Elver Ariza-Silva is active in advocacy efforts for all people with disabilities, with a focus on those who are Latino in the District of Columbia. Originally from the Republic of Colombia, Ariza-Silva is a polio survivor and a professional with more than 20 years combined experience in human and social services and in the food industry. Ariza-Silva has served as a research assistant for a Johns Hopkins University study that focused on preventing child trafficking from Latin America and has held leadership roles in the food industry. Ariza-Silva was appointed by Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Mayor Muriel Bowser to serve as Chairman on the Statewide Independent Living Council. Ariza-Silva served as Vice-chair of the Accessibility Advisory Committee Board of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, advising Metro on ways to improve Metro Rail, Metro Bus, and Metro Access.