It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Stanley Holbrook. Stan passed away last week on Thursday, December 17.

Stan was tireless advocate for disability rights and racial justice, and a longtime leader in the Independent Living Movement. He served on the NCIL Board for 14 years, including serving as the Diversity Chair and being instrumental in the development of NCIL’s diversity initiatives.

Sarah Launderville, NCIL’s President and long-time friend of Stan, said: “Stan was a man of honor. He gave of himself to make our movement stronger and was a trailblazer. He will be missed deeply.”

Until his passing, Stan was the owner of S. A. Holbrook and Associates, a management consulting firm offering organizational development, diversity and inclusion training, strategic planning, and capacity building training. He previously served as President and CEO of Three Rivers CIL in Pittsburgh, Vice Chair of the Pennsylvania Statewide Independent Living Council, and President of the Pennsylvania Council for Independent Living (PCIL). He also served on the board for the American Society of Aging, was a representative for the Network of Multicultural Agencies (NOMA), and served as a delegate on the White House Conference on Aging. Stan trained and presented widely on the intersections of race and disability, including numerous trainings with NCIL, the IL-NET, ILRU’s Disability, Diversity and Intersectionality program, and presenting at a disability-oriented “Civil Rights in America” event at the White House.

January 13, 2021; 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern

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The IL-NET National Training & Technical Assistance (T&TA) Center, operated by ILRU in collaboration with NCIL, APRIL, and the University of Montana Rural Institute and RTC: Rural, supports Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs) in building capacity to run strong, effective organizations. The IL-NET’s resources cover an expansive list of topics related to CILs and SILCs, with an emphasis on core services. The scope of the center’s offerings is broad. This webinar will highlight what’s new with the IL-NET and help you learn how to find the resources and training available through ILRU’s comprehensive website that best meet your needs. Our IL-NET team is here to assist you with finding the publications, recorded trainings, courses, and materials that will help you operate your CIL or SILC with excellence.

Application period extended through October 14, 2020!

October 2020 – August 2021

Does your CIL like to “Think Big”? Would you like to get away from chasing grant after grant to develop a sustainable program that could provide continued funding for your CIL?

NCIL & ILRU, together with Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living (LVCIL) and The Independence Center are offering a new National Learning Collaborative to assist Centers for Independent Living to improve their skills for business development to establish income-producing community based services that enable people with disabilities and chronic health issues to live successfully in the community.

Grant Cycle Opens September 9, 2020

***Includes Enhanced Focus on Employment Grants***

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center announces grant funding opportunities through its 2nd Cycle 2020 Direct Effect Quality of Life (Tier 1) and High Impact Priority Quality of Life (Tiers 2-4) grants initiatives.

It is with a heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of Deidre Davis Butler, a national and international disability rights leader. Deidre passed away on Saturday, August 8, 2020.

Deidre was an attorney and long-time disability rights advocate. She was a staunch advocate who worked to promote legislative and social change for disabled people. Over her four-decade-long career she helped craft, implement and enforce laws including the Air Carrier Access Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Civil Rights Act, the Fair Housing Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

• September 21 – 24, 2020
• Register online

We are excited to announce that we’re taking our popular on-location financial management training online! You can save on travel costs and access all of the critical information on financial management from the comfort and safety of your own office or home!

Are you trying to keep up with all of the new guidance and regulations for CILs? We can help!

The IL-NET T&TA Center for Centers for Independent Living is offering an updated version of our popular financial management workshop to give your CIL the latest information on compliance and financial management practices. Whether you are new to nonprofit accounting or are looking to bolster your Center’s financial policies and procedures, you will learn exactly what you need to do to strengthen your Center, effectively manage finances, and ensure compliance with federal regulations. Led by John Heveron, a certified CPA with over 40 years working with non-profits and CILs, and Paula McElwee, ILRU’s Technical Assistance Coordinator, this workshop will give you the skills and resources that are essential to sound financial management in a thriving Center for Independent Living.

Registration Fee: This event is free-of-charge.

Visit the training web page to read about the presenters, learning objectives, agenda, and target audience.

August 13, 2020; 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern

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The SILC T&TA Center is offering a new webinar on administrative requirements and cost principles for Statewide Independent Living Councils. Led by John Heveron, a certified CPA with over 40 years working with non-profits, including CILs, and Paula McElwee, ILRU’s Technical Assistance Coordinator, this webinar will cover internal controls, allowable and unallowable costs, DSE monitoring and audits, documentation, tips to simplify your accounting system, and more.

This information-packed webinar will share the essential elements your SILC needs to meet the administrative requirements and cost principles as sub-recipients of federal funds. Sign-up today!

Registration Fee: This event is free-of-charge.

NCIL is excited to announce our new Region II Representative, Aaron Baier from Access to Independence of Cortland County, Inc.

Aaron T. Baier is the newly appointed member of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) Board of Directors and represents Region II (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands). Aaron is the Executive Director of Access to Independence of Cortland County, Inc. in Central New York and brings more than 14 years of experience in the Independent Living Movement and grassroots advocacy.

During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many community-based organizations are focused on addressing the needs of their communities. As many Centers for Independent Living (CILs) continue to serve consumers, we understand that people with disabilities and the CIL staff that serve them are more vulnerable to the disease itself, and to the social impacts, economic impacts, and disruptions caused by government action and / or inaction. The Collaborative on Health Reform and Independent Living (CHRIL) has partnered with the IL-NET National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Independent Living at ILRU and the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) to assess the impact of local, state, and federal policy actions on CILs in real-time and to bring evidence of these impacts to advocates and policymakers.

Please complete this brief survey (approximately 5-10 minutes) with as much detail as possible. We will organize your responses and identify common themes. We intend to place the raw data and a summary report on the CHRIL website, www.chril.org, and will get the information out to the disability community.

Take the survey at surveygizmo.com/s3/5550817/CHRIL-Needs-Assessment

Tuesday, May 5, 2020; 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern

Register online

The IL-NET National Training & Technical Assistance Center is offering a new panel presentation in our series on maintaining strong Center for Independent Living (CIL) and Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On May 5, our panelists will share information and resources on developing systemic and statewide responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies. Much of the impact of COVID-19 is unique and new, but there is a lot of advocacy, coalition work, and emergency preparedness work that we can pull from and also develop for the future. Join us for this Q&A webinar where our panelists will share their experience and expertise with this kind of work.

You won’t want to miss this important webinar. Sign-up today!