Getting on Board! (For IL Boards of Directors)
Smooth as SILC: An Introduction to Statewide Independent Living Councils (February)
Financial Management for Centers for Independent Living
Choose, Get, Keep Integrated Community Housing
Building an Effective Peer Support Program
Implementing Olmstead: ABCs of Nursing Home Transition
Smooth as SILC: An Introduction to Statewide Independent Living Councils (September)

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Do you have questions? Here is important information about how our online classes work.

Please Note

Sending the registration form in is NOT a guarantee that you are in the class. Registrations are processed in the order received. Class slots are limited. Register early. Acceptance notices will be sent shortly AFTER the registration closing date. If more than one registration from the same organization is received, the additional registrations will be accepted only if slots are unfilled by other organizations.

Refund Policy

Withdrawals, requests for refunds or requests to apply tuition to a future course must be received in writing or by email BEFORE the first day of the course; otherwise no refund or credit can be made. Registrations are non-transferable after the beginning of the course. Only a limited number of participants can be accepted for each course. Withdrawals prevent others from participating.

Getting on Board! (For IL Boards of Directors)

This class has been filled

Course Dates: January 30-February 17, 2012
Registration Deadline: January 11, 2012

Purpose: Participants in this three-week course will take a close look at boards of directors of non-profit centers for independent living (CILs) and statewide independent living councils (SILCs). In addition to examining non-profit boards' traditional responsibilities, participants will study challenges that are unique to consumer-controlled organizations that adhere to independent living principles. Topics include setting the organization's course, building its infrastructure, and monitoring progress.

Course Level: Introductory to Intermediate

Target Audience: This course will be particularly relevant to members of boards of directors and administrative staff of all CILs and SILCs which have established non-profit status.

Course Objectives: Participants will be able to discuss the roles and responsibilities of boards of directors, recognize and address conflicts which may arise between IL philosophy and services and analyze the impact of funding sources on day-to-day activities.

Format: Activities assigned on each of the 15 days may include reading assignments, online group discussions, scenario analysis and dialogue about actual day-to-day problems encountered in overseeing services and assistance in a center. Participants will work with an online manual and will interact via the Internet. Additional readings will be recommended, but not required, to enhance participants' understanding of the topic.

Instructor: Bob Michaels is a long-time consultant and trainer for the independent living field. Michaels provides considerable training and technical assistance to the field through the IL NET program.

Smooth as SILC: An Introduction to Statewide Independent Living Councils

Course Dates: February 27-March 16, 2012
Registration Deadline: February 8, 2012

Purpose: This three-week course orients members of SILCs to the laws and regulations that guide their daily activities. In addition, it applies the principles and philosophy of independent living to situations commonly encountered by statewide independent living councils.

Course Level: Introductory

Target Audience: SILC executives, staff, and members. CIL staff and board may benefit as well. This is a beginning to intermediate level course.

Course Objectives: Upon completion, participants will be able to:

Describe how the SILC fits into independent living, the Rehabilitation Act (“Rehab Act”), and the Workforce Investment Act.
Identify the laws and regulations governing SILCs.
Explain the history and philosophy of Independent Living and how to integrate the principles into daily activities and practices.
Describe the composition and duties of the SILC.
Describe how SILC activities are funded.
Discuss creative and innovate approaches to address the SILC mission.
Describe how to use the State Plan to organize and plan for change.

The course utilizes a participant text and the Internet for participant interaction. The text is designed to provide sufficient background information to make it possible for all students to assume an active role in online discussions. The centerpiece of the text will be a series of scenarios and exercises, most of which will be assigned for discussion and debate. Additional readings and videotapes will be recommended, but not required, to enhance the participant's understanding of the topic.

Format: The course spans three weeks and uses a Web site to engage participants in discussion of the content and issues. The instructor is available to lead the forum on the Web site and for technical assistance throughout the course. Participants are asked to read the assignments, review scenarios that address course content, and engage in the online class message forums. Participants will devote an average of 3-5 hours per week to assignments and activities.

Instructor: Bob Michaels is a long-time consultant and trainer for the independent living field. Michaels provides considerable training and technical assistance to the field through the IL NET program.

Financial Management for Centers for Independent Living

Course Dates: March 19-April 6, 2012
Registration Deadline: February 29, 2012

Purpose: This three-week course is designed to help CIL and SILC leaders manage organization finances more effectively.

Course Level: Introductory to Intermediate

Target Audience: Center and SILC executives, financial managers, and other managers, as well as board members. This is an intermediate level course.

Course Objectives: Upon completion, participants will be able to identify the key components of sound fiscal management, develop effective fiscal reports, prepare and deliver agency and program budgets, identify fiscal risk management controls, and define appropriate roles for board and staff financial oversight.

Format: Participants will read assignments in the online course manual, complete exercises assigned by the instructor, and interact daily with the instructor and other students in an online discussion forum. Students will have an opportunity to learn about and share best practices. Students can ask and receive responses to their questions about sound financial management from the instructor and their peers.

Instructor: Melissa Hall Glisson is the former executive director of ARISE, Inc., a center for independent living in Syracuse, New York. During her seven years at ARISE, Glisson directed the creation and growth of the CIL's supported employment, universal design, and integrated recreation programs while growing the agency's annual budget to more than $5 million. Glisson is currently president of Media, Marketing and Money--a consulting agency for nonprofit agencies around the country.

Choose, Get, Keep Integrated Community Housing

Course Dates: April 9-27, 2012
Registration Deadline: March 21, 2012

Purpose: The focus of this course is how to assist individuals who are transitioning out of nursing facilities to access integrated, accessible, affordable housing in the community. Participants will be guided through the entire transition process of securing and relocating to housing, including planning a move, locating housing, and keeping the housing over the long term. The course will supply a number of checklists, fact sheets, and charts as tools to assist in securing and keeping housing.

Target Audience: IL Center Staff, especially Housing Specialists, and Transition Facilitators who assist with securing housing.

Course Objectives: Participants will leave the class with five new ideas about how to help people move. They will have a comprehensive set of tools to use as they help consumers (or themselves) make decisions about moving. Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

assess housing needs and preferences;
create a personalized and realistic Housing Transition Plan;
support individuals as they locate and choose housing that is appropriate to meet their needs and preferences;
describe a variety of supports needed to successfully maintain housing and
execute the Housing Transition Plan for a successful move

Instructors: Ann Denton is a recognized expert on homelessness, mental illness, system change and housing issues for people with mental and other disabilities. She provides technical assistance to states and communities in many areas, including the development of Continuum of Care plans, strategic planning, project development and monitoring, prioritization, service coordination and operation of housing and service systems. Ms. Denton’s areas of expertise include permanent supportive housing, discharge planning, prevention strategies, and access to mainstream services. At AHP, Ms. Denton directs projects and activities related to housing, homelessness, mental health, system change, and substance abuse services. Training and technical assistance is provided to states, communities, advocates, and providers in the areas of homelessness (including Continuum of Care planning and operation), housing, supports and services, advocacy, program implementation and operation, planning, resource development, and strategic partnerships through contracts managed by Ms. Denton. She also provides consultation to states and communities regarding homelessness, particularly chronic homelessness. At the state level, Ms. Denton currently serves as a member of the Texas Interagency Council on Homelessness and as a member of the State of Texas Policy Academy team focused on Access to Mainstream Services for People who are Chronically Homeless. Ms. Denton also serves on the State Promoting Independence Advisory Committee (Olmstead). As chair of the Housing Committee, she helped secure a $2 million per year commitment of housing assistance funds. She served as the Director of Housing and Residential Services for the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation for 10 years, developing a statewide supported housing/housing first program.

Sarah André has 18 years experience in the affordable housing and community development field. She has worked for AHP, Diana McIver & Associates and The Enterprise Foundation and has held various positions in which she provided training and technical assistance to nonprofits on a variety of topics including Fair Housing, Universal Design, “Development 101,” funding for housing projects and the role of non profit boards. Ms. André has significant experience with affordable housing finance and project management, including the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, SHP, HOME, CDBG, PATH and CHAB programs. Recent projects include a 209-unit mixed-use, mixed income high rise featuring Low Income Housing Tax Credits and public housing vouchers to serve 50 homeless tenants and the Juniper-Olive Historic District, an 18-unit affordable housing development which included new construction, green building, and historic rehabilitation. As a result of her work, nonprofit organizations have received more than $30 million in funds for affordable housing and more than 500 units have been created. Ms. André is also the author of numerous studies related to affordable housing, topics for these studies include impediments to Fair Housing, housing resources for persons with disabilities, project feasibility, and affordable housing in transit oriented design districts.

Orientation for New CIL & SILC Personnel

Course Dates: April 30-May 25, 2012
Registration Deadline: April 11, 2012

PURPOSE: This four-week course is designed to give new employees and board members a solid understanding of the principles and philosophy of independent living. Topics include the history of independent living, consumer control, cross-disability issues, equal access, peer relationships, and self advocacy. Students also discuss the implication of the federal standards and indicators (the Rehab Act and regulations) on the philosophy.

Course Level: This is a beginning level course.

Target Audience: New staff, as well as board members.

Course Objectives: Upon completion, participants will be able to define and understand the elements of the IL philosophy, describe the impact of the federal requirements on day-to-day activities in the center, and apply IL principles and philosophy to real life situations.

Format: Activities assigned on each of the 20 days may include reading assignments, online group discussions, analyses of scenarios, and addressing actual day-to-day problems encountered when applying the philosophy in a center. Participants will devote an average of 3-5 hours per week to assignments and activities.

Building an Effective Peer Support Program

Course Dates: June 4-22, 2012
Registration Deadline: May 16 , 2012

Purpose: Learn how to create a comprehensive framework for a new peer support program or how to improve your existing program.

Course Level: Beginner to Intermediate - some experience with managing or delivering peer support services will be helpful

Target Audience: This three-week course is relevant for executive directors, program managers, coordinators of peer support services or volunteer services, independent living specialists, or other personnel of CILs for whom a basic understanding of a successful peer support program is pertinent.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to--

Discuss a framework design for a peer support program that includes a level of commitment to peer support programming within an existing Center structure.
Describe an administrative infrastructure that will provide the framework for an effective peer support program that will ensure successful service delivery, including peer recruitment, training, and supervision; and program coordination and evaluation.
Build awareness, skills, and commitment of mentors to cultivate effective developmental relationships to increase the ability to support, coach and guide mentees.
Describe the far-reaching benefits of a successful program for the CIL, the mentors and mentees, and the community.

Format: Assignments will be given for each of the 15 days. Participants will receive a manual (via the Internet) and will interact via the Internet. Discussion questions and exercises will be posted on the Web site. Participants will devote an average of 3-5 hours per week to assignments and activities.

Instructors: Amina Donna Kruck is The Director of Advocacy Programs at Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL) in Phoenix, Arizona. Kruck is a Professional Licensed Counselor with a Master of Counseling from Arizona State University. She has been the Project Director for the statewide AZ Freedom to Work - Social Security Work Incentives Planning Assistance Program since the Ticket legislation first rolled out in Arizona in 2001. She successfully initiated the community effort to establish Arizona’s Medicaid Buy-in. Kruck is the designated lobbyist for ABIL and has oversight for ABIL’s volunteer program which includes general volunteers; a 35-member peer mentor volunteer team; the This Is My Life self-determination program for persons with developmental disabilities; ABIL’s Bridge monthly newsletter; and ABIL’s Advocacy Program, which addresses individual issues, provides monthly advocacy workshops and community/system’s change. Kruck has been an activist in the IL movement with ABIL for 18 years and worked in the disability field for 24 years. She has 24 years of peer counseling experience and has worked in the correctional and mental health field prior to joining the ABIL team. Kruck has taught a university multi-disciplinary course “Perspectives on Disability,” and facilitated Women Wellness Group and Attitudinal Barriers workshops through ABIL. Kruck is the recipient of the 2008 AZ Capitol Times Leadership Unsung Hero award, the 2004 National Council on Independent Living Region IX Advocate of the Year award, and the 2001 Paralyzed Veterans of America Arizona Chapter Dick Sloviaczek Barrier Buster Award.

April Reed has been the Volunteer Coordinator at Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL) in Phoenix since 2006. She coordinates the ABIL Peer Mentor and General Administrative Volunteer programs, which includes recruiting, training, and matching mentors with consumers working on independent living goals. Reed facilitates disability presentations to schools, the monthly mentoring and discussion group for mentors, mentees, and consumers and coordinates volunteer activities, including a monthly volunteer group and staffing of community information tables. Previously she was ABIL’s Information and Referral Specialist. Reed is a Licensed Masters Social Worker, receiving her Masters degree in Social Work from Arizona State University in May 2005.

Implementing Olmstead: ABCs of Nursing Home Transition

Course Dates: August 6-24, 2012
Registration Deadline: July 18, 2012

Purpose: During this three-week course, participants will learn about how the ADA formed the basis for the Olmstead Decision and the use of the Olmstead Decision to facilitate transition from nursing homes to community-based living. Participants will learn to identify the essential steps in the transition process, barriers to successful transition, and strategies to address the barriers.

Course Level: Introductory to Intermediate

Target Audience: IL Center Staff, especially Transition Facilitators who assist individuals in moving to community-based living.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

Describe how the ADA formed the basis for the Olmstead Decision and the use of the Olmstead Decision to facilitate transition for nursing homes.
Identify the essential steps in the transition process and their interrelatedness.
Explain how the principles of consumer direction, self-determination and consumer control, critical for a person moving into the community from institutional care, may be considered when an individual has a history of psychiatric disabilities or substance abuse.
Identify barriers to successful transition and effective strategies to address these barriers including accessing community supports in formal and informal systems.

Instructors:
Richard Petty is Program Director at Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston. Petty directs the ILRU New Community Opportunities Center, a national center that fosters community programs for transition from nursing facilities to the community for persons of all ages and youth transition from school to community. He directs the CIL-NET and SILC-NET, the two national projects that provide training and technical assistance on programming and management to centers for independent living and statewide independent living councils, organizations which foster community independence for people with disabilities. Petty directed the ILRU Community Living Partnership from 2000-2007 which provided training, publications, and implementation support to CMS Real Choice systems change grantees operating innovative home and community services programs.

Before coming to ILRU, Petty served as Executive Director of Mainstream, an advocacy-oriented center for independent living in Little Rock, Arkansas. There he headed major statewide advocacy efforts, notably home and community services initiatives, and served as a disability lobbyist. Petty holds an MBA degree from the C. T. Bauer School of Business at the University of Houston. He writes about and conducts training and workshops on application of evidence based practices in community programs, advocacy and lobbying, grassroots action for change, transition from nursing facilities to the community, rapid feedback assessment, and leading organizations in transformational change.

Jane Schiele has worked at Independent Living Centers since 2000. She was the Statewide Coordinator for the grant funded Nursing Facilities Transition Project in Colorado from 2002 to 2004. The project was so successful that it is now permanently in Colorado’s legislation and is named the Community Transition Services. Currently, Jane works as the Director of Satellite Offices at the Disability Center for Independent Living in Denver, Colorado. On the national level, Jane has taught at numerous conferences on Nursing Home Transition, co-taught a webinar on IL Skills of Nursing Home Transition and at NCIL’s 2006 annual conference she co-presented on Mental Health Advocacy at Centers for Independent Living. She was a director of the DVD, “You Have A Choice”. She also authored a Nursing Home Transition Project Handbook. She holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Denver in Colorado.

Smooth as SILC: An Introduction to Statewide Independent Living Councils

Course Dates: September 10-28, 2012
Registration Deadline: August 22, 2012

Target Audience: SILC executives, staff, and members. CIL staff and board may benefit as well. This is a beginning to intermediate level course.

Course Objectives: Upon completion, participants will be able to:

Describe how the SILC fits into independent living, the Rehabilitation Act (“Rehab Act”), and the Workforce Investment Act.
Identify the laws and regulations governing SILCs.
Explain the history and philosophy of Independent Living and how to integrate the principles into daily activities and practices.
Describe the composition and duties of the SILC.
Describe how SILC activities are funded.
Discuss creative and innovate approaches to address the SILC mission.
Describe how to use the State Plan to organize and plan for change.

Independent Living Research Utilization

Learning Online

Registration form

Questions?

Please Note

Refund Policy

Getting on Board! (For IL Boards of Directors)

Smooth as SILC: An Introduction to Statewide Independent Living Councils

Financial Management for Centers for Independent Living

Choose, Get, Keep Integrated Community Housing

Orientation for New CIL & SILC Personnel

Building an Effective Peer Support Program

Implementing Olmstead: ABCs of Nursing Home Transition

Smooth as SILC: An Introduction to Statewide Independent Living Councils