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

Register online

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!

NEW DATE: April 30, 2020; 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern

This training has been postponed until April 30. You do not need to re-register if you’ve already signed up for the webinar. Registration will remain open until 12:00 Noon Eastern / 11:00 a.m. Central on the new date of the webinar, April 30, 2020.

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 April 21, our panelists will share technology options that CILs and SILCs can use to work remotely, connect with consumers, and maintain operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ll discuss technology you might consider using, factors to consider when selecting and using technology, and the accessibility information gathered on various technology platforms.

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

Brought to you by the National Council on Independent Living and Centene

Wednesday, April 8, 2020; 12:00 – 12:30 p.m. Eastern

Register online

The purpose of the webinar is to learn more about the programs and initiatives in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, And Economic Security (Cares) Act that will be available from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to assist business owners.  Centers for Independent Living are eligible for support and we want to share the details with you.  This call will be led by Cissy Proctor and Hector Barreto of LSN Partners, a Global Consulting Firm. 

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

Registration Fee: This event is free-of-charge. Registration must be completed by 10:30 a.m. Eastern on April 8, 2020.

Your Presenters

Cissy Proctor, oversees LSN’s economic development and incentive practice. Cissy joined LSN after serving as Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the State agency responsible for providing assistance to workers, businesses and communities under blue skies and in the wake of disasters. Her understanding of economic relief and development efforts across all levels of government, along with her extensive experience interfacing with Washington, is a significant resource to our firm and clients.

Hector V. Barreto, a Senior Advisor at LSN, previously served as U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator for five years. As SBA Administrator, Hector oversaw a loan portfolio in excess of $60 billion and managed the agency’s assistance to thousands of small businesses following disasters such as the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center and Hurricane Katrina. Given his unparalleled experience at the highest levels of the SBA, Hector’s expertise, especially in times like these, is invaluable to businesses.

This call is supported by Centene Corporation.

Keyword: COVID-19

Tuesday, April 7, 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 CIL and SILC operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please join us on April 7 as our panel discusses effective strategies to work remotely and connect with consumers during the crisis. Our panelists will share their experience of working remotely, innovative remote work practices they’ve adopted, and concrete ways that you can maintain connections with your consumers and continue essential services and supports during this time.

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

Yesterday the Senate unanimously passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (S. 3548). Read the updated bill (PDF). The package now heads to the House of Representatives, where a vote is expected on Friday.

Some of the disability community’s priorities are included in the package, but many are not. We are continuing to review the bill, and we will provide additional information about what is in the final package and future advocacy to ensure our community’s priorities are included in future relief packages.