Iowa Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC)

Disability Rights are Human Rights!

The SILC Mission

Advance the independence, productivity, and full inclusion of Iowans with disabilities. 

What is the Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC)?

The Iowa Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) is a federally mandated, Governor-appointed Council. It is also an independent nonprofit corporation where the majority of members are persons with disabilities. The role of the SILC is to educate on and promote the independent living (IL) philosophy in Iowa, and assist the Centers for Independent Living (CILs) with funding. 

Independent living means:

1. Making owns own life choices (agency or self-determination)
2. Being respected as the expert of ones own experience
3. Independence and chosen interdependence
4. Full inclusion and access
5. Recognition as a valuable contributor to society
6. Having the right to remain in ones own home (deinstitutionalization)

The Need for Additional Funding

The SILC operates on a very limited budget that is currently comprised only of federal funds. The operations budget for the SILC is around $130,000. Clearly that is not enough to do the work ahead of us - but it is problematic in other ways as well. As all of our current funding comes from a federal grant we are unable to use the funds for certain expenses, such as lobbying. While education is a critical first step towards change, having the ability to lobby is a second step that we are unable to take without additional funding.