Statewide Independent Living
Council of Illinois

CIL Outreach Manual
I. Identifying the Unserved and Underserved

Identifying the demographics in your service area is the first priority. All of your planning for outreach activities will depend on the racial, ethnic, disability, age, gender, socio-economic status, and geography profile of your service area.

1. What is the Demographic and Geographic Profile of the Targeted Group in Respect to?:

a) Age.
b) Gender.
c) Racial and Ethnic background.
d) Disability: physical, hearing, visual, cognitive, developmental disabilities, multiple chemical sensitivities, and others.
e) Residential status: large/small institutions, nursing homes, hospice, with family/friends, independent (with/without support services).
f) Socio-economic status.
g) Proximity to population centers.
h) Other groups with a higher than average representation in a service area, (e.g., persons in rehabilitation facilities, workshops, retirement communities, and the like.

2. Community Resources and Needs Assessment:

a) A needs assessment should be conducted. Following is a list of possible issues that might be explored:

i) Affordable and Accessible Housing.
ii) Affordable and Accessible Transportation.
iii) Mainstreamed Employment Opportunities.
iv) Mainstreamed Educational Opportunities.
v) Natural Community Supports (for example):

*Personal Assistant Services.
*ASL Interpreters.
*TTY Access in public agencies.
*TTY Access in businesses.
* Alternate format (Braille, tape, disk, etc.) in public agencies.
*Alternate format (Braille, tape, disk, etc.) in businesses.
*Respite Services.

vi) Affordable and Accessible Retail Stores.
vii) Affordable and Accessible Recreation.
viii) Accessible public services and facilities.

b) What organizations, programs, and services are already available?

i) Do these organizations and services promote the independent living philosophy?
ii) Are people satisfied? Why/why not?
iii) What are the key issues that persons with disabilities would like to address?

c) Based on the demographic profile, who is not being served?

i) Why?
ii) What are the barriers (environmental, geographic, attitudinal, skills, knowledge) that must be addressed?
iii) What local organizations might support CIL activities? What local organization might resist CIL activities?

3. Potential Sources for Finding Information (may include):

a) Bureau of the Census.
b) Bureau of Vital Statistics.
c) Chamber of Commerce.
d) City and County Planning Departments.
e) Community Action Centers.
f) Local College and University libraries.
g) United Way.
h) Public Housing Authorities.
i) Urban Leagues.
j) NAACP.
k) Others

4. How to Get Information:
Many organizations who focus on issues related to persons with disabilities, as well as organizations who do not focus specifically on disability issues may have data that can assist your Center for Independent Living. They include local, State and National sources.

a) Basic local research:

i) Utilize telephone and service directories.
ii) Libraries.
iii) Community Colleges and Universities.
iv) City and County Planning Departments.
v) Local ethnic organizations.
vi) Local service organizations.

b) State sources (may include):

i) State library.
ii) Department of Human Services, Rehabilitation Services.
iii) Statewide Independent Living Council.
iv) Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois.
v) Illinois Assistive Technology Project.
vi) Other disability and advocacy councils and organizations.

c) National sources:
There are some national sources who collect and keep demographic information, including:

i) Independent Living Research Unit.
ii) National Council on Independent Living.
iii) National Council on Disability.

NOTE: For reasons of accuracy, definitions of disability must be clear and specific. Don’t assume that your definition of "disability," "deaf," or "blind" is identical to the definition used in a study.

For example, if a local United Way study finds that 14 percent of the community’s population is African-American, and a local Chamber of Commerce study finds that 18 percent of African-Americans are unemployed, don’t apply the unemployment percentages to the population percentages (this is like mixing apples and oranges). Unless the data are from exactly the same sample, you can’t assume there is any connection between the two different samples of the population.

Citing the population and unemployment percentages from both the United Way and the Chamber of Commerce can support the need for a CIL and is perfectly reasonable as long as you do not assume a connection between the two percentages.

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