Paralysis Resource Center State Pilot Program – Year One: 

        Ohio Statewide Independent Living Council

Program Overview

The Ohio Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) seeks to better prepare individuals with paralysis and their families and 

caregivers for an emergency through education and access to resources and tools. Through this project, the Ohio SILC partners

with community-based disability organizations to provide access to training and support for individuals with paralysis in the 

planning and preparation for emergencies to be better equipped for these situations. Goals of the project include:

· Create opportunity for community-based organizations to provide direct support to individuals with paralysis 

· Provide individuals with paralysis access to the resources needed to prepare adequately for an emergency or disaster that 

could impact their continued community living 

· Support families and caregivers by providing them the opportunity to better understand how an emergency or disaster 

may impact their family member 

· Create a final sample planning tool for individuals with paralysis that can be replicated in the future and create continued 

outcomes after the completion of this project

In Year One of this project, the Ohio SILC awarded grants to four subawardees: the Center for Disability Empowerment (CDE); 

Linking Employment, Abilities, and Potential (LEAP); Services for Independent Living (SIL); and the University of Cincinnati 

Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCCEDD) at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). 

Subawardee projects include emergency preparedness training programs and helping individuals with paralysis get involved 

in their communities.

Administrative Structure 

Three core staff members lead the Emergency 

Preparedness Project: 

· Executive Director, who provides operational 

support, oversight and leadership for the project, 

including review and approval of all quarterly 

reports and submission of quarterly progress

reports to ACL and other stakeholders. The 

Executive Director is the primary person 

responsible for the dissemination of the award 

notices and solicitations. 

· Project Coordinator, who works directly with the 

subawardees to evaluate and provide technical 

assistance for the project, including collection and 

evaluation of report data, monitoring of grant 

progress, and meeting with each subawardee. 

· Bookkeeper, who provides and manages fiscal 

activities, including issuing funding to the 

subawardees. 

Additionally, the Ohio SILC convened a review panel to 

assess applications and select subawardees. The 

review panel included a person with paralysis, a family 

member or caregiver of an individual with paralysis, 

and a person with an understanding of emergency 

management planning and processes.

Technical Assistance Offered

· Monthly touch-base calls with subawardees to discuss 

proposal timelines, budget and reporting questions, and 

provide technical assistance as needed

· The creation of a resource guide that features information 

and resources used in subawardee projects, including tools 

to increase the skills and abilities of individuals with 

paralysis 

· Additional technical assistance provided by subject matter 

experts/project partners on specific topics. Partners include 

representatives from FEMA, the Partnership for Inclusive 

Disaster Strategies, and the World Institute on Disability

Outcomes

The Ohio SILC solicited applications and awarded three 

subawardees grants in Year One. The SILC also partnered with 

subject matter experts to provide additional support to 

subawardees. 

While subawardees are still developing their project plans, the 

SILC developed materials for subawardees, including an 

instruction package and review tool. Thus far, subawardees 

indicated they were very satisfied with the application and 

awarding processes.