What Every SILC Member Should Know:
A Self-Administered Test


The list below includes basic information that each member of a
statewide independent living council (SILC) should know and
understand in order to be an effective voting member of a statewide
planning body.

Assess your knowledge of the following issues by placing a check mark
beside the items you know and a minus sign beside items you do not
know.  Be tough-minded.


_____      1.  The history of independent living related to and
including the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992, particularly
Title VII.

_____      2.  The history of how centers for independent living
developed in the United States.

_____      3.  The independent living philosophy--its tenets,
principles, values, and how it is practiced.

_____      4.  The name, location, size, and executive director of each
independent living center in the state.

_____      5.  The designated state unit (state vocational rehabilitation
agency or blind agency) through which Title VII funding flows, its
director, its staff related to Title VII programs, and how to reach these
individuals.

_____      6.  Agencies in the state providing services to persons with
disabilities, their missions, general information about what they
provide, and their relationships to each other and within state
government.

_____      7.  The divisions of the U.S. Department of Education
related to people with disabilities and the names of the programs
administered by Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services (OSERS).

_____      8.  The amount of funds allocated to the state under Title
VII, Part B and how such funds are being spent.

_____      9.  The objectives of the state's plan for independent living.

_____     10.  How the state spends its Social Security Reimbursement
Funds, particularly if such funding supports centers for independent
living or independent living services within the state.

_____     11.  Amount of state funds for independent living centers and
how they are distributed.

_____     12.  Any state laws written for creation, definition, or
maintenance of centers for independent living centers.


_____     13.  The nature and direction of the state's plan for vocational
rehabilitation and how it relates to the state independent living plan.

_____     14.  The definition, assurances, standards, and indicators for
centers for independent living.

_____     15.  The purpose of the state rehabilitation council and its
relationship to the statewide independent living council.

_____     16.  The roles, responsibilities, and authority of members of
the SILC.

_____     17.  The communication system(s) established for effective
functioning of the SILC.

_____     18.  The articles of incorporation (if appropriate), bylaws, or
other tools of governance or policy guidance used by the SILC.

_____     19.  The individual members of the SILC, what they
represent on the SILC, their offices or responsibilities, if any, and
contact information on each.

_____     20.  The contents, amounts, and sources of funding of the
SILC's resource plan.

_____     21.  The budget guiding SILC expenditures and how fiscal
matters are managed.

_____     22.  The staff of the SILC and how they relate to the SILC as
a whole as well as to individual members of the SILC.

_____     23.  How staff of the SILC are hired, trained, supervised, and
evaluated.

_____     24.  The nature and funding for any SILC-approved project
funded under Title VII, Part B or any other state funding incorporated
into the state's independent living plan.

_____     25.  The basic concepts, definitions, and provisions of the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

If you are a SILC member and believe that you do not have sufficient
knowledge about these issues, you or your SILC, and perhaps your
fellow council members, may need training to learn and to apply this
knowledge in your roles as SILC members.



11/03
________________________

   Developed by the IL NETWORK:  NCIL/ILRU National Training
and Technical Assistance Project and amended by Bob Michaels. 
Requests for technical assistance on this and other independent living
subjects may be directed to the IL NETWORK Project, c/o ILRU at
(713) 520-0232 (voice), 520-5136 (TTY), 520-5785 (FAX), or NCIL at
(703) 525-3406 (voice), 525-3407 (TTY), 525-3409 (FAX).


IL NET: ILRU/NCIL National Training and Technical Assistance
Project