Virginia Chapter of the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired

Bylaws

Revised March 2011

ARTICLE I. NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Virginia Chapter of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired; and shall be known in abbreviated form as the Chapter.

The Virginia Chapter is a State Chapter of the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AERBVI); abbreviated as VA AER,and is subject to all of its rules and regulations.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE

The purpose of the chapter shall be to render all possible assistance to the promotion, development, and improvement of all phases of the education and rehabilitation of individuals who are blind or visually impaired in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The following goals shall be utilized to meet this purpose:
Section 1.Increase public understanding of the nature and causes of blindness and its impact on individuals and on society.

Section 2. Increase public understanding of the social and economic gains to individuals and the state through providing opportunities for all individuals who are blind or visually impaired to become self-sufficient and self-supporting.

Section 3. Provide a forum on a state and/or local level for the discussion of all issues relating to services for persons who are blind or visually impaired, the prevention of visual impairments, and provide publications and training relating to this purpose.

Section 4. Encourage an interdisciplinary approach to programs and services to persons who are blind or visually impaired. This will be accomplished by maximizing the knowledge and skills of all related professions.

Section 5. Foster research to advance the knowledge and skills for the improvement of services to all persons who are blind or visually impaired.

Section 6. Assist in the development of professional standards for personnel engaged in providing specialized programs and services to all persons who are blind or visually impaired.

Section 7. Assist in the development of professional standards for specialized programs serving persons who are blind or visually impaired.

Section 8. Initiate, collaborate, and cooperate with other groups in the development of programs for the benefit of persons who are blind or visually impaired.

Section 9. Increase public understanding of the etiology of visual impairment and its impact on individuals and society.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Eligibility. The membership of the Virginia Chapter shall be open to all persons, agencies and organizations in the Commonwealth of Virginia interested in services provided to blind and visually impaired persons. Memberships are renewable.

Section 2. Non-Discrimination. No person, agency, or organization otherwise eligible shall be denied membership in the Virginia Chapter on the basis of age, gender, race, religion, national origin, or disability.

Section 3.National, Regional and Chapter Membership. All members of AER residing or working in the Commonwealth of Virginia shall automatically be members of the Virginia Chapter.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS

Section 1. The officers of the Virginia Chapter shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and an immediate past-President.

Section 2. Terms of Office: The President, Vice-President, and immediate past President shall serve a one year term in their respective positions. When a Vice President is elected into office the natural progression shall be to move to office of President and then to the office of immediate Past President; which will total three years of service.

Section 3: Terms of Office: The Secretary and Treasurer shall serve a two-year term. The Secretary and the Treasurer may be re-elected to successive terms of office but no other officer shall be re-elected to the same office until at least one year has passed following the date of expiration of that officer’s term.

Section 4:Terms of Office: The four Board Members at large shall also serve a term of two years. The term of the Board Members at large shall be staggered to ensure that two new members will join the Board Members at large every two years.

Section 5: In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, theVice Presidentshall serve the remainder of the term as acting President and, upon completion of said term, shall assume the presidency in normal order. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, there shall be no replacement until the annual election at which time there shall be elected a Vice President. In the event of a vacancy in boththe offices of President, and Vice President, the immediate Past President shall preside over the Board of Directors. The Board will then select a President to serve until the next election. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Secretary or Treasurer or Past President, the Board of Directors may appoint a replacement from its own body or the general membership for the remainder of the term.

Section 6: Duties of Officers. Subject to the control of the Board, all officers shall have authority and perform such duties in the management of the chapter

  • 6. 1 The President shall preside over all meetings of the membership and the Board of Directors; shall be the responsible executive officer and will administer the affairs of the chapter between meetings of the Board of Directors; will appoint committees, both standing and special, in accordance to the bylaws.
  • 6.2 The Vice Presidentshall serve as assistant to the President, and, in the absence of the President, shall preside over meetings of the membership and the Board of Directors in the absence of the President. In the event that the office of President becomes vacant, he/she shall succeed to the presidency and complete the unexpired term of office; shall serve as chairperson of the Program committee.The Vice President shall serve as chairperson of the Legislative Committee.The Vice President shall also serve as chairperson in charge of the VA AER Conference.
  • 6.3 The Secretary shall be responsible for the records of the chapter and shall record the minutes of the Board of Directors meetings prepared in proper order. The Secretary shall conduct routine correspondence as directed by the President and/or Board of Directors and shall see that records are transmitted to the successor at the completion of his/her term of office. The Secretary shall preside at Board meetings in the absence of the President, and Vice President.
  • 6.4 The Treasurer shall be the chief financial officer and may be bonded at the agreement of the Treasurer, President, and Board members. The Treasurer shall see that regular financial statements are prepared in accordance with recognized accounting principles. The Treasurer shall submit a yearly financial statement to AER as required. The Treasurer shall also submit an annual financial report to VA AER members. The Treasurer shall prepare the annual budget prior to June with the budget period being from July 1 through June 30. The Board shall review and approve the budget prior to implementation. The Treasurer shall preside at board meetings in the absence of the President, Vice President, and Secretary.
  • 6.5 The Immediate Past-President shall serve as the assistant to the President and shall be an ex-officio member of all councils and boards. He/she shall serve as coordinator between these committees and the president.

ARTICLE V. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1.The Board of Directors shall consist of the officers of the chapter, the Immediate Past President, and four other elected members,known as Board Members at Large.

Section 2.The Board shall meet at each annual meeting and shall hold at least two additional meetings during each calendar year. A board meeting may be called by the President or by three other members of the Board. The Board may participate in meetings by means of telephone conferencing or electronic communications

Section 3. Quorum. A quorum shall be constituted by the presence of a majority of the currently occupied seats on the Board of Directors.

Section 4. Purpose. The Board of Directors shall serve as the governing and policy-making body of the chapter between meetings of the membership.

Section 5. Resignations. In the event that any member of the Board is unable to serve for any reason, the Board shall elect from the members-at-large a person to complete the unexpired term of that elected board member.

Section 6. The Board of Directors shall review and approve the budget of the chapter as recommended by the Treasurer prior to presentation to the membership.

Section 7. The Board shall report its activities and decisions to the membership at each annual meeting of the chapter or by other means of communication.

Section 8. Removal of Director(s). Any one or more of the Directors may be removed with cause by action by the Board of Directors, provided there is a quorum of the Board present and that seven days written notice of removal is given to the Director(s) concerned.

Section 9. Votes. Each member of the Board of Directors shall have the right to debate any question before the Board and other assembly of chapter. Each Board member shall have one vote. No officer or Director shall be permitted to assign his/her vote to another Board member.

ARTICLE VI. COMMITTEES

Section 1. The President, upon assuming office, shall appoint standing committees and special committees as required. All appointed committee chairpersons and committee members shall be a member in good standing of AER. The following standing committees are approved by the Board of Directors:

Section 2.Committee chairperson will be appointed by the President for a period of one year.

Section 3. Standing Committees include:

  • Nominating Committee-shall consist of a minimum of three members with the Immediate Past President serving as chairperson.
  • Program Committee – may vary in size but shall not have fewer than five members with the Vice President serving as chairperson. The principal task of the committee is to plan and prepare, with the full assistance of the Board of Directors, for the next annual meeting of the chapter.
  • Legislative Committee – shall be composed of three members with the Vice President as chairperson. The committee shall study legislation at the federal and state levels which is of significance to services for the benefit of blind and visually impaired persons in Virginia. It shall make recommendations regarding such legislation and may make policy statements on behalf of the chapter only when such statements have received prior approval by a majority of the Board of Directors.
  • Bylaws Committee – will be composed of a minimum of three members and will review, draft and submit to the membership proposed revisions and/or amendments to the bylaws of the chapter. The Secretary will chair this committee.
  • Membership Committee – shall be composed of at least three members to include on Board Member. It shall develop and implement a membership recruitment and retention program for the chapter in conjunction with the AER National office.
  • Resolutions Committee – shall be composed of at least three members with the Immediate Past President serving as Chairperson. The committee will receive resolutions from the membership prior to or at the annual meeting. The committee shall prepare the resolutions in a written format and present them to the membership at the business meeting of the annual conference.
  • History and Memorial Committee – shall be composed of at least three members, including one Board member. The committee is charged with maintaining all pertinent historical records of the chapter with regard to officers, members, awards, and events which occur during the term of the committee. The committee shall prepare a list, containing the names and a biographical sketch of any member of the chapter or any person who has has been active or vitally interested in work with blind people, who has died since the last annual meeting. The list shall be presented to the membership at the business session of the annual meeting.
  • Awards Committee – shall be composed of at least five members, including one Board member and is charged with the responsibility of polling the membership at least ninety days prior to the annual meeting for the purpose soliciting nominations for all awards and citations to be presented to the chapter. The chairperson shall submit all proposals to the Board of Directors at least thirty days prior to the presentation of the awards for Board approval.
  • Fundraising Committee – shall be composed of at least three members, including a Board member, with a chairperson appointed by the president. Based on Board approval the committee will oversee the planning and implementation of various activities to raise money to support the goals of the chapter.
  • Publications Committee – shall be composed of the Editor of the Chapter Newsletter and other members as recommended to the President by the Editor. The Editor shall serve as chairperson. Based on Board approval the committee will collect and distribute information to the membership through the chapter newsletter which may be publishedup to four times a year.
  • Public Relations Committee – shall be composed of a chairperson appointed by the President and other members as recommended to the President by the Chairperson. The committee will coordinate the distribution of information to the news media or other sources to inform the public of the activities of the chapter.
  • Grants and Stipends Committee- this committee is composed of at least one Board member and other members of the AER membership. The purpose is to promote educational opportunities to members. Based on Board approval the committee may provide funding for training events, individual members attending conferences, and implementation of special projects involving persons who work in the field. Further this new information learned by the members’ may be disseminated to other members in the form of feedback or training sessions.
  • Training Committee- this committee will be composed of at least one Board member and other members of the AER membership. The purpose is to promote training opportunities to those who work in the field.

Section 4: At the end of a committee’s term thefollowing shall be shared with the new committee Chairperson and/or new committee members: a contact list of current committee members, proposalsor projects that have been discussed or worked on, as well as relevant notes or documentations of the committees’ objectives. These notes shall be passed onto the incoming committee Chairperson.

ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS

Section 1. An annual meetingshall be held at a time and location determined by the President, Board of Directors, and program committee. The membership will then be notified of the time and place of the meeting.

Section 2. The purpose of the annual meeting shall be to promote the purposes of the chapter and the interests of its membership.

Section 3.The Chapter shall make every reasonable effort to schedule and hold its annual meeting in a location where all members can participate and be fully accommodated without discrimination on the basis of gender, age, race, religion, national origin, or disability.

ARTICLE VIII. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1.The President, upon assuming office, shall appoint a nominating committee consisting of three members with the Immediate Past President serving as Chairperson.

Section 2. All voting members shall be eligible to vote for the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Board of Directors.

Section 3. Procedures:

  • 3.1. The Committee shall solicit from the membership, via mail or email, nominations for each elective office or seat on the Board of Directors.
  • 3.2. Before any nomination shall be considered valid, the nominee shall submit a written biography and interest in serving. Current paid membership of the nominee and the nominator will be verified by contacting the AER office.
  • 3.3. In the event that at least two nominees for each elected office are not submitted by the membership, the Nominating Committee will attempt to solicit two nominees for each elected position on the election ballot.
  • 3.4. Elections shall be held by ballot pursuant to the procedures established by the Board of Directors, either held prior to or during the annual meeting by mail or other electronic means.
  • 3.5. Each voting member may vote for one (1) candidate for each elective office or board seat on the ballot.
  • 3.6. The candidate receiving the most votes for each elective position shall become the holder of the office at the business meeting of the annual meeting. In the event of a tie vote in the election for any office, the election shall thereon be decided by a runoff election.

ARTICLE IX. CHAPTER RELATIONSHIPS

Section 1. Members of Chaptershall reside or work in the State of Virginiaat the time of the application for membership.

Section 2.The chapter shall aid in planning and shall support and participate in regional and international meetings sponsored by AER.

Section 3. Tax Status. Said chapter is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations under Section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code (or the corresponding section of any future Federal tax code).