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About Us
Changing Lives... Changing Georgia
If you are not familiar with the SILC, a great place to start getting acquainted with us is Changing Lives... Changing Georgia. This section of our site will give you an overview of SILC's work and introduce you to some of the people who have become more independent with the help of SILC.
Background
A national system of Statewide Independent Living Councils was established under Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended in 1994. The Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) of Georgia was founded in 1995 to ensure that people with disabilities have opportunities to live as independently as possible.
Our Mission
The Mission of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, Inc is equal participation of people with disabilities within their communities.
Therefore, the Council will bring about results in the following areas:
- Leadership-more people with disabilities in responsible and responsive leadership roles.
- Attitudes-positive perception of people with disabilities.
- The number of people who are informed and proactive.
- The availability of personal assistance services.
- The availability of "visitable" housing.
- The availability of funds to retrofit housing to make it accessible.
- The income level of Georgians with disabilities.
- The availability of accessible public transit.
- Equal opportunity to education.
- Access to health care and health insurance.
- Access to technology.
- Access to information i.e., the availability of alternate formats, interpreters, etc.
A list of SILC's specific goals can be found in Attachment 1 of the State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL).
What We Do
The SILC of Georgia is a nonprofit, non-governmental, consumer-controlled organization that plays the vital role of providing disability information, financial support, and technical assistance to a network of seven Centers for Independent Living (CILs) located throughout the state.
CILs
Centers for Independent Living are non-residential, community-based organizations, governed and staffed by people with disabilities, that offer a wide variety of services to consumers with disabilities and their families. The foundation of these services is the peer-to-peer relationship, where people with disabilities act as mentors for other people with disabilities, showing them by example how to help themselves and to live independently. The core services that CILs provide are:
- Individual Advocacy and Systems Advocacy
- Peer Counseling
- Information and Referral
- Independent Living Skills Training
Depending on the needs of the communities they serve, CILs may provide other services that vary from one center to another. For more information contact the center nearest you.
Sponsored Projects
In addition to working with the CILs to provide the types of direct services mentioned above, the SILC works on long-range issues by educating, informing and advocating. Many of these efforts are carried out through SILC-sponsored projects, informal action-oriented networks that focus on a particular issue such as housing or home and community-based alternatives to nursing homes.
Who We Are
While the SILC of Georgia is a private, non-profit organization, it is also a Governor-appointed body. Board members are volunteers appointed by the Governor of Georgia or his designee for three year terms. The board is composed of members from across the state who represent a broad range of disabilities and backgrounds, and who are knowledgeable about centers for independent living and independent living services. By law, the majority of the voting board must consist of individuals with disabilities. Also, the board must include at least one director of a center for independent living, and as ex officio, nonvoting members, a representative from the designated State unit (in Georgia, this is the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation) as well as representatives from other State agencies that provide services for individuals with disabilities.
Other council members may include: other representatives from centers for independent living; parents and guardians of individuals with disabilities; advocates of and for individuals with disabilities; representatives from private businesses; representatives from organizations that provide services for individuals with disabilities; and other appropriate individuals.
Current Council Members
Becoming a Council Member
If you are interested in nominating yourself or someone else for Council membership, you may contact the SILC office to request a nomination packet. When a vacancy occurs, the SILC Board reviews all nomination forms and votes on wether to approve each nomination. Approved nomination forms are then sent to the Governor along with the SILC's formal recommendation. The Governor then reviews all of the candidates and selects and appoints the new Council member.