Administration on Disabilities 

Independent Living Program 

Technical Assistance Evaluation

The Administration on Disabilities (AoD) provides grants to support independent living (IL) services through the 

IL network—which includes Centers for Independent Living (CILs), Statewide Independent Living Councils 

(SILCs), and Designated State Entities (DSEs)—as part of its mission to give individuals with disabilities of all 

ages the opportunities, tools, and supports to lead lives of their choice in their community. Under two 

cooperative agreements with AoD, the Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU), along with its partners, 

provides training and technical assistance (TA) to support the CILs, SILCs, and DSEs. TA, such as one-on-one TA, 

peer-to-peer mentoring, and webinars, can support IL grantees in creating and maintaining effective 

organizations and services.

Under contract with AoD, RTI International evaluated the current TA strategy to understand how it is currently 

meeting the needs of grantees and areas that might be improved to better meet the needs of IL grantees.

Study Methods What makes TA effective?

• Key Informant

Interviews (KIIs):

Interviewed IL grantees,

TA providers, and AoD

staff in 2022 to learn

about their experiences

and help inform survey

question development

• Document Review:

Reviewed documents to

better understand the

current TA approach

• Literature Review:

Reviewed available

literature and various

organizations’ resources

to learn about what

works well in TA

delivery

• Program Performance

Report (PPR) Data

Analysis: Reviewed IL

grantee PPR 2019-2021

data to identify IL

grantees’ TA needs

• IL Grantee Survey:

Surveyed IL grantees in

2023 about their TA

experiences

What TA are the IL grantees getting?

• IL grantees get TA from a mix of TA providers.

• IL grantees most commonly get TA through webinars and on-demand

publications and resources.

• The following were the top five topics for which grantees reported getting

TA:

◦ Other (e.g., state plans for IL, legal advice, and strategic partnerships)

◦ COVID-19 and emergency preparedness resources

◦ Disability, diversity, intersectionality, and outreach to underserved

groups

◦ Youth transitions

◦ Independent living history and philosophy
What are the IL grantees’ TA needs? How is the current TA approach 

meeting IL grantees’ needs?

• The top TA needs reported by CILs in the 2021 PPR include: 

◦ financial resource development related to fee-forservice approaches;

◦ Financial resource development related to 

diversification of funding base; and

◦ advocacy/leadership development related to systems 

advocacy.

• The top TA needs reported by SILCs and DSEs in 2021 PPR

include:

◦ advocacy/leadership development related to systems 

advocacy; 

◦ SILC roles/relationship to CILs, specifically 

development of a State Plan for IL; and 

◦ data collecting and reporting related to performance 

measures in the PPRs.

• KII participants shared an overall positive 

experience with TA, particularly for newer 

grantee staff, and satisfaction with ILRU’s 

responsiveness, but reported mixed 

experiences with the timeliness of TA 

topics and uncertainty about how to ask 

for TA.

• Close to two-thirds of surveyed IL grantees 

rated TA providers as very good or 

excellent in terms of helping grantee 

organizations fulfill their missions.

• Most surveyed IL grantees reported that 

the benefits of TA for their organization 

were (1) improved operational efficiency 

and (2) performance on key outcomes.

IL Grantees’ Reported Satisfaction with TA Received by TA Type

How is the TA approach not meeting grantees’ needs? What else is needed?

• Many IL grantees reported no need for additional TA. Other grantees reported that having limited 

organizational staff meant that they could not participate in TA, the TA did not occur frequently enough or at 

times in which staff could participate, or they did not know about available TA. 

• Among KII participants, some recommended TA improvements, such as directing a greater portion of available 

funds to direct support and peer-to-peer TA and better identifying IL grantees’ TA needs. 

Areas of opportunity may include:

• Providing TA offerings more frequently and with more flexibility to allow greater participation among 

grantees with limited staff availability. 

• Increasing grantees’ awareness of and engagement in TA. 

• Identifying grantees’ TA needs and tailoring TA accordingly.

Most IL grantees surveyed are satisfied or very satisfied with the types of TA they get. 

48.8%

55.3%

51.4%

44.7%

52.8%

46.9%

41.0%

46.0%

20.0%

42.9%

33.6%

37.5%

42.7%

34.4%

40.0%

45.0%

35.4%

60.0%

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0%

TA office hours

Online, live trainings or webinars

On-demand publications and resources ...

Peer-to-peer monitoring

On-demand (recorded) trainings or webinars

Peer group TA discussions

One-on-one TA or intensive support

In-person trainings or webinars

Other

Satisfied Very satisfied