Matthew Berwick was shown what was possible as a C5-6 quadriplegic by other members of the SCI community and now pays it forward by helping people with disabilities adapt to big transitions in their lives.
Hospital-ity
People usually meet Matthew Berwick at a point of transition in their lives, and it has always been his job to make that transition easier for them.
Whether he was working as a substitute teacher mentoring young children, shepherding teens with disabilities into adulthood at the Three Rivers Center for Independent Living or accommodating the accessibility needs of patients, visitors and family members with disabilities at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the 33-year-old has been helping people transition his entire working life.
“Everybody’s situation is so different,” says Berwick. “It’s about really making sure those connections get made because there are services that are available and out there. If I have a solution for somebody, it makes me feel good and makes me feel accomplished.”
As a program manager at UPMC Disabilities Resource Center, a job he has held since 2017, those solutions have been everything from providing sign language interpreters to pressure relief mattresses, information in Braille and large print, and more. If a patient, visitor or guest needs a disability accommodation at the hospital, Berwick’s office assists with handling it.
Given that Berwick has had an SCI since age 15, he knows what he’s doing as far as accommodation goes. “I’ve gone through life with a disability, and I’ve been able to navigate that life mostly successfully. I don’t want to see people in similar situations having to struggle or try to figure out the world by themselves,” he says. “I was fortunate to have great mentors to help me navigate the healthcare system, and I have a pay-it-forward mentality. I’m not buying anyone in line at Starbucks a coffee, but I can pay it forward through the work that I do.”
Berwick considers himself adept now, but it wasn’t always easy shepherding others through the struggles of disability. Fortunately, he had help when he needed the services he provides for others. “I got injured pretty young, so I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I got some great help from some pretty amazing wheelchair users who mentored me through college as well,” he says.
In addition, after a stint as a substitute teacher, he got the chance to work at the Three Rivers Center for Independent Living with young people with disabilities who were about to transition into their adult lives. This gave him the chance to test a lot of the available services for adults with disabilities on himself before recommending them. He credits strong family support with helping him be comfortable with his injury, so he could help others be comfortable with theirs.
“The other thing that really helped out was my involvement in adaptive sports. I play wheelchair rugby, I’m a curler and I just started playing boccia recently. But, back in the day, I did waterskiing and kayaking, so my attitude was more like, ‘This is so awesome. I love the things I get to do that not everybody does,’” says Berwick. “I wanted to tell people about all of it.”
“Sure, you have bad days where things don’t go well, but mostly my life to this day has been about focusing on the things I enjoy and the successes that I have and sharing those with other people.”
Matthew’s MAWDern Life
Matthew Berwick details the fight to change the law so people with disabilities don’t have to stay under a certain income to maintain the benefits needed to work.
“One of the things I’m working on now is legislation to adjust the Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities program. It’s essentially lifting the cap on MAWD because you can only make $61,000 annually before losing your attendant care and other Medicaid benefits in the state of Pennsylvania.
We’re looking at it as a United Spinal Association chapter. We want to eliminate the fear of going to work and losing your benefits by removing the income cap and ensuring that as you become more successful, you pay a premium to Medicaid, but you’re able to retain those benefits. I really believe one of the biggest fears of people with disabilities when they go to work is they’re going to lose their services. Then what do they do? I think that’s why a lot of people with disabilities are self-employed, working part-time or working under a casual status because they know they won’t make over a certain dollar amount.”
Any new hobbies during COVID-19?
I bought two RC cars. There’s an indoor track near me and you can socially distance while racing.
Can’t live without:
My SmartDrive power add-on on to my manual wheelchair has increased my independence. Pittsburgh is really hilly.
Most accessible vacation?
Disney World. It’s one of the only places where you can ride rides in your wheelchair. Plus, transportation to and from the parks is wonderful.
Why I joined United Spinal:
I missed the advocacy that I had done while working for the Center for Independent Living and United Spinal gave me that opportunity again.
