Survey of SILC Operations

About the Survey

Every state and territory is required to have a Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) and there are many requirements regarding membership and functions.  But a lot of latitude is given on how the SILC is to be structured and how it operates, providing there is consumer control and autonomy. Over the years, surveys have been conducted to gather information about SILC structure, staffing, and resources.  The last survey, in 2015, only addressed funding sources and amounts.  In order to get a good understanding of how SILCs are currently structured and operate, a comprehensive survey was conducted early in fiscal year 2021.

The survey was developed and distributed to all 56 SILCs in the fall of 2020 and follow-up calls and emails were sent to SILCs in order to increase the response rate as much as possible.  When the survey closed, there were 34 responses – from 33 states and one territory, 61% of all SILCs.  SILCs that responded varied in size, structure, and resources – providing a reasonable overview of SILCs nationally.