Jackson woman to hold post on state council

Gov. Matt Blunt on Friday appointed Sara C. McDowell, 31, of Jackson to the Missouri Statewide Independent Living Council for a term that will end Oct. 29, 2009. McDowell is the director of independent living and program development at the SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence, Inc. (SADI). McDowell holds a bachelor's degree in social work from Southeast Missouri State University. The Statewide Independent Living Council, a board within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, oversees the state plan to comply with the federal Rehabilitation Act. The board may, by law, have up to 22 members who represent local independent living centers, state agencies, families of people with disabilities and advocates.