Florida's Go To Source for Self-Advocacy News & Information
Matthew Waltzer
lives with cerebral palsy, affecting his mobility, vision and dexterity. Matthew is unable to tie his shoes. At 16, aspiring to go away to college he penned #NikeLetter, asking for accessible footwear. Nike collaborated with him, launching FlyEase in 2015. Empowered by FlyEase, Matthew pursued college, graduating from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2018. His story has been featured on major platforms like The Drew Barrymore Show and NPR since 2021. On a personal advocacy level, Matthew aims for change in the education, transportation, and government sectors.
Chatequa Pinkston
has the heart to encourage individuals with disabilities through her life experiences. She was born with cerebral palsy. She earned a master's degree in Computer Science from the University of South Florida. She is an entrepreneur, an ordained minister, an author of several self-published books, and a public speaker. Chatequa is the founder of Hidden Treasures Ministries, which works to empower people with disabilities. She also serves on several other disability-related boards.
Michelle Zeman
was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder-not other specified when she was three years old and was considered “borderline severe.” Despite being told she would never be a functioning member of society, she earned her Master’s Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis with an emphasis in autism and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2016. She discovered the value of self-advocacy and activism through her career in behavior analysis and her time in Partners in Policymaking (as she is a 2023 graduate). She is passionate about policy change in mental health services and disability training for all community workers.
Amanda Ranochak
Amanda "Mandy" Ranochak is a founding member and former president of MAGICAL Self Advocates, FL SAND’s self-advocacy group in Greater Orlando. Born legally blind and later diagnosed as autistic, Mandy began her journey in self-advocacy after a friend tricked her into presenting an "About Me Box" at a self-advocacy conference in Rhode Island during college. A graduate of Partners in Policymaking (PIP) 2024 and recipient of PIP's Alan C. Wesley Award, she holds an associate's degree in advertising from Johnson & Wales University. Mandy also blogs for "The Mighty," works as an administrative assistant for a social services agency, and creates TikToks for United Against Poverty Orlando in her spare time.
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