The Organization
Texas State Independent Living Council (TXSILC) is a statewide planning agency dedicated to boosting opportunities for people with disabilities to choose their independence level.
People with disabilities often feel forced into institutional settings and experience many barriers to living in the community. Some areas of concern include job training, housing, home management, transportation, economic security, transition from school to work, and negotiating complex systems and services. Bias, myths, and misconceptions around disabilities pervade communities and systems and are among the most significant challenges that individuals with disabilities experience.
A network of Centers for Independent Living (CILs)* helps people with disabilities manage and overcome these barriers so they can live the life they choose. While individual centers focus on consumers, TXSILC considers the network of services together. *Centers for Independent Living (CILs)
TXSILC raises awareness about independent living services and self-determination. It brings together stakeholders across Texas to identify the most pressing needs and develops a statewide strategy to address these challenges. TXSILC monitors adherence to the plan and pursues continuous improvement in the planning process and progress in the work. TXSILC also implements special projects to further the state’s goals.
Texas SILC and the SILCs across the country share the information they gather with the federal government so that it can identify national priorities and resources to address them. The SILCs and the CILS were established through federal law;** federal statutes guide their work. TXSILC has a small but mighty staff and relies on its council and volunteers to achieve its goals. **Federal law establishing the CILS and SILCs
Description of the Role & the Candidates We Seek
What Council Members Do
Council members actively participate in the above-described planning processes. Additionally, they conduct all the functions of a board member, including advising the executive director, approving budgets and making business decisions, evaluating the executive director, charting the agency’s future, and serving as an agency ambassador in the community. This is a working board, not an advisory body. Council members serve up to three-year terms.
Training Requirements
Council members are required to participate in a comprehensive training program to ensure each individual understands their role and the council’s role. If you are selected, this training will educate you about the independent living movement and your duty to continue a legacy of decisions made about people with disabilities being made by people with disabilities. The training is customized to the needs of individual council members.
Meeting Attendance & Participation
The Council is expected to meet approximately eight to ten times yearly. The law requires at least four meetings annually; however, some councils in other parts of the country are not also boards of directors like this one. Additional meetings are needed to facilitate agency business. Some meetings will be in person; the rest will be remote. The in-person meetings will be several hours long. This allows us to dive deeply into issues and enjoy informal time. Naturally, travel is involved, and the council determines meeting locations.
Council members must have enough flexibility to attend, travel to and from meetings, prepare for meetings (by reading the minutes and meeting packet), and do any follow-up work agreed upon by the council. Being realistic about your time commitments and ability to prioritize this work is essential. Regular attendance is imperative, and our bylaws require removing members who do not attend regularly. We are excited to meet individuals who both want to and can share their time and talent, enthusiastically contribute to our shared mission, and build a collective impact.
Committee Participation
Committees are formed to free up the council’s time to tackle the most pressing issues. Council members and other volunteers participate in subcommittees or ad hoc committees. These committees report to the council and may focus on strategic planning, governance, finance, recruitment, needs assessment, or other priorities. Committee work is a great way to connect more one-on-one with other council members and understand an aspect of the agency on a deeper level.
Meeting Scheduling
To facilitate meeting scheduling, we use surveys to select dates and locations. Council members must respond to the surveys within 3 days of receiving the polls, which allows all members to save the appropriate dates on their calendars.
Multiple Roles
Council members may hold multiple roles in the disabilities community or the community at large. These additional roles are often instrumental in council members providing a unique contribution . However, when conducting any council work, all council members are ethically obligated to employ their council role strictly to fulfill the organization’s mission. Only individuals confident in their ability to separate their other roles from this one should seek a council position.
Financial Issues
Council members can obtain reimbursement for travel expenses. (Completed forms are required.)
The agency actively recruits individuals from all socioeconomic backgrounds; to that end, we do not require financial contributions, but we welcome them. We expect every member’s commitment to seeking donations and full participation in building the organization’s financial strength.
Personal Qualities
We seek individuals who are profoundly committed to choice around independence, who fully show up and enthusiastically contribute, who are dedicated to a team effort, and who enjoy building a statewide strategy that impacts local people with disabilities. We want candidates who have a big-picture perspective yet care deeply about the individuals served by the centers and the centers themselves. We need people who are eager to learn, grow, listen, and contribute and who are patient and humble. Issues around disability are highly personal and sensitive; a genuine desire to understand the perspective of others is critical in this role. Individuals with positive “can do” attitudes, who can identify common ground and can find a win-win in complex situations, are highly desirable candidates.
Culture
Our agency underwent a cultural shift from in-person meetings and an office site to remote work and meetings. However, we highly value personal interaction and team building.
Our Council meetings are public, and we always leave time for community participation. As an organization dedicated to building a more welcoming and inclusive community for people with all abilities, it is crucial that we provide a welcoming, respectful, and accepting environment for our members and guests at our meetings. We seek to consistently reflect our mission in all that we do.
Special Skills, Knowledge, Training, & Life Experience
By law, people with disabilities and family members of individuals with disabilities must make up most of the council.
Previous board experience, relationships in the disability community, interest in finance, governance, community leadership, fundraising, public policy, law, or enthusiasm for learning about these areas are highly desirable.
Our goal is to reflect the full diversity of Texas, including geographic diversity, rural, urban, and suburban perspectives, and ethnic, racial, gender, and tribal diversity. Diversity in disability experiences, including types of disabilities, is also desirable. Diversity strengthens our ability to be in touch with people’s experiences across the state and respond to their needs.
Accommodations and Language Differences
In keeping with our commitment to inclusivity, we are happy to accommodate people with diverse disabilities and provide interpretation and translation services for individuals who speak a language other than English.
Nomination Process & the Governor’s Appointment
Our agency is delighted to speak to candidates; ultimately, federal law requires that only the governor can make the final appointment. We bring nominations and recommendations to the governor’s office’s attention. The governor’s office then reaches out to candidates. This process takes time and requires paperwork and an oath of office. Our staff is happy to provide candidates with any assistance they may need. The governor’s office requires council members to be eligible to vote and registered voters. This includes US citizens and Texas residents without a felony conviction (or who gained voting eligibility). Note that this is not a political appointment or a political organization.
Benefits
The main benefit is improving services for the people of Texas who have disabilities. Every day, people walk into a Center for Independence with serious needs. Perhaps they face eviction, are hungry, unemployed, or struck by a disaster. Sometimes, individuals become suddenly disabled and have no idea how to acquire the necessary equipment. Other times, individuals have been institutionalized and desperately seek to live in the community. Youth with disabilities need support to transition to adulthood. Sometimes, they don’t know how they will survive. The Network of Centers for Independent Living is a lifeline and support to people across Texas. These organizations change lives every day.
Statewide goals must align with consumer needs so that their local CIL can meet them. It is crucial that we track progress and challenges statewide to improve services continually. As a council member, you will be part of the team ensuring this happens. Council members find this incredibly rewarding. They also report that the knowledge they gain is extraordinary, and the relationships they develop are invaluable. While the benefits may not be tangible, they are real and stay with people long after their term ends.
Please complete the following survey to apply.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JJ5NH78
