Section 2: CIL Standards and Assurances

The Independent Living Program is based on a philosophy that sets forth a way of thinking and living. It is also a statutory program guided by Standards and Assurances. These Standards and Assurances show consumers, funders, legislators, communities, and other stakeholders that a CIL is accomplishing what it was created and funded to do. In Independent Living, there is no aspect of a CIL that is more important than integrating the IL philosophy into all CIL operations.

Independent Living Program Regulation 45 CFR §1329.5: 

To be eligible to receive funds under this part (Independent Living Services and Centers for Independent Living), a Center must comply with the standards in section 725(b) and assurances in section 725(c) of Title VII of the Act.

Standards

Evaluation Standard 1: Philosophy

The Center shall promote and practice the independent living philosophy of—

  1. Consumer control of the Center regarding decision-making, service delivery, management, and establishment of the policy and direction of the center;
  2. Self-help and self-advocacy;
  3. Development of peer relationships and peer role models; and
  4. Equal access for individuals with significant disabilities, within their communities, to all services, programs, activities, resources, and facilities, whether public or private and regardless of the funding source.

Evaluation Standard 2: Provision of Services

The Center shall provide IL services to individuals with a range of significant disabilities. The Center shall provide services on a cross-disability basis (for individuals with all different types of significant disabilities, including individuals with significant disabilities who are members of populations that are unserved or underserved by programs under Title VII of this Act).

The Center shall determine eligibility for IL services. The Center may not base eligibility on the presence of any one or more specific significant disabilities.

Evaluation Standard 3: Independent Living Goals

The Center shall facilitate the development and achievement of independent living goals selected by individuals with significant disabilities who seek such assistance by the Center.

Evaluation Standard 4: Community Options

The Center shall work to increase the availability and improve the quality of community options for independent living in order to facilitate the development and achievement of independent living goals by individuals with significant disabilities.

Evaluation Standard 5: Independent Living Core Services

The Center shall provide independent living core services and, as appropriate, a combination of any other independent living services.

Evaluation Standard 6: Activities to Increase Community Capacity

The Center shall conduct activities to increase the capacity of communities within the service area of the center to meet the needs of individuals with significant disabilities.

Evaluation Standard 7: Resource Development Activities

The Center shall conduct resource development activities to obtain funding from sources other than this chapter [Chapter 1 of Title VII of the Act].

Assurances

The eligible agency shall provide at such time and in such manner as the Administrator may require, such satisfactory assurances as the Administrator may require, including satisfactory assurances that—

  1. The applicant is an eligible agency;
  2. The Center will be designed and operated within local communities by individuals with disabilities, including an assurance that the Center will have a Board that is the principal governing body of the Center and a majority of which shall be composed of individuals with significant disabilities;
  3. The applicant will comply with the standards set forth in subsection (b);
  4. The applicant will establish clear priorities through annual and 3-year program and financial planning objectives for the Center, including overall goals or a mission for the Center, a work plan for achieving the goals or mission, specific objectives, service priorities, and types of services to be provided, and a description that shall demonstrate how the proposed activities of the applicant are consistent with the most recent 3-year State plan under section 704;
  5. The applicant will use sound organizational and personnel assignment practices, including taking affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with significant disabilities on the same terms and conditions required with respect to the employment of individuals with disabilities under section 503;
  6. The applicant will ensure that the majority of the staff, and individuals in decision-making positions, of the applicant are individuals with disabilities;
  7. The applicant will practice sound fiscal management;
  8. The applicant will conduct self-evaluations, prepare an annual report, and maintain records adequate to measure performance with respect to the standards, containing information regarding, at a minimum—
    1. The extent to which the Center is in compliance with the standards;
    2. The number and types of individuals with significant disabilities receiving services through the Center;
    3. The types of services provided through the Center and the number of individuals with significant disabilities receiving each type of service;
    4. The sources and amounts of funding for the operation of the Center;
    5. The number of individuals with significant disabilities who are employed by, and the number who are in a management and decision-making positions in, the Center; and
    6.  A comparison, when appropriate, of the activities of the Center in prior years with the activities of the Center in the most recent year;
  9. Individuals with significant disabilities who are seeking or receiving services at the Center will be notified by the Center of the existence of, the availability of, and how to contact, the client assistance program;
  10. Aggressive outreach regarding services provided through the Center will be conducted in an effort to reach populations of individuals with significant disabilities that are unserved or underserved by programs under this title, especially minority groups and urban and rural populations;
  11. Staff at Centers for Independent Living will receive training on how to serve such unserved and underserved populations, including minority groups and urban and rural populations;
  12. The Center will submit to the Statewide Independent Living Council a copy of its approved grant application and the annual report required under paragraph (8);
  13. The Center will prepare and submit a report to the designated State unit or the Administrator, as the case may be, at the end of each fiscal year that contains the information described in paragraph (8) and information regarding the extent to which the Center is in compliance with the standards set forth in subsection (b); and
  14. An independent living plan described in section 704(e) will be developed unless the individual who would receive services under the plan signs a waiver stating that such a plan is unnecessary.

Resources for a Deeper Dive