Sarah W. Mitchell Exceptional Staff Award 

Named for our founder and first executive director of Disability Rights NJ, Sarah W. Mitchell, honoring a staff member who has consistently demonstrated excellence, commitment, passion, and loyalty to the work of the Protection and Advocacy system. 

Her passion for helping others, especially those often ‘not seen or heard’ led to her work for the Greater Trenton Mental Health’s Center for Adolescent Partial-care Services (C.A.P.S.) with adolescents diagnosed with psychiatric, emotional/behavioral disabilities, where, as an advocate, she attended school meetings, court hearings, and family meetings. Maritza’s career brought her to the NJ Department of the Public Advocate, first as an investigator in the Citizen’s Complaints Hotline and then, in 1993, for the Division of Advocacy for the Developmentally Disabled (DADD) still under the Public Advocate, focused on cases involving special education and accessing services through the New Jersey Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. 

When Governor Christie Todd Whitman moved the agency out of state government and designated the non-profit then known as New Jersey Protection and Advocacy, Maritza became the Intake Coordinator of the newly privatized organization, later renamed as Disability Rights New Jersey. Since 2020, Maritza has served as the Director of Intake and Self-Advocacy, training and supervising a team of three staff and providing an invaluable wealth of resources to callers and clients on a variety of cases spanning the agency’s breadth of assistance, through advice, short-term intervention, and guidance for self-advocacy.  

Joseph B. Young Excellence in Legal Advocacy

Named for our second Executive Director, Joseph B. Young, honoring an individual who demonstrates excellence in legal advocacy to advance the human, civil, and legal rights of people with disabilities. 

Ryann concentrates her practice on a wide range of elder and disability law issues including long term care, government benefits planning, estate planning and estate/trust administration. Ryann counsels people who are aging or disabled, or their families, with respect to how they can accomplish their goals, including having sufficient health coverage and aging in place.

Ryann has a long history of supporting legal services organizations and their causes. In 2019, Ryann joined Central Jersey Legal Services as a staff attorney specializing in Medicaid. In her role, she regularly collaborated with other advocacy organizations including Disability Rights New Jersey and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s Office.

In 2021, Ryann returned to private practice but took great pride in continuing the valued participation in initiatives to improve the lives of people with disabilities, regularly taking pro-bono cases and providing educational seminars to fellow advocates and the community. Ryann volunteers her time with Disability Rights NJ on their Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Advisory Council, is member of the board of trustees for the Community Health Law Project, and a member of the board of the Progressive Center for Independent Living.

As Chair of the New Jersey Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, she advocates for legislation which benefits people with disabilities, frequently collaborating with Disability Rights NJ, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, and AARP.

Barbara H. Coppens Advancing Olmstead Award 

Named for our esteemed staff member, Barbara H. Coppens, who embodies self-determination, advocacy, and living her best life, honoring an advocate or attorney who has dedicated their career to the principles enshrined in the Olmstead decision – inclusion in the most integrated setting with services and supports that maximize integration into all facets of community life.

Nancy’s work at Disability Rights NJ on children’s mental health and juvenile justice issues began in 1998 and continued for over 20 years. Her first project was The Brisbane Report: White paper on the Arthur Brisbane Child Treatment Center, which contributed to the decision to close the hospital.

A principal focus of Nancy’s time at Disability Rights NJ was developing and implementing initiatives to keep justice-involved children with special education needs off of the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Nancy developed Disability Rights NJ’s first Special Education & Juvenile Justice Project and was instrumental in obtaining start-up funding through the MacArthur Foundation Models for Change Initiative. In 2019, Nancy was named Disability Rights NJs Juvenile Justice Team Leader and, with the support of Director Gwen Orlowski, led the launch of Disability Rights NJ’s new Youth Justice Project.

Nancy is enjoying her retirement. She and her husband, Ross Lewin, live in Hopewell, NJ with their Standard Poodle, Lily.