S. Supreme Court, federal circuit courts of appeal, and the Maryland Supreme Court and Appellate Court. He has successfully served as lead appellate attorney in numerous product liability, commercial tort, children’s rights, and disability rights cases, and has written winning briefs in these and many other areas.

In addition to his commercial work, Mitch is well known for his pro bono work and involvement in community affairs and children’s causes. He has represented thousands of Baltimore City foster children in a long-standing federal class action since 1988 and is co-counsel for plaintiffs in another federal class action involving foster children in other Maryland counties. Mitch also recently argued in the Alaska Supreme Court on behalf of a coalition of national children’s organizations and Alaska foster children seeking to protect the federal benefits of foster children with disabilities, and he successfully litigated a statewide constitutional right to legal representation at all bail proceedings.