The Massachusetts Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) established under the 1992 amendments of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Council members are appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts. Members include persons who are knowledgeable about centers for independent living and the services they provide. The Council includes representation of individuals with a range of disabilities from the various geographic areas within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts SILC is responsible for the development, implementation, and monitoring of the State Plan for Independent Living, a three-year strategic plan for Massachusetts to work towards goals of greater access, inclusion and independence; coordinating activities with other entities that provide services similar or complementary to Independent Living Services; assisting to develop the network of Centers for Independent Living; and conduct regular meetings of the Council that are open to the public.
The Massachusetts SILC is committed to promoting a philosophy of consumer control, peer support, self-help, self-determination, equal access, and individual and systems advocacy, in order to maximize leadership, empowerment, independence, productivity and to support full inclusion and integration of individuals with disabilities into the mainstream of American society.
Massachusetts Executive Order No. 590 : mass.gov/executive-orders