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Independent Living News & Policy from the National Council on Independent Living

NASILC and the IL-NET T&TA Center for Independent Living Present… A National Webinar: SILC Roles and Responsibilities Within the IL Network

August 25, 2021; 3:00 – 4:30 PM Eastern

Register online

The IL-NET T&TA Center for Independent Living is collaborating with the National Association of Statewide Independent Living Councils (NASILC) to bring you this new webinar on SILC roles and responsibilities within the IL Network. Our panel will discuss SILC duties and authorities and the real world impact those can have on an IL Network. The interactive style of this presentation will provide perspective from three different SILCs and how they have become effective partners in their networks. This webinar will be great for new staff and Council members and seasoned veterans who are looking to reinvigorate the focus of their SILC. Plenty of time will be provided for open Q&A with our panelists. Sign up today!

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

Target Audience: SILC members and officers, SILC directors, and SILC staff.

What you will Learn

  • The regulatory requirements regarding SILC duties and responsibilities.
  • Strategies for aligning activities with the SILC authorities specified in federal regulations.
  • Identifying strategies for SILCs in fulfilling duties and specified authorities in an equity-based framework.

Your Panelists

FranSha’ Anderson is the Executive Director for the Arkansas State Independent Living Council located in Little Rock, Arkansas She serves on the NASILC board as the Region 6 Rep. as well as the NCIL board as Region 6 Rep. FranSha’ is a co-chair of NCIL’s Civic Engagement and Voting Rights and a member of the finance committee. She works diligently to promote independent living and equal access and inclusion for those that live with disabilities. She serves on several local, state, and national boards working to increase the voting power of individuals with disabilities. FranSha’ has presented workshops on all levels to diverse groups to educate on voting rights. She advocates advancing equity and inclusion for individuals with disabilities and individuals of color through systems change and government accountability.

Kathy Cooper is the Executive Director for the SILC of Kansas. She has a long history of IL service and advocacy in KS and before her work at the SILC worked for two different CILs in KS as the Director of HCBS and a Legislative Advocate. Kathy is currently the Chair of NASILC, a SILC Peer Mentor and a Board member of the Kansas Institute for Positive, Healthy, and Inclusive Communities (KIPHIC). Outside of work her passions include horses, barrel racing and cooking.

Amber O’Haver is Executive Director of the Indiana SILC. Prior to this, she worked as Deputy Director for accessABILITY, Center for Independent Living and as the Center’s Housing Program Manager. O’Haver started with accessABILITY as one of its Independent Living Advocates beginning in August 2011. Prior to her work with accessABILITY, O’Haver worked as a Disability Marketing and Patient Care Consultant for a medical supply company and as a Public Relations Specialist for the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana. O’Haver has worked and volunteered as a disability activist since 1997, the same year she acquired her own disability. Steadfast in fighting for the rights of her peers with disabilities, she is a member of the Back Home in Indiana Alliance Steering Committee and ADA-Indiana Steering Committee and serves as Chair of the Commission for Indiana Disability Rights (the state’s Protection & Advocacy organization). She was also appointed last year to the Indiana Commission on Rehabilitation Services and is its new Membership & Outreach Committee Chair. O’Haver also sits on the NASILC Board of Directors and serves as its Advocacy Committee Chair, the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community Consumer Advisory Council and is a Board of Directors Member for the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana (FHCCI). In the past, she served on the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana Sports Program Board of Directors and the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Disability for Marion County. O’Haver received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and completed her graduate course work in Public Relations at Ball State University. Amber lives in Avon, IN with her husband, Chad, and their adopted rescue dog, Nugget.

Presented by the IL-NET: The IL-NET National Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Center for Independent Living is operated by ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization). The IL-NET T&TA Center provides training and technical assistance to centers for independent living and statewide independent living councils. The IL-NET is supported by grant numbers 90ILTA0002 and 90ISTA0002 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.

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