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SILC of Georgia was founded to ensure that people with disabilities have opportunities to live as independently as possible.
The Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia (SILCGA) is a private nonprofit corporation governed by people with all types of disabilities from all across the state. The role of the SILC is to identify societal barriers to independent living and to collaborate with Centers for Independent Living, Rehabilitation Services and other related entities to remove those barriers and to increase the supports and services needed to create independent living opportunities.
SILC activities include sponsoring public hearings, quarterly public meetings, and other educational and outreach efforts, providing information to public officials, state agencies and local organizations and individuals, and conducting studies, and research.
The Mission of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia is. Equal participation of people with disabilities within their communities.
Therefore, the Council will bring about results in the following areas:

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Spring 2026 Newsletter

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Ester DuRante

Jordan Hall

Victor McRae

Matt Shedd

We are excited to welcome Kenya Warner to the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia! Kenya is a nonprofit and Independent Living professional with more than 30 years of experience strengthening organizations, supporting communities, and advancing opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Throughout her career, Kenya has built extensive experience in Independent Living, federal grant management and compliance, SPIL development and monitoring, financial oversight, community engagement, program development, and organizational leadership. She currently serves as Resource Manager with Multiple Choices Center for Independent Living, where her work includes federal grant compliance, fiscal management, program operations, and strengthening services that support Independent Living and consumer choice. Kenya is also a longtime community leader who believes deeply in collaboration, accountability, and creating systems that empower people and communities. We are thrilled to have her experience, leadership, and commitment to the Independent Living movement supporting the work of SILC Georgia and people with disabilities throughout our state. Please join us in welcoming Kenya!

"The really big deal is the cuts to home and community-based services and the threat of institutionalization because that's coming for everybody if we don't protect that." -Mel Leviton, Director of Idaho SILC Full Episode: https://youtu.be/4wfL8lnbMkE?si=7MEKxnYscBEkiZZE

What do Centers for Independent Living do? Five core services anchor the work: advocacy, peer mentoring, transition support, information and referral, and independent living skills. Together they help Georgians with disabilities live and thrive in their own communities. #IndependentLiving #DisabilityRights #Georgia

Transportation is the foundation of economic growth, but only if people can actually access it. Watch the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPo7j8hykwc

Are checklists enough for true preparedness? Most lists tell you what should be ready, but they miss a crucial step: personalized practice. Full episode here: https://youtu.be/1hKskM4HKUI?si=0Yh94N-mqP5a5mTB

"It's not turning it off. It's rejuvenating yourself to be able to continue the fight." Parker Glick gets honest about surviving as someone living at the intersections of multiple identity factors. When the world feels scary, the answer isn't to power through alone. It's community. It's rest that isn't a luxury but a lifeline. It's remembering that this was never going to be all rainbows and butterflies. We've got a ways to go. But as Parker reminds us: the best way forward is together. New on Accessibility Now — watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/LWZh6JOBY24

Join us on Zoom for our next board meeting on July 30! Here is a link to our tentative agenda, which contains the a link to the Zoom meeting: https://www.silcga.org/silcga-board-meeting/

SILCGA's Ester DuRante (center) now represents Georgia on the National Council on Independent Living board. Pictured with fellow advocates Jordan Hall and Becky Tuttle at the 2025 NCIL conference in Washington, D.C. The 2026 NCIL Conference will be taking place next week, July 20-23. #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving #NCIL

I sat down with Mel Leviton, director of Idaho SILC, on the Accessibility Now Podcast. In this clip she talks about growing up not recognizing her disability, coping with language-processing challenges, being sent to the "coat closet," not speaking well until second grade, and later self-medicating and being institutionalized. Her honesty about not recognizing her own disability and how she survived is raw and important. Watch the whole episode here: https://youtu.be/4wfL8lnbMkE

SILCGA joined advocates from across the country at the 2025 National Council on Independent Living conference for the annual March to the Capitol in Washington, D.C. People with disabilities and allies marched together to defend community-based services and civil rights. #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving #NCIL

Looking for your next listen? SILCGA's podcast, Accessibility Now, features Center for Independent Living staff and community members from across Georgia sharing their work and their stories. Find it on our YouTube channel and wherever you get podcasts. #IndependentLiving #DisabilityRights #Podcast

What should independent living in Georgia look like over the next few years? SILCGA is gathering input to shape our State Plan for Independent Living, and we want to hear from people with disabilities, families, and community members. The survey is available in English and Spanish. https://www.silcga.org/spil-needs-assessment-survey/ #IndependentLiving #DisabilityRights #Georgia

People with disabilities live full lives as parents, employees, students, voters, and neighbors. Making those opportunities real takes showing up. You can register and vote, contact your legislators, join a local advocacy group, or attend SILCGA's quarterly public meetings. #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving #Georgia

Victor McRae is our Housing Policy Coordinator. He helps to handle the Home Access Program, a program that reached record funding and impact this year, helping more people with disabilities make their homes accessible and stay in their communities. #HCBS #IndependentLiving #Georgia

Accessible, reliable transportation is essential to independent living: getting to work, medical appointments, the store, and community life. SILCGA partners with GDOT and transit agencies to expand options for people with disabilities and older adults, from rural buses to non-emergency medical transportation. Another resource to know about: learn about mobility options through the MobiliQuest: https://mobiliquest.com/ #Transportation #IndependentLiving #Georgia

SILCGA staff Victor McRae and Jordan Hall met with U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff in July 2025 to talk about the policies that keep Georgians with disabilities living independently in their communities. #DisabilityPolicy #IndependentLiving #Georgia

Before the Americans with Disabilities Act passed in 1990, there were few protections for people with disabilities. SILCGA's documentary, Inclusion: The Story of the Americans with Disabilities Act, follows filmmaker Ty Hunt's look at the impact of the ADA and the work still left to build a truly accessible world. https://www.silcga.org/documentary/ #ADA #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving

No matter where you live in Georgia, there's a Center for Independent Living for you. CILs are community-based organizations run by and for people with disabilities, offering advocacy, peer support, independent living skills training, information and referral, and transition services, at no cost. Find the center serving your county with our interactive map. https://www.silcga.org/cils/find-cil-locations-in-georgia/ #IndependentLiving #DisabilityRights #Georgia

Do you know that there are funds allocated to help people with disabilities live more independently in their own homes? The map below shows how many cities the Home Access Program helped between July 2025 and December 2025. Reach out to your local Center for Independent Living to learn more. Here is a directory to find your local center: https://www.silcga.org/cils/find-cil-locations-in-georgia/

This year SILCGA marks 31 years of independent living advocacy in Georgia. Pictured: council members being sworn in with Governor Nathan Deal in 2013, one chapter in three decades of building disability-led organizations across the state. Read our 2024-2025 Annual Report to see how far the movement has come. #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving #Georgia

SILCGA was excited to participate in DeafNation conference in Atlanta. The Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia is dedicated to supporting independent living for all Georgians. #IndependentLiving #DeafNation #SILCGA #Inclusion

Our very own Jordan Hall has been a contributing member to an exciting new transportation app for Gwinnett County called G-MAP (Georgia Mobility and Access Planner). The Georgia Mobility Access Planner, known as G-MAP, is a new app launching in Gwinnett County that helps people with disabilities travel more independently by providing real-time accessibility information before and during a trip. Users complete a brief three-question mobility profile, enter their destination, and receive turn-by-turn directions along with live updates on the accessibility features of their destination. The app also communicates with traffic signals to reduce red lights for users with slower on-time performance and extends crosswalk times for people using mobility devices. A trusted companion feature allows a friend or family member to follow the trip in real time, and at select locations like the Gwinnett Justice Center, the app can guide users with visual impairments directly to their destination inside the building. Learn more: https://georgia-map.com Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ibigroup.mobile.otp.its4us.android iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/g-map/id6446321525 #SILCGA #GMAP #GwinnettCounty #AccessibleTransportation #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving #InclusiveTransit #AccessibilityMatters #GeorgiaDisability

Nine states are asking a federal court to end the legal requirement that people with disabilities be served in their communities rather than institutions. The lawsuit challenges a 2024 HHS regulation that enforces the integration mandate under Section 504. Advocates warn that if the states prevail, Medicaid waivers funding community living could no longer be legally required, threatening Olmstead rights for millions of people nationwide. The right to live in your community should not be up for debate. Source: Disability Scoop – https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/02/02/states-sue-over-right-of-people-with-disabilities-to-live-in-the-community/31838/ #SILCGA #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving #DisabilityNews #GeorgiaDisability #OlmsteadDecision #CommunityLiving #HCBS #DisabilityPolicy #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs

Join us for the unveiling of the exciting G-MAP app that provides greater access to transportation for people with disabilities in Gwinnett County. Please share with your networks!

More than 7,800 Georgians are waiting for Medicaid waivers that could keep them out of institutional care. Georgia DBHDD has proposed restructuring its NOW and COMP waiver planning list into a 3-tier urgency-based system, moving away from a first-come, first-served approach. The proposal still requires final board approval and General Assembly funding before it takes effect. This is what independent living advocacy is about. Source: Georgia Recorder / GCDD – https://georgiarecorder.com/2026/01/02/georgia-agency-proposes-changes-to-waiting-list-for-services-for-people-with-disabilities/ #SILCGA #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving #DisabilityNews #GeorgiaDisability #GeorgiaMedicaid #HCBS #DBHDD #OlmsteadDecision #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs

Calling all people who care about accessibility in Georgia! This is a wonderful opportunity to help shape what independent living looks like in our state! At the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, we have opened our survey asking Georgians to share what accessibility should look like to help inform our statewide plan for action and advocacy. Please share with your networks so we can hear from as many Georgians as possible. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2RML83C

Medicaid work requirements are coming. For people with disabilities, the risk isn't the requirement itself. It's the paperwork. People receiving HCBS, SSI, or SSDI are exempt from the new community engagement requirements taking effect January 1, 2027. But advocates warn that complex exemption documentation has historically caused disabled people to lose coverage they were legally entitled to keep. Worth understanding now, before the notices arrive in fall 2026. Source: AAPD / Disability Belongs – https://www.aapd.com/medicaid-work-requirements-explainer/ #SILCGA #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving #DisabilityNews #GeorgiaDisability #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCareMatters #DisabilityPolicy #CommunityLiving

The federal agency that oversees most disability programs could be eliminated under the new budget proposal. The FY2027 federal budget proposes closing the Administration for Community Living and eliminating IDEA special education funding, university disability centers, and vocational rehabilitation supports. Congress rejected nearly identical cuts on a bipartisan basis in the FY2026 appropriations process. Programs that serve millions of Americans with disabilities are once again in the budget crosshairs. Source: Disability Scoop – https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/04/07/trump-budget-calls-for-eliminating-key-disability-programs/31937/ #SILCGA #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving #DisabilityNews #GeorgiaDisability #DisabilityPolicy #IDEA #ACL #BenefitsUpdate #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs

Accessibility makes us better in every way. Some people are catching on to this. And they. might also tell you: Retrofitting accessibility costs much more than planning it from the start. Housing developers can avoid costly rebuilds by integrating compliance from day one. Full episode here: https://youtu.be/BXbHX1w9L2w #DisabilityRights #DisabilityAdvocacy #Accessibility #Inclusion #ADA #DisabilityJustice #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #AccessibleDesign #UniversalDesign #InclusiveEducation #IndependentLiving

Advocating for Disability Rights isn't just a morally necessary exercise, it is in your self-interest as well. Disability Rights will directly affect you if you are lucky to live long enough, because old age will eventually cause disabilities. Also, life-altering disability can happen unexpectedly to anyone. A sudden injury can lead to lifelong mobility or housing challenges, requiring immediate adaptation. View the whole episode of Accessibility Now! here: https://youtu.be/BXbHX1w9L2w #DisabilityAwareness #Adaptation #LifeChanges

What happens when a caregiver can't stay through the night? For people with disabilities, emergencies don't pause for staffing shortages. The gaps in our system become life-or-death situation, and we need to talk about it. Tune in to the latest episode of Accessibility Now! as Ester DuRante, Assistant Director of SILCGA, breaks down how Georgia organizations are working to close these critical gaps in emergency preparedness — and what still needs to change. Watch now: https://youtu.be/e1Ji3Bt5VcY?si=6Av91wq_stSiZrz9 #DisabilityRights #EmergencyPreparedness #AccessibilityNow #IndependentLiving #SILCGA #CaregiverSupport #InclusiveEmergencyPlanning #GeorgiaDisabilityAdvocacy #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #DisabilityInclusion

For Georgians with disabilities, $1 TRILLION in Medicaid cuts isn't just a number on paper. It's the difference between living independently in their community or losing that freedom entirely. Medicaid funds personal care services, assistive technology, accessible transportation, and the support that makes real community participation possible. #ProtectMedicaid #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving #SILCGA #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs

Most emergency plans weren't built with disabilities in mind. A major ice storm hits. Roads are impassable. Power's out. Now imagine you're a wheelchair user, or you're caring for someone who is. Suddenly it's not just about food and water. It's about mobility, medication, mental clarity under pressure, and a caregiver who's just as overwhelmed as you are. We don't talk about this enough. Emergency preparedness for people with disabilities isn't a checkbox. It's a conversation we're long overdue to have. Watch the full discussion here https://youtu.be/e1Ji3Bt5VcY?si=6Av91wq_stSiZrz9 #DisabilityAwareness #EmergencyPreparedness #InclusiveEmergencyPlanning #AccessibilityMatters #DisabilityAdvocacy

Since 2010, a federal consent decree, based on the Olmstead ruling, required Georgia to keep individuals with disabilities in community settings rather than institutions. As this oversight concludes, advocates highlight ongoing significant gaps. #DisabilityAdvocacy #OlmsteadRights #CommunityLiving #GeorgiaUpdate #InclusiveCommunities #IndependentLiving #DisabilityJustice #GeorgiaNews

7,000 Georgians with disabilities are waiting for care. 1,217 of them are in urgent need right now. The FY2027 state budget proposes just 150 new waiver slots. That's not a solution. That's a waiting list with a different name. NOW/COMP waivers are what allow people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live at home, in their communities, with the support they need. Without them, the alternative is institutionalization. Swipe to see what's at stake, and what you can do about it. Then contact your state representative and tell them Georgia can do better. 🔗 Source: GPB News https://www.gpb.org/news/2026/03/09/georgians-disabilities-advocates-describe-urgent-need-for-support #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving #SILCGA #Georgia #NOWWaiver #COMPWaiver #GeorgiaDisability #DisabilityAdvocacy #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs

Georgia Advocacy Days are here. Join Disability Link and the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia for two opportunities to build advocacy skills and meet with legislators. February 19 (10:00 AM–12:00 PM): Advocacy training (in-person at disABILITY LINK Disability Link, 1901 Montreal Rd, Tucker, GA 30084, and remote options available). Remote access: 1-646-558-8656 | Meeting ID: 404-687-8890 | Password: 1901 February 26 (9:00 AM–11:30 AM): Advocacy Day at the Georgia State Capitol (meet inside the Capitol). Questions or accessibility needs: Enisia Jones, ejones@disabilitylink.org or 404-687-8890 ext 106 #GeorgiaAdvocacyDays #DisabilityAdvocacy #IndependentLiving #GeorgiaLegislature #DisabilityRights #CivicEngagement #AdvocacyTraining

Personal care attendants are the starting point for independence. In this clip, Parker Glick explains that if you can’t safely get out of bed, use the restroom, bathe, or eat, you can’t even begin to access transportation, work, school, or community life. Watch this quick moment and hear why addressing the personal care attendant crisis matters to residents. #AccessibilityNow #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving #PersonalCareAttendants #HomeAndCommunityBasedServices #HCBS #DisabilityPolicy #CommunityLiving #LongTermServicesAndSupports #CareWork #DirectSupportProfessionals #AccessibilityMatters #CivicEngagement

“I didn’t even know I had a voice.” In this clip, Parker Glick shares how youth leadership spaces helped him grow into community involvement through the independent living network. Moments like this matter because representation and access start early—and they shape who gets heard in local decisions. Watch this quick update and catch how participation can become a pathway to leadership. #AccessibilityNow #DisabilityRights #IndependentLiving #YouthVoice #YouthLeadership #DisabilityAdvocacy #CIL #CommunityInclusion #AccessibilityMatters #RuralDisability #YouthAdvisoryCouncil #LeadershipDevelopment #CivicEngagement

Do you know we help provide modifications to help make homes more accessible? The map below shows how many cities were served in from July through December. Contact your local Center for Independent Living to find out more. Here's a directory of the Center's for Independent Living: https://www.silcga.org/cils/find-cil-locations-in-georgia/

One of our key advocacy issues for Georgia's General Assembly this year is maintaining our funding for the Home Access Program. This essential service provides modifications for people across the state to allow them to stay in their homes rather than move to nursing homes.

Join us for our quarterly board meeting via Zoom this Thursday 1/29! See the agenda here: https://www.silcga.org/silcga-board-meeting/

Part of our advocacy agenda for Georgia's legislative session this year is pushing for the The Enable Work Program. This program would allow workers with disabilities to earn more income without the risk of losing basic Medicaid-funded services.

Join us for Advocacy Days, featuring training sessions and going to advocate at the Capitol!

Many centers for independent living provide necessary support for people with disabilities in rural areas. Learn from this episode of our podcast with Disability Resource Center what this can look like! https://youtu.be/bsUf3rIbFes

Learn more about Access 2 Independence and their incredible work helping to keep people in their homes! https://youtu.be/6kpIc-4AMUo

Low-cost, fully accessible apartments available in Decatur! They would like to fill 4 Brand New 2bedroom - 2bathroom fully accessible apartments homes that are 943 square feet. The rental rate is $1432.00 per month with a $250 security deposit. If interested, you can contact the property directly at phoenixstationatl.com or by emailing phoenix@thehdc.org or calling 678-374-6003. Pheonix Station Adress: 3345 Kensington Road Decatur, GA 30032 Opens in a new tab Pheonix Station URL: https://www.phoenixstationatl.com/

New Podcast Episode! To commemorate our 30 year anniversary, Lee Ann Pendergrass shares about the creation of SILCGA! https://youtu.be/MMZxzXhi_ZY?si=YFUrs0VoErXvo9rd

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