Statewide Independent Living Council

Statewide Independent Living Council

OUR VISION

We see an Illinois where persons with disabilities are independent, in control of their lives, and free from barriers to full participation in society.

OUR MISSION

To provide leadership, research, planning, and education required to support independent living services in Illinois. We achieve our mission by: Identifying and reaching out to persons currently un-served and underserved by Centers for Independent Living; Increasing awareness of independent living services and the independent living philosophy; Helping existing CILs to better serve persons with disabilities; and promoting the development of new CILs.

Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois website

SILC'S ACTIVITIES INCLUDE

Sponsoring public hearings, public meetings, policy summits, and other educational and outreach efforts; providing information to public officials, state agencies and local organizations and individuals; and conducting studies, training and research.

FY 23 Highlights

  • On July 12th SILC hosted the Annual Transportation Meeting. HSTP Coordinators, representatives from IDOT, and DHS, along with CIL staff were in attendance.
  • On August 2nd, SILC hosted a webinar with Dr. Jonna Cooley educating CIL staff on how to make our CILs more open and welcoming to the LGBTQI+ community.
  • On September 21st we recorded our final video "The Basics of Riding the Bus; On Demand Service". The video is posted on our website along with previous videos educating riders on how to use fixed route bus services, and how to access para transit services.
  • On September 26th SILC hosted a Lunch and Learn Webinar "People with Disabilities: Bringing Diverse Skills to the Workforce". Our featured panelists were Robin Jones from Great Lakes ADA, Stephanie Lipe from DRS Workforce Development Unit, and an employer from both Collinsville and Highland.
  • SILC along with Advocates for Access presented three trainings concerning emergency preparedness. Two trainings were held in October at Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) headquarters and one training with Chicago's Red Cross volunteers concerning how CILs can partner with Emergency Management agencies before, during, and after emergencies.
  • SILC captured data concerning the number of incoming requests for home modifications for each CIL. The data was instrumental for the Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living (INCIL) Advocacy team to advocate for 7 million dollars to go specifically to the CILs to fund home modifications.

Vision for 2024

  • SILC will complete the next three-year State Plan for Independent Living.
  • Continue our work on transportation issues across the state and host another annual transportation meeting to foster productive relationships between CIL staff and transportation providers.
  • Partner with Great Lakes ADA and DRS Workforce Development Unit to present the Webinar "People with Disabilities: Bringing Diverse Skills to the Workforce", to potential employers.
  • Develop trainings on subjects such as Deaf Culture, Emergency Preparedness, Voting Rights under the ADA, and Forming Effective Tenant Councils.
  • Seek collaborative relationships with other groups and organizations to help bring positive change across both our state and the nation.

Success Story

SILC, along with INCIL and CIL staff have been involved with a newly Governor-appointed committee tasked with writing a detailed plan with IEMA, The Department of Public Health, and the Red Cross for people with access and functional needs. Through this work, we were made aware of a new job posting for both IEMA and the Department of Public Health for a dedicated staff person to oversee matters of access and functional needs. The job posting did not originally emphasize the need for the new hires to have lived experience with a disability or prior work expertise in this area. After our advocacy efforts, the preferred qualifications for the job posting were changed to include the new hires to either have lived experience or prior work expertise with disabilities. "Nothing about us without us."

Membership

SILC'S board is made up of 18 volunteers appointed by the Governor. A majority of voting members must be persons with disabilities who do not work for state agencies or Centers for Independent Living. Members are from all regions of the state, represent a broad range of disabilities, and are knowledgeable about the Centers for Independent Living and independent living services. Voting members include persons with disabilities, parents, advocates, and representatives from private businesses, organizations serving persons with disabilities, and CILs. SILC has five (5) non-voting members who represent state agencies providing services to persons with disabilities.