Minutes of August 4, 2016

Attending Members

Executive Committee:Terri Finn, Chairperson, Salem

Edward Heflin, Vice Chairperson, Macomb

Jeri Wooters, Treasurer, Decatur

Members:Gianna Baker, Chicago

Margarite Brooks, Normal

MaryBeth Farmer, DRS, Springfield

Amy Foster, Alton

Michael Griswold, Rockford

Esther Lee, Arlington Heights

Kevin MacDonald, Vienna

Rachael Mellen, Peru

Sarita Phadke, Schaumburg

Sara Powell, Springfield

Hadley Ravencroft, Urbana

Cynthia Swanson, Naperville

Guest:Ann Ford, INCIL

Staff:Sarah Durbin, Executive Director

Tara Dunning, Financial Manager

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Call to Order: The meeting of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois was called to order by ChairpersonFinn at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 4, 2016. Finn welcomed SILC’s newest member Rachael Mellen from Peru.

Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the May 4, 2016 meeting were distributed for review and approval.

MOTION:Griswold motioned to accept the minutes of the May 4, 2016 meeting as presented. Powellseconded the motion. Motion carried with one abstention by Farmer.

Chair Report: Chairperson Finn reviewed the contents of the meeting packet. Finn discussed the retreat held on August 3rd with facilitator Lynn Jarman. Everyone had very positive comments about the retreat.

She reported that we have one new appointee, Rachael Mellen, who is the former executive director of the Illinois Valley Center for Independent Living in LaSalle. She has since retired and we are pleased to have her on the SILC. She reported that terms have expired for Curtis Robinson and Andres Gallegos. Stacia Robertson has resigned from SILC as she is moving out of state. Finally, Finn reported that we have a new representative from the Department of Children and Family Services named Diane Cottrell.

Operations Committee Report: Operations Chairperson Wooters discussed the April, May and June financial reports as well as the close-out of the fiscal year 2016 grant. The fiscal year 2017 organizational budget was discussed and reviewed for approval. Durbin noted that the administrative fees for the Next Steps Program has been reduced by $2,200.

MOTION:Heflin motioned to accept the April, May and June financial reports as presented. Brooks seconded the motion. Motion carried.

MOTION: Mellen motioned to approve the fiscal year 2017 organizational budget with the correction on the income from the Next Steps Program.

Executive Director’s Report: Director Durbin provided an update on the 2014-2016 State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL) which ends September 30. She reported on the 2017-2019 SPIL which begins October 1. Print and bound copies were provided to the Council. Durbin reported she will develop a plan to keep all advisory groups and lead organizations engaged and informed. A timeline and estimated financial obligations will be developed as well.

Durbin reported on the new SILC website which is completed. Phase II will be to develop a portal for Council members to download documents. There was discussion about a possible chat room, blog or forum for open discussions. This is will be under the direction of the Operations Committee.

Outreach Committee Report: Outreach Committee Chairperson Brooks has provided a written report. It is attached as Appendix A.

INCIL Report: INCIL Representative Wooters that INCIL has their annual 2-day retreat scheduled in September at Starved Rock. Wooters reported that INCIL is taking the lead on planning a Region 5 independent living conference in April 2017. The federal region 5 included Illinois Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. This conference is open to anyone but will focus on CIL staff.

Wooters also provided an update on the Part C Committee and the Sustainability Committee. She discussed the June 28th vigil awareness event on the State Capitol lawn. She discussed the Get out the Vote Campaign, gave an update on the Outcome Measures Committee’s efforts to create outcomes which need to be accepted by the State. All CILs are encouraged to review and approve their deliverables in their contracts. Wooters discussed a Survey Monkey of consumers to complete CIL outcome measurers and deliverables.

Wooters discussed the Aging Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) and Illinois’ participation. The Illinois Department on Aging has been instructed to establish local ADRCs and that Centers for Independent Living and other disability organizations were to be a part of it. INCIL has been participating in the process.

Ford reported that INCIL has been a part of Invision Illinois which is working to bring the disability community and the domestic violence community together to develop policy that relates to domestic violence services. Funding is being provided from the Office of Violence Against Women.

DSE Report: DSE Representative Farmer has provided a written report. It is attached as Appendix B.

At 1pm the Council went into Closed Executive Session and came out of Closed Executive Session at 2:30pm.

Adjournment: A motion to adjourn the meeting of the SILC was made by Foster and seconded by Brooks. Motion carried and meeting was adjourned at 2:46pm.

Next Meeting: The next quarterly meeting of the Statewide Independent Living Council will be held on Wednesday November 2, 2016.

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Jennifer Phillips, Secretary Date

Appendix A

Outreach Committee Report

August 4, 2016

Presented by Margarite Brooks

As of July 1st, we had 2 appointments, 4 voting member reappointments and 5 Ex-Officio non-voting members.

Andrés Gallegos and Curtis Robinson left the board. They both fulfilled their two terms. Replacing them will be Corey Axelrod and Rachael Mellen. Rachael has officially been appointed but Corey is still in the process. Below is information on these individuals.

  • Corey Axelrod is the current president of the Illinois Association of the Deaf. He resides in the Chicago area. He is a person with a disability.
  • Rachael Mellen was the Executive Director of Illinois Valley Center for Independent Living. She identifies as a person with a disability and is from an area we have been trying to secure representation. She resides in LaSalle.

The four voting members who were reappointed are: Jennifer Phillips, Sara Powell, Hadley Ravencroft and Barbara Stotlar.

Four Ex-Officio Non-Voting Members who were reappointed are: John Eckert, Department on Aging; Melanie Fleenor, Illinois State Board of Education and MaryBeth Farmer, DHS, Division of Rehabilitation Services. A new representative from Department of Children and Family Services has been appointed. Her name is Diane Cottrell.

As of August 1st, Stacia Robertson will be leaving the Council. She has accepted a teaching position at a university in California. Sarah is exploring potential candidates as her replacement and she will work with the Outreach Committee to solidify a candidate.

Appendix B:

Department of Human Services-Division of Rehabilitation Services (DHS/DRS)

AND

Independent Living Unit (ILU) Summary

August 1, 2016

Presented by MaryBeth Farmer

Before providing a brief summary of activities within DHS/DRS the Independent Living Unit (ILU), Director Kris Smith wishes to thank all the CIL Directors and their staff for all the work done over the past year. She acknowledges that it was very difficult year, but appreciates your commitment to serving consumers.

  • In the VR program DHS continues to analyze the new rules regarding implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and services to the customers we serve. The IL Unit continues to monitor this as well and participated in a webinar offered through the LEAD Center. The handouts from the webinar contain great contact information and can be found at
  • New Contact Information:

DRS Rockford Office moved in June and the new address is:

171 Executive Parkway, Suite 103

Rockford, IL 61107

Phone: 815-987-4964

Alicia Urven is no longer the HFS contact for BIP and UAT activities.

Please contact Kristopher Classen

() regarding BIP/UAT.

  • The Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation is offering an online technical assistance service to organizations providing employment services to people in mental health recovery. As of component of the Center’s National Resource Center of Employment and Vocational Recovery, the service will be offered at no expense to the organization. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Institute on Disability and Independent Living Research and Rehabilitation (NIDILRR) fund the project.

The technical assistance will be provided through webinars, conference calls, and email. Following an initial exploration of need, each organization will be matched with a consultant who has expertise in the topic area. For more information or to begin the technical assistance process contact: Rick Forbess, Project Director at .

  • IL Unit staff continues to participate on the “No Wrong Door” Executive Committee led by HFS and IDOA, along with the Lewin Group. The draft of “Illinois’ No Wrong Door System Development Three Year Implementation Plan” has been reviewed by all participants and comments incorporated. The plan will be distributed to stakeholders using stakeholder lists, posting on websites, etc. Lewin staff indicated at the last meeting that a link to an online forum will be created for the collection of stakeholder comments. After this occurs, the new draft will be brought to the BIP/UAT committee since they are inter-related. From that, final approvals and further support from administration from the participating agencies will be obtained. This Plan will be submitted to ACL by September 30. IL staff will participate in the next NWD meeting on August 1. A verbal update of the August 1 meeting will be provided.
  • IL staff continues to attend the on-going BIP/UAT meetings. There are still some technical issues that need to be resolved with the UAT. However, it appears HFS staff are ready to test the UAT system using different scenarios. At the last meeting attended, Lewin Group staff presented their key deliverables and anticipated timeline for completion. Deliverables presented included: UAT; Workflow (Business Process Mapping); Rollout and Testing; Training and Support (Help Desk and BIP Call Center). BIP/UAT staff continues to assure Committee members that the DON score will be reflected in the current tool. It was stated at the last meeting that the testing and rollout period may begin in August or September. The Help Desk noted above under Training and Support will be for staff assessors and program staff. The BIP Call Center will be for consumers.
  • Contracts-GATA-The IL Unit wishes to thank everyone for their cooperation and patience. This process has been just as frustrating for DHS staff as it has been for you. We are all learning about this process at the same time and continue to process your information, and participate in the trainings to assist with the implementation of the GATA requirements. Currently, the budgets are being reviewed and any requests for changes or clarification will be sent to the grantee.

1APPROVED NOVEMBER 2, 2016