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2019-20 Annual ReportThe New York State Independent Living Council, Inc. (NYSILC) is an independent, not-for-profit, federally mandated state council with the primary responsibility to jointly develop, monitor and evaluate the three-year Statewide Plan for Independent Living (SPIL). NYSILC operates separately from any New York State agency and is authorized to perform the functions outlined in section 705 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act.In addition to their primary SPIL duties, the council conducts surveys, and reports, promotes media awareness about IL and disability related issues, and supports the Pat Figueroa Young Adult Scholarships and the NYS Disability Rights Hall of Fame.Council MembersBy mid-2018, NYSILC expanded its size to 26 members. There currently is one vacancy. Of the 26 members, 25 are voting while 1 is a non-voting ex-officio member. Council members reflect various diversities from across the state. The most current list of council members can be found at council/council-members.Program Highlightscenter27559000New York State Disability Rights Hall of Fame (DRHOF)The Disability Rights Hall of Fame Selection Committee and NYSILC Board of Directors were honored to recognize five inductees to the 2019 NYS Disability Rights Hall of Fame on Thursday, June 13, 2019. The DRHOF honors the life-long achievements of New Yorkers with disabilities who have positively impacted others with disabilities in society. Areas of achievement include improving public policy and programs/services, advancing new knowledge and/or concepts, eliminating barriers, and promoting a positive image for people with disabilities.Refer to the following webpage link to access the 2019 inductees to the NYS DRHOF, bios for each inductee, and a short video capturing highlights of the event, along with the program: 2020, the Disability Rights Hall of Fame Selection Committee and NYSILC Board of Directors were honored to recognize another five inductees into the NYS Disability Rights Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, the impact of COVID-19 on the world, and on meetings and events, forced the postponement of the NYS Disability Rights Hall of Fame to May 6th, 2021. The health of our peers and colleagues is foremost in mind. Please join us next year to congratulate the life-long efforts of our third class of inductees! This class includes Robert Gumson, Edith Prentiss, Susan Scheer, Melvyn Tanzman, and James Weisman.Monitor the HOF webpage for updates and details: . center10160Launch of LDCEPThe council was proud in February of 2018 to launch the Leadership Development and Civic Engagement Program (LDCEP). The program was the culmination of several members’ input and creative talents. The LDCEP was a peer-based program that provided online video and podcast trainings, live chats, action alerts, and resources on a variety of topics, such as advocacy, leadership development, civic engagement, and life skills.Unfortunately, the council decided to suspend support for the LDCEP in September 2019. ACL had issued a FAQ in June, which directed adjustments to systems advocacy. After the network made its changes, the council felt it was best to keep the LDCEP website dormant. The SILC did not have the staff or volunteer capacity to keep up with the content necessary to feed the site to engage the audience.The Pat Figueroa ScholarshipsSince 2012, the council has actively supported leadership opportunities for more than 65 young adults with disabilities in New York through the Pat Figueroa Scholarship. This scholarship awards young adults (ages 18-28) to attend conferences, training seminars, and other events to enhance their leadership abilities. The funding is aimed to help defray the cost of travel, food, and other out of pocket expenses. The NYSILC Youth Leadership Subcommittee makes decisions on a first-come, first-served basis, while attempting to maximize resources. Full information is available on the program’s webpage: . A brief video is also available at: the past year, the Youth Leadership Subcommittee approved two scholarships during the fall of 2019, both to the same young woman, a former Ms. Wheelchair NY from NYC. She attended and presented at a Cerebral Palsy conference in Hartford, CT on the topic: “Dream Big! Self Confidence through Self Advocacy.” She also attended the NYS Self-Advocacy Conference at the Albany Marriott. The committee was pleased to see her leadership growth. In the first quarter of 2020, an application was approved for a young adult from Brooklyn to attend the Families Together Annual Conference in Albany in April 2020, which was canceled due to COVID-19. A second application from the same person was received and respectfully declined because it was unrelated to disability and peer models.During the third and fourth quarter of 2020, due to the impact of COVID-19, all face-to-face training events were postponed or reorganized to virtual events and no applications were received. We will monitor this going forward and make recommendations of how to best support the leadership development of young adults with disabilities in New York. Progress on Statewide Database/InterfaceThe New York IL network has been looking to create and implement a statewide database/interface for almost eight years. The goal is to create a system where all centers can export/upload their data twice a year so statewide reports can be generated and the collective trends (needs and impact) of the network can be analyzed and presented.During the past year, NYSILC, along with members of its Database Work Group, met with vendor ES11 to address the major web application/database build. A draft export has been created (the interface). Going forward into 2020-21, points of contact will be established with each center, efforts will be made to customize the export and process for each center, the extra reportable items will be designed into the system, reports will be finalized, a training manual and webinar will be scheduled for the network, beta testing will be conducted, and the launch of the system will occur with the network’s 2021 year-end data.Council Coordination, Cooperation and PlanningDuring the past year, the council was busy with numerous efforts that required effective coordination, cooperation, and planning. At the end of 2019, the council worked with vendors to complete draft documents important for the council: multi-year strategic and fund development plans, along with a SILC Indicators & Standards Compliance Manual. Even though a delay impacted cash flow in the first quarter, The SILC and the DSE worked to initiative the council’s new 4-year contract. Over several months, NYSILC and the DSE addressed several mutual issues for the benefit of the IL network, turning a member’s interim recommendation into a full appointment, getting the temporary hold on Part B funds at the state level released for SPIL related contracts, and working to release the Statewide Systems Advocacy Network (SSAN) Request for Proposals (RFPs) to meet the SPIL project deadline. In addition, the council provided coordination with State Plan partners related CIL CARES Act funding. NYSILC created a NY CIL CARES Act webpage on its website to address relevant information (). Zoom meetings were held with the Federal CIL directors to facilitate communication on important topics. NYAIL hosted a webinar series for the network in July-August based on the issues identified in the CIL operational survey. The SILC convened a CARES Act Work Group 1 to devise the first CIL Operational survey. The results are available at the following link: . A brief follow up survey was sent in the middle of the summer to provide an update by the CIL network: . The SILC convened a CARES Act Work Group 2 to devise a critical needs survey to assess the impact of COVID on New Yorkers with disabilities. The report will be available in early October 2020. As requested by ACL, NYSILC posted relevant information related to a COVID resources webpage: its primary duty, the SILC with its State Plan partners, formulated, developed, drafted, and obtained all required signatures, sending the NY SPIL for 2021-2023 to the Administration for Community Living (ACL) before the required deadline. All of this was accomplished during the most active quarter of the pandemic. After review, the plan was approved by the ACL on 9/22/20 . The approved NY SPIL 2021-2023 is available at: . ReportsAs part of its State Plan duties, the council worked with its Monitoring & Evaluation Committee and consultant Alan Krieger of Krieger Solutions, LLC to evaluate the progress of the SPIL from the previous year. NYSILC 2019 SPIL Evaluation Report: . NYSILC News Briefs: Access links to the council’s quarterly newsletter during this time period: NYSILC News Briefs ArchiveNYSILC, 111 Washington Avenue, Suite 101, Albany, NY 12210 (518) 427-1060, ................
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