The Ohio Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) was established in 1992 by amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and is a statutory requirement under Federal laws. The Ohio SILC is designed to maintain independence and not exist within any state agency, to ensure autonomy of the Independent Living (IL) Program in Ohio. The Ohio SILC’s is responsible for the development, implementation, and monitoring of the State Plan for Independent Living, a three-year strategic plan for Ohio to work towards goals of greater access, inclusion and independence; coordinating activities with other entities that provide services similar or complementary to Independent Living Services; assisting to develop the network of Centers for Independent Living; and conduct regular meetings of the Council that are open to the public. We achieve our goals in working with the 12 Centers for Independent Living, working with state agencies in Ohio, and educating the community. Our role is not to provide direct services to individuals, but to help advance and develop Independent Living and the disability community in Ohio. The Ohio SILC is committed to promoting a philosophy of consumer control, peer support, self-help, self-determination, equal access, and individual and systems advocacy, in order to maximize leadership, empowerment, independence, productivity and to support full inclusion and integration of individuals with disabilities into the mainstream of American society. The Council operates with 19 Governor-appointed members from different parts of Ohio that represent a range of disabilities and to ensure we can respond to the needs and concerns of the over 1.6 Million people with disabilities in Ohio. More than half of our members must be individuals with significant disabilities. Of those 19 Members, one is selected by the Centers for Independent Living to represent the CILs, and five are employees from state agencies that work with individuals with disabilities.
