Dear NCIL Conference Attendees,

We are excited to have you attending our NCIL conference, and can’t believe it is so close at hand! Before you arrive there are several transportation alerts that you should be aware of. The DC metro is under continued construction and because of this there have been reoccurring and frequent delays and outages. In order to make your trip as easy and convenient as possible, we are including links to metro outages, closing, delays, and elevator outages.

• Metro Map
• Current delays and closings
• Scheduled and future construction
• Elevator delays and outages

Thank you and we can’t wait to see you at the 2016 NCIL Conference.

In Solidarity,

NCIL Staff

The summer edition of NCIL’s Legislative & Advocacy Priorities is now available at the NCIL website.

This document contains specific information on the national legislative and policy priorities identified biannually by the NCIL membership, including funding for the Independent Living Program, healthcare and long-term care, housing, transportation, education, and more.

Please share this document with your Center or SILC staff, board, and the Senators and Representatives who serve your districts.

Contact NCIL for further information on the issues discussed in this document.

• NCIL Legislative & Advocacy Priorities (PDF)
• NCIL Legislative & Advocacy Priorities (plain text)

All pre-event registrations for the 2016 Annual Conference on Independent Living must be received by Friday, July 15 at 12:00 midnight, Eastern Time.

Individuals may still register onsite, but please note that onsite registration fees differ from standard registration fees and plan accordingly.

Pre-event registration rates:

• NCIL Member: $265
• Non-member: $385
• Daily Rate: $115-160 / day

Onsite registration rates:

• NCIL Member: $305
• Non-Member: $430
• Daily Rate: $210 / day

Register today and save!

To register, use the NCIL online store, which gives you the ability to register up to three attendees with one transaction and accepts Discover, American Express, Visa, and MasterCard, or use the printable registration form (PDF or plain text).

Additional details are available on our conference webpage.

This year’s Annual Conference on Independent Living is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent history, and we can’t wait to see you there!

Join us at the 2016 NCIL Closing Plenary as Bob Williams, Deputy Commissioner of the Administration on Disabilities and Director of the Independent Living Administration (ILA), addresses the NCIL membership. Bob will update us on the transition of the Independent Living Program to the Administration for Community Living, the forthcoming WIOA / IL rules, and will share with us his vision for the future of the ILA.

Bob joined the Administration for Community Living (ACL) in these dual roles in January of this year. A person with a disability and longtime disability advocate, Bob has lived and worked in DC for over three decades. He came to ACL from the Social Security Administration (SSA) where he most recently served as the Senior Advisor to the eputy Commissioner for Retirement and Disability Policy. Prior to that role, Bob headed SSA’s Office of Employment Support programs. During his time at SSA, Bob led several interagency disability-related initiatives and advised organizations on policy issues facing the disability community.

Before SSA, Bob served as Commissioner for the Administration on Developmental Disabilities and then as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Before his work in government, Bob worked for the United Cerebral Palsy Association, the ARC, the Youth Policy Institute, DC Center for Independent Living, and was active with the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities.

Bob has been a strong partner since well before his appointment at ACL, and we are excited to hear from him and listen to his vision of the future of the ILA at this year’s Annual Conference on Independent Living. This year’s Conference is shaping up to be an incredibly exciting event! You can register at our Annual Conference web page. We can’t wait to see you there!

The deadline to reserve your room at the Grand Hyatt and the Fairfield Inn for the NCIL discounted group rate is quickly approaching!

Grand Hyatt Washington Group Rate Deadline: 5:00 p.m. Eastern, Tuesday, July 5, ($244 single / double occupancy + plus tax). To make your reservations online, use NCIL’s custom link, or call the hotel at 1-800-233-1234 (voice / TTY).

Fairfield Inn & Suites Group Rate Deadline: 5:00 p.m. Eastern, Monday, June 27, ($219 single / double occupancy + plus tax). To make your reservations online, use NCIL’s custom link, or call the hotel at 1-888-236-2427 (voice / TTY).

The hotels may honor the discounted rate after the deadline, but they are not contractually obligated to do so. Be sure to identify yourself as a NCIL Conference attendee either way.

Participants must register for the Conference before being eligible for a discounted rate at the hotels.

Visit our 2016 Annual Conference web page for complete details on this year’s conference.

June 29, 2016; 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern

Register online or by using the printable registration form (PDF)

Great policies and procedures are a critical piece of effective SILC management. We may hear them begrudged as tedious or bureaucratic, but the fact is that they are there for our benefit and can be incredibly useful. Policies and procedures are a road map to keep you and your Council happy, functional, and in compliance. They’re helpful day-to-day and can be invaluable in times of uncertainty or transition.

Join us this June to learn how strong policies and procedures can define and improve all types of SILC operations, including member recruitment and training, term limits / removal, fiscal procedures, funding regulations, personnel management, and much more.  [Read more…]