Services for Independent Living Inc

“Federal form 990 was presented to the board of directors prior to filing.”

“On an annual basis, each board member and all management personnel are required to read the organization's confilct of interest policy and disclose any possible conflicts.”

“Executive director's salary was determined by the executive committee, which used other npo's federal forms 990 and industry standards and considered the limited resources of the organization.”

“Consistent with the requirements of section 6104 (d) of the irc and the regulations thereunder, copies of the organization's form 990 and governing documents will be made available upon request, in a timely manner, and subject to charges permitted by law to any individual who requests them.”

“Sil's board of directors is an all-volunteer board which actively sets policy and the direction of the agency. There are also those who volunteer goods and services, including interns assisting with programs and development of websites and newsletters and other services. In addition, sil is able to call on volunteers to assist at conferences and events as needed, thereby freeing up staff time and reducing costs.”

“Ilst/peer support - these two core services often go hand-in-hand with each other. Independent living skills training (ilst) helps individuals develop skills needed to live in the community of choice and/or become more independent. Examples of topics covered under ilst include budgeting, using the computer/internet, internet safety, bullying, self-advocacy, cooking, laundry, washing dishes, safety in the home and community, developing personal emergency plans and managing a personal care attendant. Peer support services are provided to individuals by someone who has a disability, either staff or trained volunteers. The support person is able to help with the person receiving services from a place of personal experience. Issues covered in peer supports may include: supported decision making, problem solving, accepting disability, identifying accommodations, setting and achieving life goals and general sharing of experiences to ensure the person involved does not feel alone.”

“Personal care assistance program: opportunities for ohioans with disabilities, ohio's rehabilitation services agency, contracts with sil to provide administrative and programmatic support to 57 individuals with disabilities across the majority of northern ohio counties. This program assists individuals who are working, looking for work or are pursuing post- secondary educational opportunities with funding to hire personal assistants. This program was ohio's first publicly funded consumer- directed personal assistants program. The role of sil staff is to promote the program to the community, provide options counseling to potential participants, orient new participants to the program, provide technical assistance on personal assistants management issues, troubleshoot any other issues that arise and enter billings into state database for processing.”

“Equipment loan program: sil maintains an equipment loan closet that also includes soft supplies such as adult diapers and pads. The program is free to recipients and relies upon equipment donations from individuals and medical supply companies. During this reporting period, sil provided 110 pieces of equipment to 55 individuals. Leadership academy: the premise of this program is that people with disabilities should be involved in the decision-making process as laws and rules are being developed impacting their lives. This 8-week course helps persons with disabilities gain skills to effectively participate in leadership boards of directors and community committees, coalitions and taskforces. This past fiscal year, 27 people participated. Community education: sil staff are often called upon to present at local, state and national training venues on a variety of topics, including disability basics, addressing barriers to community living, person- centered planning, transportation equity, social security and work incentives, managing your personal assistant, and the americans with disability act. In addition, sil hosted two forums on transportation equity (one regional and one statewide). Sil trained 1,964 professionals and other community members on addressing barriers to community living. Sil also maintains an active facebook site and continues to increase its presense on twitter. Youthabilities: a youth transition program providing support to youths with disabilities. The program served 87 youths and focused on skill building, self-advocacy and other independent living skills. This is an area sil has identified as a priority. Advocacy: sil advocates on behlaf of persons with disabilities to increase access to community and control over their lives. Activities include participation on local, state and national coalitions, committees and task forces. In addition, sil hosts active transportation equity coalitions on both the state and local level to address transportation barriers. Information and referral: sil serves as a resource to the community with regard to information. In addition to helping individuals with disabilities to access services/supports and information, sil staff answered 1,834 calls from community stakeholders on issues ranging from housing, employment, transportation and benefits to how to access waiver supports or help to rid their homes of bed bugs.”