Statewide Independent Living Council Annual Meeting

Meeting Documents

• SILC Meeting Agenda 9-17-2026 for Statewide Independent Living Council Annual Meeting

  Agenda for the September 17, 2026 annual meeting (10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, 1010 Richards St, Conference Room 210, Honolulu, with Zoom and phone options). After call to order, roll call, quorum, review of the independent living philosophy, and approval of the agenda and the August 6, 2026 minutes, the Council takes the quarterly financial report and quarterly updates from Access to Independence, Aloha Independent Living Hawaii, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Hawaii Disability Rights Center, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Citizens for a Fair ADA Ride, the Disability Communication Access Board, the Center on Disability Studies, and the State Rehabilitation Council. Four votes follow: a Policy and Procedures Manual amendment adding "on the State Plan for Independent Living" to the Section 4 oversight commitment, adoption of a new Eligible Funds and Investment Policy, adoption of the Community Needs Assessment, and the Fiscal Year 2027 Executive Committee slate of Patrick Gartside (Chairperson), Philip Ana (Vice Chairperson), Donald Sakamoto (Secretary), Annette Tashiro (Treasurer), and Judy Guajardo (Member At-Large). Members also sign up for the nine Fiscal Year 2027 committees, hear an update on Dillingham Boulevard accessibility, federal election accessibility, and an informational-only proposed State Plan amendment that would strike Indicator 1.4.3 and raise the SILC Resource Plan from $101,615.00 to $204,488.00 for fiscal year 2027. Oral testimony is limited to three minutes per topic; written testimony goes to info@hawaiisilc.org or Hawaii SILC, 643 Ilalo St, Suite 1000, Honolulu HI 96813, ideally at least 24 hours ahead, and accommodation requests go to Amanda Lowe at (808) 585-7452 or amanda@hawaiisilc.org.

• SILC Minutes 8.6.26 [Draft] for Statewide Independent Living Council Annual Meeting

  Draft minutes of the August 6, 2026 Council meeting, held 9:02-10:53 AM in hybrid format with Chair Patrick Gartside presiding and a quorum established; eight members were present and four were excused. The Council approved the agenda and the July minutes unanimously, and unanimously deferred the conference travel budget discussion to September, where the Finance Committee recommends halving both the budget and the number of attendees from the previously approved $14,000 per conference for three national conferences. The Treasurer reported a balance of $188,042; members reviewed roughly $1.5 million in statewide funding, including about $1 million in Part C funds split between Access to Independence and Aloha Independent Living Hawaii and $348,000 in Part B funds with a $34,800 state match. Attendees reported back from the National Council on Independent Living conference in Washington, D.C. (July 20-23), including congressional visits with Ed Case, Jill Tokuda, and the offices of Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono on federal funding, Medicaid institutional bias, IDEA funding, SSI asset limits, and subminimum wage. The Council also discussed reaching unserved and underserved blind residents, survey incentives and island "talk story" sessions, the city's refusal to reinstate the Honolulu Mayor's Committee on Persons with Disabilities, and federal rollbacks on Olmstead, disparate impact, and fair housing.

• 08172026 AILH Systems Advocacy Report for SILC for Statewide Independent Living Council Annual Meeting

  Aloha Independent Living Hawaii's systems advocacy report covering May 1 through July 31, 2026. AILH secured a formal agenda item with the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission on digital accessibility rulemaking under Act 257, filed federal comments defending independent living systems advocacy against proposed OMB funding rules, and testified on a county disaster-recovery ordinance that became Ordinance No. 2026-054, signed July 27, 2026. The report also covers a formalized partnership with the State 911 Board on emergency communications accessibility, a bid for a seat on the OahuMPO Citizen Advisory Committee, and comments filed with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services opposing Medicaid work requirements, noting that nearly seven in ten Medicaid adults with disabilities receive neither SSI nor SSDI. Named initiatives include the RapidSOS Emergency Health Profile review, use of the CMIST framework, a proposed island-specific emergency preparedness web hub with the Disability and Communication Access Board, the Act 133 (2026) Disability Integration Specialist position, and three educational videos produced through a Creighton University occupational therapy capstone. Staff also gathered transit accounts from seven Hele-On riders on Hawaii Island within four days.

• AILH DVR Report FY26Q3 for Statewide Independent Living Council Annual Meeting

  Aloha Independent Living Hawaii's Center for Independent Living provider activity report under contract DHS-25-VR-0016, covering April 1 through June 30, 2026. AILH served 80 consumers under Part B (70 carried over, 10 new) and 32 under Part C (20 carried over, 12 new), with 68 and 30 cases active, 12 and 2 closures, and 78 and 29 independent living plans developed. Service was concentrated on Hawaii Island (42% of Part B, 26% of Part C) plus Kauai, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and rural Oahu; most consumers were 60 or older, and physical and multiple disabilities were the most common. Transportation, peer counseling, and recreational activities were the most requested services. Highlighted outcomes include a blind 52-year-old on Maui securing part-time warehouse work, a Hawaii Island cancer patient obtaining state ID documentation needed for medication access, and a 77-year-old on Kauai with multiple sclerosis securing dual Medicaid and Medicare coverage and winning a therapy coverage appeal. Reported barriers include rural isolation, caregiver shortages delaying safe discharges, language barriers in benefits enrollment, and housing waitlist delays.

• HILR Qtr. 3 FY25-26 for Statewide Independent Living Council Annual Meeting

  Hawaii Independent Living center quarterly report for Q3 of fiscal year 2025-26, covering October 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. The center served 109 consumers (91 new, 18 carried over), with 92 active and 17 inactive, 89 plans written and 3 waived. Consumers included 4 under 14, 36 aged 14-24, 47 aged 25-59, and 21 aged 60 or older, and 67 identified as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Information and referral was provided 457 times; independent living and life skills training reached 90 consumers, peer counseling 86, housing and home modifications 68, and counseling 62. Outcomes include 71 of 75 mobility and transportation goals met, all 6 nursing home or institutional transitions to community-based living completed, and 30 of 56 self-advocacy goals met. The report also announces a Ford Foundation grant supporting storm-affected residents with emergency housing, mental health services, and assistive technology.

• 2026 SILC POLICIES & PROCEDURES MANUAL for Statewide Independent Living Council Annual Meeting

  The Council's Policies and Procedures Manual, most of it approved March 5, 2026. It distinguishes policies, which require Council adoption, from procedures, which the Executive Committee approves, and requires proposed changes to reach the approving body at least two weeks before adoption. Section 1 covers general policies including accessibility, communications, dispute resolution, financial management and expenditure limits, conference attendance and reimbursement, human resources, and member liability and insurance. Section 2 covers membership requirements, orientation, attendance, professional conduct, conflict of interest, and committees; Section 3 covers State Plan for Independent Living public engagement, development, and monitoring; and Section 4 sets out nine code of ethics principles. Section 4, number 4 is the provision up for amendment at this meeting - the member commitment to provide oversight and guidance without interfering in day-to-day operations of Centers for Independent Living or SILC staff.

• Investment Policy for Statewide Independent Living Council Annual Meeting

  The proposed Eligible Funds and Investment Policy up for adoption at this meeting, governing how the Council may hold and invest non-federal, unrestricted funds. Its stated objective is preservation of principal and maintenance of liquidity, with investment income secondary, and it requires the Council to keep at least three months of average monthly operating expenses immediately available, investing only surplus beyond that. Permitted investments are U.S. Treasury bills, notes, and bonds maturing within 24 months, money market funds holding U.S. government obligations, FDIC or NCUA insured deposit accounts including sweep programs, and certificates of deposit of 12 months or less at insured institutions. Equity securities, corporate bonds, derivatives, foreign currency, cryptocurrency, private placements, real estate, and leveraged purchases are prohibited. Accounts must be titled solely in the Council's name and held within insurance limits or by a qualified custodian or SIPC-member broker-dealer; the full Council authorizes opening accounts by recorded motion, transfers require joint authorization from the Treasurer and the Chairperson or Executive Director, and the Finance Committee reviews holdings quarterly with an annual policy review.

• Systemic Priorities Assessment for Statewide Independent Living Council Annual Meeting

  The Community Needs Assessment survey instrument up for adoption at this meeting. It invites responses from people with disabilities, their family and friends, caregivers, agency staff, and Council members, and runs nine sections: demographics (island, location type, age, language, disability status), a six-point barrier rating, what is working well, open-ended priorities, additional comments, optional race, employment, and ZIP code details, service and communication preferences, awareness of independent living services, and contact information for gift card delivery and updates. Barrier categories cover housing, transportation, daily life and well-being, and emergency preparedness, including the specific challenges disasters pose for people with disabilities. Responses will guide the Council's priorities and inform Hawaii's next three-year State Plan for Independent Living.

• SPIL Consolidated Progress Chart for Statewide Independent Living Council Annual Meeting

  A consolidated progress chart for the Hawaii State Plan for Independent Living, federal fiscal years 2025-2027, prepared for the Section 1.4 evaluation. It lays out each goal and objective in rows, with columns showing what the Statewide Independent Living Council, Access to Independence of San Diego, Inc., and Aloha Independent Living Hawaii have each done toward it, and marks which objectives are Council-only. Goal 1 covers strengthening and expanding the Council and the Centers for Independent Living, with objectives on a governance and regulatory review plus policy training, hiring and training Council staff, growing membership from 8 toward a maximum of 15 and adding at least one State Plan committee, determining demand for core services in unserved and underserved communities, and identifying ways to expand or adjust the network. It is the network-wide evaluation the Council uses to judge progress against the current plan and to prepare its successor. This document is a Word file (.docx).

• Financial Reporting Package Statewide Independent Living Council of Hawaii Q3 2025-2026 for Statewide Independent Living Council Annual Meeting

  Quarterly financial reporting package for Q3 of fiscal year 2025-2026, containing a financial flash summary, statement of activities, statement of financial position, and statement of cash flows, with year-to-date comparisons. Total assets stand at $212,200, with cash of $205,297 at the end of Q3 against an opening balance of $204,773, a year-to-date cash increase of $37,039 or 24.08%. Year to date the Council took in $76,211 against $77,567 in expenses, a net operating deficit of $1,356. Q3 revenue was $25,404, essentially flat against Q2, while expenses rose 33.57% from $22,669 to $30,280, producing a $4,876 operating loss for the quarter. The package attributes the Q3 expense increase largely to $5,865 in out-of-state airfare.

• SILC Fiscal Year 2026 Activities for Statewide Independent Living Council Annual Meeting

  The annual report of Council activities for fiscal year 2026, organized under the four State Plan for Independent Living goals. Under Goal 1 the Council adopted its first Policies and Procedures Manual in March 2026, added members Roy Corpus, Lehua Chang, and Leticia Zuno, seated Lea Dias as an ex-officio representative, extended four member terms from two years to three, ran seven active committees including the new Survey and Policies committees, sent four representatives to the National Council on Independent Living conference in Washington, D.C., and held a quarterly meeting in Kailua-Kona. Goal 2 covers advancing the Community Needs Assessment toward a full Council vote, collecting survey data across islands, securing approval for State Plan amendments, and compiling a network-wide evaluation against the current plan. Goal 3 covers hosting quarterly Citizens for a Fair ADA Ride meetings and pursuing a joint grant application with the Hawaii Disability Rights Center for community power-mapping, and Goal 4 covers emergency preparedness training, a meeting with a FEMA representative on Maui, and advocacy to restore disability integration specialist funding. The report also notes public participation growing from 10 partners and guests in March to 19 in June, an available balance of $188,042 in August, and that all meetings were held in hybrid, accessible format with ASL interpretation.