We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Cloven and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Matt, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have worked with people with various disabilities of all ages for 20 years in various professional capacities (direct care for adults, case management for youth, and professional rights advocate and systems navigator for all ages). During this time I have worked across systems, including child welfare, justice, workforce, primary/secondary/post-secondary education, and community based services in supporting people with disabilities get their needs met, as well as basic respect and raising awareness of diversity that living with a disability brings as an integral part of our communities. The more people and situations I helped with, the more I recognized the gaps in our systems and communities that often result in having a negative impact on people with disabilities and the challenges people (families, individuals, and systems) were facing on a daily basis. These challenges include social, legal, vocational, emotional and at times basic access to appropriate services and respect (or awareness) of their rights. Though incredibly grateful for all of my previous employers, a main motivator to make the leap of faith in starting my own business was the ability have the ability respond to the variety of individual and systemic needs outside of limiting mission statements or systemic imposed limitations. In other words, I started my business to help meet and support the vast variety and individuals needs of people, regardless of their impact of known or suspected impact of disability.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I believe what sets me apart in my field is the breadth of experience across systems that I bring to the table in order to support and advocate with my clients. I have directly worked in or alongside many of the systems that that people with disabilities can or have to navigate. This has included Medicaid, Developmental Disabilities for youth and adults, child welfare, justice, vocational, and education systems. This experience allows me to not just advocate for rights of people with disabilities within systems, but also allows me to provide guidance and support in navigating many of the complex systems that they are involved in or could be accessing to help them where they are at in their lives and allows me to take a whole person perspective in supporting people.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Great question. We are a craft brew town, so I would have to take my friend to explore and try some of the variety of craft beers we have in our little city. We also live at the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. With this, I would have to take my friend to Estes/Rocky Mountain National Park, or up the Poudre Canyon, or into Red Feather Lakes if they were not from Colorado. This may be a day trip, hike, or spend some time camping and exploring. If there was a good concert coming at the same time, there really is no better place than Red Rocks for a show.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This could be a long list, as there are so many people, organizations, and books that have made me who I am and allowed me to help others in the way I can today. I would not be here without the first people that I was able to support in their home through Alvord-Taylor in Eugene, Oregon. To this day, these folks are close to my heart and taught me so much. I am grateful to the various families and colleagues at Foothills Gateway for trusting me, guiding me, and giving me the opportunity to grow in my knowledge on the challenges parents and their children face daily, as well as what systems and systems gaps there are for people with disabilities. The Arc has my incredible gratitude for opening the door for me to grow in familiarity of the rights of people with disabilities, some of the systemic barriers people are facing, and to actively advocate for these rights. I am grateful to all of the organizations, from local law enforcement to workforce centers, to child welfare for being open and allowing me to bring trainings to them in order to raise awareness of disabilities with an intent to learn and become a more inclusive and better community for all people. Each parent, youth, and adult that has trusted me to advocate and assist them has my deepest gratitude. I truly would not be where I am, know what I know, or do what I do without each one of you. Finally, I am deeply grateful to my son who has been with me throughout much of this journey and has been my rock.
Website: https://peacewolfadvocacy.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100026539345788/