Small Cohort – Good Governance: Building Highly Effective Boards
July 1, 2025

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This file was created in real time by a Realtime Captioner. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings. A consumer should check with the presenter for any clarification of the presentation.

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   >> TYLER MORRIS: Hi, everyone. We will go ahead and get started. We're waiting for a couple more minutes for folks to join us. 
   But if you could, use this time to introduce yourself, your name and where you're from in the chat box so we can say hello. 
   Hey, John, good to see you. Hi, Hannah. And for those of you that are just joining, we're waiting for a few more folks to hop in. We had 87 people register for today. Go ahead and take the time in chat to say hello and introduce yourself, where you're from. 
   It's good it see familiar names and some new names. 
   All right. 
   Let's go ahead and get started. I'd like to first welcome everybody to good governance, building highly effective boards. 
   Next slide, please. 
   Before we begin, let's take some time to discuss accessibility as it relates to today's presentation. We have ASL and Spanish interpreters available and they are labeled. 
   You can access them by using the language option at the bottom of your Zoom screen. You can also bring up captioning that we have today by clicking the CC button at the bottom of your Zoom screen. 
   Today, we have a portion of the training that will be discussion where we hear from you and to keep our small cohort of 87 people organized, please use the raise hand feature to come off of mute or the chat section for us to help monitor the order. 
   And please remember to state your name before speaking. 
   Our IL T&TA team is available if you have any difficulties with today's call. They are labeled with IL T&TA Center at the end of their names in the chat. 
   So -- and lastly, we will have a survey at the end of today's training, and your feedback is critical to shaping our future trainings. And we really do take time to review that feedback. So thank you for -- thank you for completing that at the end of today's session. 
   I do want to take an additional bullet point privilege here and just extend and take a moment to say thank you for being here today, but also for the work that you do every day on behalf of the Independent Living Network. 
   So thank you for -- for that work. 
   Next slide, please. 
   On the screen is our picture and logos of the University of Montana and the IL T&TA Center. If you're not familiar with the IL T&TA Center, it stands for the Independent Living and Training and Technical Assistance Center, and it is brought you to through a contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where we are able to provide expert training and technical assistance to Centers for Independent Living, CILs, State Independent Living Councils, SILCs, and we are operated by University of Montana rural communities. 
   Next slide, please. 
   A little bit about myself, I'm sorry if this is redundant for the folks that might have joined us in Week 1, but my name's Tyler Morris. I am a White male in my 40s with glasses wearing a gray jacket in my home office. You might see my dog coworker in the back join us as he moves around. 
   But I am the director of training at the IL T&TA Center. A little of my background, I've had almost two decades with our local Center for Independent Living here in Jacksonville, Florida, which eight of those I was executive director. 
   As part of that time, I was privileged to be able to serve as president for our CIL membership association and also our CIL rep for our State Independent Living Council. 
   Outside of that, you know, my experience with boards, I served on our local nonprofit center board, our historical preservation society, and our Jacksonville Disability Council for the City of Jacksonville. 
   So when we're talking about boards and councils, it is near and dear to my heart. So I though share through in presentation some of the things that I have learned in that tenure and some of the things that we have as required by the Rehabilitation Act. 
   Next slide, please. 
   What is your dog's name? Thank you, Paula, for already answering. It's Mac, yes. Thank you for being on top of that. 
   So the cohort overview, I'm not sure where you're joining us, if this is two out of three for some of you or one out of three, but this is second in our three-part small cohort series with the last finishing up next Tuesday, July 8th. 
   The format for today and for next session will be 60 minutes of instruction with 30 minutes of peer learning. Please feel free to engage with us during chat, during that 60 minutes. I will hopefully be able to take some breaks during that time. 
   We are here to share this training with board chairs, board members, executive directors, and leadership. And this is an interactive peer-driven, and conversational training. 
   Next slide, please. 
   I won't go too in-depth with our Week 1 training, but we're on Week 2 and then today's training will apply the independent living philosophy to board composition and decision-making. And we will understand CIL standards and assurances as our learning objectives. 
   This is building off of last week's session of defining and the roles of leadership at Centers for Independent Living and understanding how those roles work together to make an effective leadership strategy. 
   And we will wrap all of this up next week when we talk about specific board responsibilities when it comes to strategic planning, financial oversight and organizational accountability. 
   I know that everybody is very curious as to tools that might be able to assist them in their governance functions, and we will -- we will review that next week on Tuesday. 
   And all of these trainings, whether you're able to join us next week or missed the first week, will be available on our website online. 
   Next slide, please. 
   So for our cohort norms, usually I like to make this an interactive session, but since we have 50 people in chat, I'm going to go ahead and share what typically comes out of this conversation. And these are, one, for our norms today, participation and presence. 
   Please be here and present in the now, engage with each other. Sharing things that have worked well for you or maybe not have worked well for you. Peer learning is a great teaching mechanism, so please engaged through today's presentation. 
   And cameras are encouraged but not required. At the first end of the session, we will be recording, which we are now, but we will come off of recording during that peer conversation for the last 30 minutes of our time together today. 
   We're also going to make commitment to learn together. We are going to share what's true for you. Remembering that we're here to grow, not to be right, and making sure that we give grace to ourselves and to others as mistakes do happen. 
   And they are a part of learning. 
   Respect, we want to make sure that we leave space for others to provide their feedback. So please be mindful of the time that you take to ask questions or make comments to leave space for others that might have a point to share or a comment to respond. 
   We're going to, as part of respect that we're all here for the same purpose, assuming good intent, and making impact to build ourselves and the organizations that we work with. And that we are going to respect lived experience as well. 
   Confidentiality and trust, this is open, so if you find yourself being asked a question in a different situation, we are happy to respond one-on-one in our referral on our website by asking for assistance. 
   So if this is not the setting to ask your question, we will still answer it, if you'd like. 
   For last time and structure, we are going to respect each other's schedules and we're going to honor the flow today. We are here and buckled up for the next hour and some -- and some minutes together, so we're going to go ahead and -- we're going to go ahead and be mindful of that. 
   Next slide, please. 
   Week 2, we did talk about -- we did talk about our learning objectives for today, but let's ground ourselves in what we're going to walk away with. So through today's training, it's our objective to make sure that you understand how to apply the independent living philosophy and your board composition and decision-making. 
   And we're going to understand the CILs standards and assurances. 
   So we're going to spend some time defining that. Just remember, please, out of the three small cohort sessions, today is very content heavy. And specifically as it relates to language from the Rehabilitation Act. 
   So if you are like me and are a person with ADHD, it's time to take out fidget spinners. Or if you need to take notes to help follow along. But please stay engaged. Because if you're on the East Coast like me, 3:00 is that time for another coffee or tea. So if you need to do that, please feel free to do that. 
   So next slide. I'd like to start our trainings with a quote that hopefully wraps around what we're here for today. 
   And today's quote is that leadership is not about making all decisions, it's about creating the conditions where the best decisions can be made. 
   Next slide. 
   All right. The IL philosophy and governance. So to define the IL philosophy, we're going to understand that that philosophy believes that, one, individuals with disabilities are the best experts of their own needs. 
   That individuals should be empowered to make those decisions, their own decisions. 
   That individuals deserve the dignity of risk and to learn from life experiences. 
   And our communities should be welcoming and accessible of all disabilities. 
   Remembering that the IL movement was founded on that philosophy and built into the structure of how every single CIL is designed, operated, and governed. 
   Today as we're talking about IL philosophy, it will be very -- very strongly connected to governance and leadership of Centers for Independent Living. But I would encourage you to -- to use some of our training that is available online to learn more about things like the Olmstead decision, the ADA, different types of laws that were passed as part of the movement. Because understanding where we came from helps to shape where we're going. 
   So when we're talking about the governance and IL philosophy, let's remember that it should be embedded in everything that we do as IL professionals from job descriptions to interview questions, how daily decisions are made, to the long-term planning decisions, and how you interact and work with consumers and one another. 
   Next slide, please. 
   Let's talk a little bit about our boards and our government -- governance as part of the IL movement. 
   CIL boards are different from typical nonprofit organizations because they must be consumer controlled. And we're going to define that in a few minutes. With the majority of board members who are people with significant disabilities. 
   And I'm going to jump to the end of this slide to help define significant disabilities, because it is a question that we get quite often. Significant disabilities means an individual with a severe physical or mental impairment whose ability to function independently in the family or community or whose ability to obtain, maintain, or advance an employment is substantially limited and for whom the delivery of independent living services will improve the ability to function, continue functioning, or move forward toward functioning independently in the family or community or to continue in employment respectively. 
   Overall, the organization is designed work in the community, community based. And they must make sure that the philosophy of independent living is carried over into center operations. 
   CILs were established to confront and replace paternalistic or controlling service providers. 
   Next slide, please. 
   So for some guidance on that, we're going to now look to the Rehabilitation Act. And the question might come to you of why is it important to me as a board member?
   Well, we're going to help describe that. 
   The Rehabilitation Act, if it's -- this is a new topic for you, was -- is a law that was passed by Congress and it contains some of these definitions that -- all of the definitions that we're going to talk about a little bit later on today. 
   It is a federal civil rights law that protects the rights of people with disabilities. If I were to sum it up. 
   So it's the legal foundation for everything we do as a Center for Independent Living. For board members, the Rehab Act, especially Title VII, which we'll be talking about today, isn't just helpful, it is essential. 
   So as a board member, one, it defines your legal and ethical responsibilities. The act outlines the standards and assurances your organization must follow to receive federal funding. And as a board member, you're legally responsible for assuring those requirements are met, including oversight of consumer control, service delivery, financial integrity, and staff leadership. 
   And also as a board member, it protects the mission of the independent -- independent living. 
   The act ensures that CILs are run by and for people with disabilities, knowing it helps you uphold the values of consumer control, care leadership, and self-determination. And push back if decisions ever drift away from those principles. 
   And as a board member, it strengthens your role as a governance leader. Board members are not just advisers, they are accountable stewards of the organization's compliance, mission, and effectiveness. A working knowledge of the Rehab Act empowers you to ask the right questions, shape the right policies, and partner confidently with the executive director. 
   Next slide, please. 
   On the screen are some highlighted sections, specifically Section 701 to help us define IL philosophy. Section 702 that will define consumer control. And Section 725 that will provide definitions of the standards and assurances. 
   The Rehab Act is available to anyone with a Google search, and we have linked it in our resources today. But the takeaway from this, and I know and understand that this is very content heavy, but the takeaway is that I hope that you leave with are, it's important to us as the IL network, and also, two, that it's available for you to reference if you have any questions. 
   And you can -- you can look at that and get this information yourselves at any time. 
   So today we're going to be talking about the definitions of the IL philosophy and consumer control, and then also our standards and assurances. 
   Next slide, please. 
   And here is the definition as promised for independent living philosophy. And I'll go ahead and read that. 
   It does reference where it is in the Rehab Act, Title VII, Chapter 1, Part A, Section 701, purpose. 
   The purpose of this chapter is to promote a philosophy of independent living, including a philosophy of consumer control, peer support, self-help, self-determination, equal access, and individual and system advocacy. 
   In order to maximize the leadership, empowerment, independence, and productivity of individuals with disabilities, and the integration and full inclusion of individuals with disabilities into mainstream American society. 
   And now we're going to define consumer control. So consumer control, as it relates to a Center for Independent Living, means that that center, best the power and authority of individuals with disabilities, in terms of management, staffing, decision-making, operation, and provision of services. 
   We also know that consumer control as it relates to the individual means that they get -- they have the right to select services and how those services will be provided in setting their own goals. 
   But for today's purpose, we're going to be talking about consumer control as it relates to the Center for Independent Living. 
   That definition, again, I'd like to highlight that last little portion where it says how -- that how a center vest power and authority in individuals in terms of the management, staffing, decision-making, operation, and provision of services. 
   Next slide, please. 
   All right. Now this is where -- this is where notes and staying focused is important. 
   The standards and assurances are also found in the Rehabilitation Act, specifically Section 725 B and C. And A is what you see on the screen where it says in general even Center for Independent Living that receives assistance under this subpart shall comply with the standards set out in subsection B and provide and comply with the assurances set out in subsection C. 
   In order to ensure that all programs and activities under this subpart are planned, conducted, administered, and evaluated in a manner consistent with the purpose of this part and the objective of providing assistance effectively and efficiently. 
   Next slide, please. 
   All right. Let's unpack this a little bit before we dive into the details. 
   So again, the CIL standards are found in the Rehab Act under Section 725 B. Standards are the required core principles and practices that every federally funded CIL must meet. 
   They define what a CIL is and how it must function to embody the independent living philosophy. So in short, standards are the foundation for how CILs operate, ensuring they are consumer controlled, provide core services, promote self-determination, and reflect the values of the disability rights movement. 
   So assurances are also found in the Rehab Act under Section 725 C, and the assurances are a CIL's commitments to -- that they make with the Federal Government to show it will meet the standards. 
   They outline the procedures, safeguards, and planning a CIL agrees to follow to ensure accountability and effectiveness. 
   So in short, a CIL assurance is the promise a CIL makes about how it will operate. Such as involving consumers and decisions, submitting reports, and complying with federal regulations. 
   Next slide, please. 
   So what we've done with the seven CIL standards is to provide an abbreviated summary to give you a high-level review of what those seven standards communicate. 
   One is philosophy that the CIL must promote and practice the independent living philosophy, which we just defined together. 
   Under the independent living philosophy, it lists things in that CIL standard for consumer control, self-help, and self-advocacy, development of peer relationships and peer role models, and equal access of individuals with significant disabilities to society. 
   The second is the provision of services. And this is where we say that the CIL must help people with all kinds of disabilities. You might have heard the term cross-disability. Meaning all disabilities. So that would summarize Number 2. 
   Three, for independent living goals, the CIL must support people with disabilities in setting and reaching their personal goals. There's some more language that's in three for that, but to summarize it for today, there's a higher level of -- and four are community options that the CIL must work to create more and better choices for independent living. 
   Five is the CIL must provide core services. 
   And six, activities to increase community capacity. The CIL must help communities become better at meeting the needs of people with disabilities, making services and opportunities more accessible. 
   And last, Number 7, resource development activities. The CIL must find funding from different sources to support its programs beyond just government funding. 
   So if you looked at those seven, you see one common word that is throughout other than CIL. And that's must. These are standards that are required as a Center for Independent Living. 
   Next slide, please. 
   Now, for the CIL assurances, this is verbatim from the act. So on the screen you'll see 1 through 7 of the 14 CIL assurances. And I'd like go over that with y'all before we hop into the final seven assurances. 
   So one, the applicant is an eligible agency. 
   Two, the center will be designed and operated with local -- within local communities by individuals with disabilities. Including an assurance that the center will have a board that is the principal governing body of the center and majority of which shall be composed of individuals with significant disabilities. 
   Okay. So as a board member, you are listed in the act. 
   Number 3, the applicant will comply with the standards set forth in subsection B. 
   Number 4, the applicant will establish clear priorities through annual and three-year program and financial planning objectives for the center that includes that annual work plan and a three-year plan and financial objectives for the center including overall goals or a mission for the center, work plan for achieving the goals, or mission specific objectives, service priorities, and types of services to be provided. And a description that shall demonstrate how the proposed activities of the applicant are consistent with the most recent three-year state plan under Section 704. 
   So as a board member, you are approving that program performance report annually, which includes the work plan review of the prior year and also looking for the plan for the upcoming year. 
   The applicant will use sound organizational and personnel assignment practices, including taking affirmative action to employ and advance an employment qualified individuals with significant disabilities on the same terms and conditions required with respect to the employment of individuals with disabilities under Section 503. 
   So can a board require that a position be -- like the executive director have a disability? Yes. 
   6, the applicant will ensure that the majority of the staff and individuals in decision-making positions of the applicant are individuals with disabilities. 
   And Number 7, the applicant will practice sound fiscal management. 
   Next slide, please. 
   Number 8 states that the applicant will conduct an annual self-evaluation, prepare an annual report, and maintain records adequate to member with respect to the standards containing information regarding at minimum, 1, the extent to which the center is in compliance with the standards. Two, the numbers and types of individuals with significant disabilities receiving services through the center. 
   Three, the types of services provided through the center and the number of individuals with significant disabilities receiving each type of service. 
   Four, the sources and amounts of funding for the operation of the center. 
   Five, the number of individuals with significant disabilities who are employed and the number who are in management and decision-making positions in the center. 
   And six, a comparison when appropriate of activity of the center and prior years with the activities of the center and the most recent year. 
   All right. I'm going to take a pause and ask for some thumbs up to make sure that y'all are still with me while I take a sip of water. Everyone still here? Okay. I'm seeing it. 
   Good. Y'all are tuned in. 
   Number 9, we'll keep driving forward. 
   Individuals with significant disabilities who are seeking or receiving services at the center will be notified by the center of the existence of, the availability of, and how to contact the client assistance program. 
   Number 10, aggressive outreach regarding services provided through the center will be conducted in an effort to reach populations of individuals with significant disabilities that are unserved or underserved by programs under this title. Especially minority groups in urban and rural populations. 
   11, staff at Centers for Independent Living will receive training on how to serve each unserved and underserved populations, including minority groups in urban and usual populations. 
   The center will submit to the statewide independent living council a copy of its approved and grant application and annual report required under Paragraph 8 -- B. Or excuse me, 8. 
   And 13, the center will prepare and report a designated state agent or administrator as the case may be at the end of each fiscal year that contains the information described in Paragraph 8 and to which the center is in compliance with the standards set forth in subsection B. 
   And lastly, an independent living plan described in Section 704 E will be developed unless the individual who would receive services under the plan signs a waiver say thing that such a plan is unnecessary. 
   Now, those are 14 assurances that pack a lot of punch on how it is implemented at the frontline team, managed by management, and supervised by leadership, including the Board of Directors. 
   So these are good checkpoints that connect to things that help us set internal controls, monitor our own performance, and -- and improve our outcomes by making sure that we not only follow the assurances, but the standards that are required by federal law. 
   Next slide, please. 
   All right. We're going to now talk about the independent living philosophy and our roles in governance of making informed decisions. Because that is a really critical point of service as board members. 
   So we're going to talk about what informed decision-making is first, providing some examples of what it is not. 
   So with informed decision-making, we are going to level set together that the definition is a process of making a thoughtful, well-informed choice based on facts and information. It involves analyzing potential outcomes, benefits, and risk before deciding on the best option. 
   Informed decision making is not just a vote, it is a collaborative and reflective process that strengthens efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. So some examples of what informed decision-making is not, informed decision-making is not making decisions that are -- are not disability led. 
   If the voices of people with disabilities aren't present or are ignored, it's not informed decision-making. It's not informed, it's exclusion. 
   When I've done board trainings in the past, an easy way to remember this is if we are in a room making decisions and it is not being led by the person that those decisions are going to impact, then we need rethink the approach. 
   Informed decision-making is not rushing votes without discussion. Speed over substance often leads to confusion that leads to misalignment, and sometimes unintentional harm. 
   Informed decision making is not acting on assumptions or personal opinion alone. Personal experience matters, but it can't replace the data, consumer feedback, and mission alignment. 
   And informed decision-making is not letting one person, like the executive director or board chair, make all the decisions. It is a group responsibility and not a solo act. 
   Five, ignoring the IL philosophy is not informed decision-making. If decisions don't uphold self-determination, consumer control and cross-disability leadership, they are off track. And I'm going to give you a bonus one that is not on this slide but I will say that six, basing decisions only on funding and not on mission. 
   And I'll sit with that one for a second. Basing decisions only on funding, not mission. 
   Many matters, funding matters, but mission should lead. If funding driving everything, then consumer priorities can get lost. 
   Next slide, please. 
   So how does the IL philosophy shape informed decision making?
   If you haven't heard this phrase, you should commit it to memory. Nothing about us without us. Going to having disability-led decisions and elevating voices for that. 
   The independent living is more than a mission, it's a mindset that shapes how board members lead and decide. It centers on self-determination, consumer control, dignity, and inclusion. 
   I really like this point that consumer voice is not symbolic, it's central to every decision within the organization. And the board cannot delegate the responsibility of a hearing to the IL philosophy to the executive director or other staff members. They have to embody that independent living philosophy and their governance. 
   And to recap, let's remember that the board ensures that people with disabilities are leading the development of services and setting priorities, not just offering feedback, and that programs are responsive to the needs of people with disabilities, that staff and leadership reflect the cross-disability community, that policies preserve independence, dignity, and choice, and that lived experience shapes services and priorities. 
   Next slide, please. 
   There are many inputs, but similar, they're led by Persons with Disabilities. Inputs can be circumstantial, the type and weight of information that you need to make a decision depends on the specific situation. 
   Am I making a decision on our fundraising or our -- our fund development goals?
   Am I making a decision on where it will be held? Am I deciding which vendor we should use?
   Regardless of your role and the types of decisions that you make in your role with -- with the Center for Independent Living, they are always -- they're always central to independent living philosophy and consumer control. 
   And you want to match the information you gather to that context, urgency, and impact of the decision at hand. 
   So the key inputs for something that helps you determine who is going to mow the grass versus who is going to be a keynote speaker at your annual gala, that's going to -- your inputs are going to be different there. 
   But as a board member, these are some examples of how -- what those -- those key inputs are for making informed decisions. 
   The first lived expertise and consumer voice. 
   So obviously input and decisions being disability led. Especially those that are directly impacted by a decision. 
   Ensuring that leadership is by consumers not just consultation. 
   Next is mission and the strategic alignment. Does the decision that you're making advance self-determination and community integration?
   Are consumer control and cross-disability values upheld here?
    Does this align with our strategic plan?
   Who benefits in this decision?
   Who might be burdened by this decision?
   Are we reinforcing and/or dismantling structural ableism?
   Program and service output is where we look at rates, outcomes, disability types, trends on who is being served and who might be left out. 
   Helping us guide our services heavy in one county and maybe not our full catchment area. 
   And that input, as an example, can help some of the strategy that you have in your work plans for aggressive outreach to unserved or underserved communities. 
   Staff recommendations are a very important part. Your frontline team is there every single day. When I was there as -- when I started as an executive director, I encouraged healthy discussion that provided me with the full view of something that I might not be understanding fully since I'm not in the day-to-day, right?
   And as board members, you have to understand that you are not there on a day-to-day. 
   You might show up for a monthly meeting, you might show up and volunteer, and I hope that that's not just it. But even though it's important, you are not there on the daily. 
   So having staff feedback and providing that feedback loop is a critical key input for informed decision-making. 
   We will talk about how that -- that information can be delivered to you next week. 
   Also the community needs and demographics. Local issues affecting the disability community. Gaps in services or new opportunities. There might be a community needs assessment that you don't have to do because someone has already done it and made the information available. 
   Another key input for community needs and demographics, what are priorities of the large funders in your community or legislative bodies?
   All of those are critical inputs for making informed decisions. 
   Financial impact is another -- I think it speaks for itself by looking at decisions as it relates to budget implications, sustainability, funding requirements, and risk and resource availability. 
   The next legal standards, the same as standards and assurances, those are there for a reason, and that to provide guidance on how CILs should be run. You might also have other risks listed in your contracts. Knowing what risks related to organizational responsibilities is important. 
   Board knowledge and collective expertise is another input. Your board should reflect the community that you serve. But also the needs of your organization. 
   So when you have board members that serve in a legal capacity, they can provide consult on maybe personnel policies and the employee handbook. When you are looking at different programs, folks that have experience with goals, objectives, and outcomes, and maybe how to train staff on that is important. 
   And that it's also important in this aspect that that board knowledge and collective expertise is reflective of the community that you serve and that it is cross-disability knowledge. That there's not overrepresentation of a certain disability group, that you have that feedback from different types of disabilities as well. 
   And lastly, stakeholder feedback. Things like your State Independent Living Council and the State Plan for Independent Living, community partners are huge. Folks that you work together to accomplish goals or other local organizations. And collaborator insights when decision impact -- when decisions impact shared systems. 
   Health care, transportation, housing, the phrase is if we would like go far, we go together, right?
   And so it's important to not only just get these inputs, but also share your [?] as inputs too. Including staffs, councils, and boards participating in different community activities helps that community integration. 
   I did put a reflection note in here and we're going to keep moving through the slide deck, but one of the things I think we should reflect on as board members is what inputs are critical to your decision-making as a board member in your role?
   And you can reflect on those. 
   Next slide, please. 
   What do questions look like that are asked by a highly effective board?
   Because that's why we're here. How do we become highly effective and challenging ourselves to level up when it comes to our governance. 
   A highly effective board. There's a chart on the screen and one column says highly effective boards and we can say dot, dot, dot under it as a phrase. 
   And then on the second column it says by asking questions like, and it gives the examples. 
   So we're going to go through these together. Highly effective boards keep the why front and center by asking questions like, is this decision advancing self-determination and community integration?
   Highly effective boards also prioritize lived experience by asking questions like what do consumers say about this?
   Have they shaped this plan?
   Highly effective boards use the right inputs at the right moments by asking questions like, what do we need to know to make the best possible decision in this case?
   Highly effective boards know the line between oversight and operations. Something that we talked about last week in-depth. But is this a board-level decision? Are we guiding the mission or managing the staff?
   I have in board meetings asked questions as a board member that say things like is this something that as a board we need to decide or something we need to empower our executive director to -- to [?] 
   I'm going to pause for a second because one of our interpreters is having some storm issues. 
(Pause). 
   And I want to make sure that they're assigned. To give them a quick break. 
(Pause)
   Thank you for your patience. Tiffani, are you on? Great. Thanks. 
   All right. Pop quiz. Which one were we on?
   Bringing it back to asking critical questions. Those highly effective boards ask critical questions by asking things like who benefits, who maybe left out, are we reinforcing ableism. 
   Highly effective boards create space for deliberation by asking questions like are there perspectives we haven't heard?
   And lastly, highly effective boards reflect on the decision by asking questions like did it go as planned?
   Was it the right call?
   What did we learn?
   I know this is content heavy, but a quick aside that I'll share with you. One of the quick 3 -- I call them the big 3. When I was with my CIL is, you know, our teams were empowered to, you know, find resources and, you know, network and collaborate, connect with other community partners. And I had -- I call them my big three. 
   So these are the three questions that helped shape making decisions at every level. And heavily on funding opportunities and partnerships, but the first is does it align with our mission? Which we've talked about, you know, as an input. Does it align with our mission. 
   Two, is there a community need?
   And three, do we have the resources now or are those resources available through this opportunity to get it done?
   So those big three I would have folks come in. I've already looked at these three and I've answered, yes, yes, and yes. So those -- it's a good -- good metric to evaluate and use for making decisions. 
   Speaking of -- hold on, let me pause really quickly. 
(Pause). 
   All right. Sandra, you set to go? 
   >> SANDRA BITTER: Yes. 
   >> TYLER MORRIS: Thumbs up, all right. 
   So looking at this decision-making process, we've -- we have a quick scenario for us to take a look at. So in this example, we're looking at how a community can vet the idea deeply without overstepping its roles. The executive director informs, not decides. And the board chair ensures process and structure while the Board of Directors holds the strategic authority, not the operational control. 
   So for this example, we are looking at a program that is suggested to be implemented or included in our work and in our strategic plan. Looking at that approach. 
   One of the things that I think is really important as a board member, you're volunteering your time and the staff are typically there outside of their regular day-to-day roles to connect with you. So that time is valuable. And to make that time valuable and well used, there are strategies that we'll talk about more next week. 
   But being in a board meeting and -- it just being at that moment where big conversations happen and decisions are made without vetting can slow -- can slow things down. 
   And this is -- (background noise).  
   >> TYLER MORRIS: Hold on one second. 
   I am -- I'm hearing Spanish translation, so I want to make sure that that -- 
   >> SANDRA BITTER: This is Sandra. I think we should be back now. I apologize. I was trying to update ASL. 
   >> TYLER MORRIS: We got there. We got there. So how can we use informed decision-making in practice?
   So these are making the assumptions that we've done our due diligence of making sure that it aligns with our mission, that there is a community need, that we have the resources or resources would be available through this opportunity. So we've done all of that. 
   We've gotten our consumer feedback. We've had disability-led conversations. Now we're looking at how it connects to our board involvement. 
   Well, running things like a new program through a program development committee can help with the alignment to the mission, looking at potential revenue and cost, maybe it also includes the Finance Committee as a step to review that as it relates to the financials. 
   Looking at staffing needs and capacity. 
   So that is running it through those committees to provide a recommendation to the full board where the board chair prepares the agenda in collaboration with the executive director for the full board meeting. 
   So when you show up at Step 3 where the full board has this, you have a nice summary, you have the recommendation of the committee, and you are able to make an informed decision based on the facts and background -- background information. 
   I just noticed that the interpreter went off, so I'm going to hold for a second. 
   Okay. Here we are. Our interpreter's here. All right. Wonderful. 
   And then lastly, not to forget that the ED implements and reports back as step four. So that continuous feedback loop. 
   All right. So what we're going to do now is we're going to go over some scenarios, and we're going to then dive into discussions. 
   So I hope that you are able to stick with us for the discussion, and we can answer some questions there. 
   And you know, I do think that it is a healthy part of communication for, you know, these scenarios to be explored. At least to help with maybe finding potential gaps in governance. I think someone last week shared, you know, that in a director's absence they found out things that they needed to fill in for their governance gaps or service or operations. 
   So the next slide will review -- I'm sorry, you were not on that slide with me. Those are the steps that we just discussed for the examples for informed decision-making. 
   And now let's talk about those scenarios. The first scenario is your CIL is exploring the launch of a fee for service program that provide accessibility audits to local businesses. 
   This could generate income and advance the mission, but it also involves staff time, budget decisions, and potential mission drift if not handled well. 
   A good scenario to look at and ask how could the CIL leverage its committees, its board chair, Board of Directors, and executive directors to make the best decision?
   Another scenario, your board has 51% people with disabilities, but one member notes that most board conversations are driven by members without disabilities. 
   Members with lived experience are rarely asked for input or offered leadership roles on committees. So in this example, how does this situation violate the spirit of consumer control?
    What structural or cultural shifts could ensure board members with disabilities lead, not just participate. And as a board member, how would you speak up or take action in this scenario?
   And a third scenario that we will -- that I'd like to introduce is the executive director presents a plan to launch a new housing navigation service. The program looks promising, but there was no consumer input during development, and one staff member privately shared concerns it may overstep into social work territory. 
   So in this scenario, reflecting on questions that board members should ask to apply informed decision-making, how can the board ensure the plan reflects the IL philosophy and local consumer needs and what's the board's role in this scenario? And what's the executive director?
   Now if these scenarios felt familiar or maybe you've experienced it, please feel free to, in our discussion section, go ahead and share. But what we're going to do is we're going to take a minute now to pause, not for technical difficulties this time. We're going to pause, pause recording, and -- 
   >> Recording stopped.