The SILC invites interested Iowans, both with and without disabilities, from across the state, to apply to be considered for appointment to the SILC by the Governor. The Iowa Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) will have between 1-3 Council Member openings on July 1, 2021. You do NOT need to have previous experience being on a Council or Board. We will provide you with support and training on your role as a voting member on the SILC.

The SILC Council is required to have at least 51% of its members who are individuals with disabilities who do NOT work for a State Agency or a Center for Independent Living. The SILC is to be Consumer-controlled, meaning that people with disabilities are the folks who make the decisions as to how the SILC operates. The SILC has a total of 13 Council Members, with 10 being Voting Members and 3 being ex-officio non-voting members.

We are inviting people both with and without disabilities from across the state, who are interested, to apply to be considered for appointment to the SILC by the Governor. We maintain an ongoing file of applicants to be reviewed whenever there is an opening.

The Council has set a PRIORITY to try and find young adults, who have a disability, ages 18-30, to apply to be a SILC Council Member so that we may begin developing young adult leadership in the Independent Living Movement.

However, all interested individuals, with or without a disability, ages 18 and over, are encouraged to apply.

We encourage people to apply who have a PASSION for working on independent living issues, and who are willing to volunteer their time to attend and participate in six Council Meetings, as well as participate on at least one committee that meets via teleconference either monthly or every other month.

These are VOLUNTEER positions that are appointed by the Governor.

These are VOLUNTEER positions that are appointed by the Governor. Applications must be received by March 31st of each year in order to be considered for Governor-appointment.

BEFORE APPLYING: Please review Council Member job description & time commitment below as well as dates and times of Council Meetings to ensure that you can commit to these requirements. Please visit the About Page to familiarize yourself with the Mission and more about the SILC.

Please go to the State of Iowa’s Talent Bank website to apply online  to complete a Gubernatorial Appointment Resume to be considered for Governor-appointment to the SILC.

PLEASE NOTE you will have to create a Username and Password to use this site and complete the application.

IF you encounter ANY PROBLEMS with using the Iowa Talent Bank website, please contact the Iowa SILC Executive Director, Dawn Francis, either via e-mail at dawn@iowasilc.org, or via her cell phone at 515-480-3027 so that she may assist you with the application.

Please email the SILC Executive Director, Dawn Francis, at dawn@iowasilc.org, with a short written statement about why you would like to be on the SILC and what you feel you can contribute as a member of the SILC.

This information, along with the application you submit in the Iowa Talent Bank, will be reviewed by the SILC Outreach Committee. It is REALLY helpful to the committee to have a narrative from each candidate so they can determine the qualifications for each candidate in terms of meeting federal requirements for SILC composition, as well as your interest and commitment to serving on the SILC.

The SILC Outreach Committee will review all applications in terms of candidates meeting federal requirements for SILC composition and their stated interest and commitment to serving on the SILC, and will present a roster of recommended candidates to the full SILC Council to approve at the May 2021 SILC meeting. The list of candidates approved by the SILC Council will then be shared with the Governor’s office for consideration for appointment.

The Governor makes the final decision as to who is appointed to the SILC Council. The Governor’s Office usually makes all appointments by the first week of July.

The SILC Executive Director will forward all applications to the Governor’s office.

The SILC Outreach Committee will review all applications in terms of candidates meeting federal requirements for SILC composition, and will take into consideration what the Candidate describes in the narrative section of the application as to why they would like to be appointed to the SILC. The Outreach Committee will then present a roster of recommended candidates to the full SILC Council to approve at the May SILC meeting.

The SILC Executive Director then meets with the Governor’s staff to go over the recommendations with them.

The Governor makes the final decision as to who is appointed to the SILC Council. The Governor’s Office usually makes all appointments by the first week of July.

Please keep in mind that we can train you on Council Member responsibilities, so you do not need to have experience.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

1. Participate actively in Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) meetings and activities.
2. Work actively on at least one committee or work team of the SILC.
3. Facilitate development of new independent living leaders within the state.
4. Assist in the development of the State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL).

VALUES DESIRED

1. Commitment to the issue of “consumer control,” meaning that people with disabilities should have control over their lives and decision-making.
2. Belief in principles of equal access and equal opportunity, and equity.
3. Commitment to full integration of people with disabilities into all aspects of society.
4. Possession of honesty, integrity, and respect for the values of others.
5. Possession of strong personal code of ethics, including maintaining confidentiality, avoiding conflict of interest, and avoiding self-dealing.

QUALIFICATIONS

1. Knowledge and/or experience with team work (we can provide training).
2. Knowledge and/or experience with independent living (we can provide training).
3. Knowledge and/or experience in state and federal advocacy, fundraising, public relations, program development, or other activities that will help promote the SILC mission.

ESTIMATED TIME COMMITTMENT (excluding travel time)

12.00 hours — 4 ZOOM ONLINE SILC Meetings from 10 am to 1 pm (12 hours);
5.00 — one in-person meeting from 10 am to 3 pm (5 hours excluding travel time);
11.50 — one in-person two day Annual SILC Retreat from 12-4:30 Thursday, and 10 to 4 on Friday (4.50 hours Thursday and 6.0 hours on Friday excluding travel time).
12.00 — reading-preparation in advance for SILC meetings-2 hours/meeting
8.00 — committee teleconferences/reading/prep for committee meetings
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48.5 Hours TOTAL ANNUALLY

For more information on the Iowa SILC and Independent Living, please visit our website at www.iowasilc.org. You may also contact the SILC Executive Director, Dawn Francis, via e-mail at dawn@iowasilc.org, or at her cell phone number at 515-480-3027.

For those Council Members who live more than an hour from Des Moines, the SILC can provide a hotel room the night before the in-person meetings, and the SILC will reimburse for mileage and a dinner meal to travel to Des Moines the day before the Council Meeting. Free breakfast is provided at the hotel. For all Council Members, the SILC will reimburse for mileage to attend the meeting, the SILC will provide lunch at the Council Meeting, and will provide reimbursement for the salary, meal, and hotel for a Personal Assistant (PA) if one is needed. All reimbursements are subject to the State allowable rates, and the rates set by the SILC Council.

All SILC Council Meetings are accessible, and Council Members will be provided with accessible documents and interpreters as needed and requested. Reasonable accommodations are available for all Council Members. It is the responsibility of each Council Member to inform the SILC Executive Director of any accommodations they need, and to work with her to get those accommodations put into place.