National Alliance of Blind Students Constitution & ByLaws
Table of Contents

 

National Alliance of Blind Students

Constitution & Bylaws

(Active as amended per the 2007 National Convention.)

ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of this organization shall be the National Alliance of Blind Students and may be referred to as NABS.

Return to top.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
The purpose of this organization is to:
A. Encourage educational equity and excellence.
B. Seek educational and employment opportunities and worldwide accessibility.
C. Provide a forum for blind and visually impaired students to discuss issues of concern to themselves and the blind and visually impaired community.
D. Hold annual meetings to focus on topics of interest to blind and visually impaired students.
E. Organize and participate in meetings of interest to blind and visually impaired students.
F. Provide the means by which NABS and its constituencies may achieve these goals.

Return to top.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
The membership of NABS shall consist of four (4) membership categories: General, Sustaining, Patron, and Junior.
A. General Members: This membership category shall consist of blind and visually impaired students. Unless prohibited elsewhere, General Members have the right to vote, serve on committees, speak on the floor, and hold office in NABS.
B. Sustaining Members: This membership category shall consist of individuals who have an interest in NABS. The number of individuals in this category shall not exceed forty nine percent (49%) of the General membership. Unless prohibited elsewhere, Sustaining Members have the right to vote, to serve on committees, and to speak on the floor.
C. Patron Members: This membership category shall consist of any business, whether it is for-profit or non-profit. Patron Members shall not have the right to vote, serve on committees, nor hold office in NABS. Patron Members shall have the right to speak on the floor during any NABS meeting.
D. Junior Members: This membership category shall consist of blind and visually impaired students under the age of eighteen (18). Any member of this group shall automatically become a General Member upon attaining the age of eighteen (18).

Return to top.

ARTICLE IV: TERMS OF MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
The terms of membership and dues for this organization are contained in the Bylaws.

Return to top.

ARTICLE V: VOTING
A. Voting shall take place during annual conventions, Board of Directors' meetings, emergency meetings, or special meetings of the membership.
B. Voting for any elected officer shall occur only during the annual convention.
C. All elected officers and appointed positions to the Board of Directors shall have the right to vote at Board of Directors' Meetings.
D. The Board of Directors shall meet monthly, unless more than two-thirds (2/3) of the Board vote to cancel a meeting. For the purposes of this vote, all Board members shall have a vote. The Board may not vote to cancel two (2) consecutive meetings.
E. Individual voting privileges for annual conventions, special meetings, and mail ballots are listed elsewhere in this constitution.
F. For the purposes of voting, a quorum shall be a majority of those members present and eligible to vote.

Return to top.

ARTICLE VI: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A. The Board of Directors of this organization shall consist of elected officers, appointed student positions, and the Immediate Past President. The officers will be elected at Annual Conventions as prescribed herein and in the Bylaws.
B. The officers of this organization shall consist of President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
C. Elected officers shall be members, in good standing, of the General membership category at the time of their election and shall take office immediately following the Annual Convention.
D. Elected officers shall serve for two-year terms. President, First Vice President, and Treasurer shall be elected in even-numbered years. Second Vice-President and Secretary shall be elected in odd-numbered years.
E. If there are insufficient candidates to fill available officer positions, an outgoing officer may run for an additional term after regular nominations have closed regardless of the number of terms served. Or, if no qualified candidate in good standing is nominated or elected to an office at an Annual Convention, the remaining newly elected and appointed Board of Directors have the right to, by a majority vote, fill the position until the next annual convention. At this convention, if necessary, the membership shall elect a successor to serve for the remainder of the term.
F. No officer shall serve in the same office for more than one consecutive term.
G. If a vacancy should occur between annual conventions in any elected position, except in the office of President, the Board of Directors shall, by a majority vote, elect an individual to serve in the position until the next annual convention. At this convention, if necessary, the membership shall elect a successor to serve for the remainder of the term.
H. Should a vacancy occur in the office of the President, the First Vice President shall automatically assume the presidency and shall serve in the position until the next annual convention. At this convention, if necessary, the membership shall elect a successor to serve for the remainder of the term.
I. The immediate past-president shall serve as an ex-officio board member. Unless otherwise contained in this constitution or in the bylaws this person shall not have the right to vote at board meetings.
J. If a vacancy should occur with the Immediate Past President, the vacancy shall not be filled. The office shall be allowed to remain vacant until such time as a successor shall be duly qualified to succeed into the office of Immediate Past President.
K. The Board of Directors shall appoint an advisory board to be made up of professionals from diverse backgrounds and expertise. There shall be no limit to the number of persons appointed to this board. Members of the Advisory Board will be required to attend at least two (2), but may attend more, Board meetings of this organization. Members of the advisory board shall not have the right to vote at board meetings. At least one member of the advisory board must be an active member of the American Council of the Blind Board of Directors.
L. The president of the American Council of the Blind shall appoint by August 1 a liaison that shall serve as a non-voting member of the Board of Directors. This person shall be an employee of ACB in the national office and will advise NABS on ACB policy.
M. The President of this organization in consultation with the Board of Directors shall appoint, by August 1, a webmaster to update and maintain the organization's website. The appointee must be either from the Junior or General Membership categories.
N. The President of this organization in consultation with the Board of Directors shall appoint, by August 1, an editor of the newsletter. The appointee must be either from the Junior or General Membership categories.
O. The President of this organization in consultation with the Board of Directors shall appoint, by August 1, a Junior Representative. The appointee must be from the Junior Membership Category.

Return to top.

ARTICLE VII: DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A. The Officers of this organization shall perform the usual duties of their offices as prescribed in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, unless otherwise provided herein or in the Bylaws.
B. Any Director who does not attend a minimum of fifty (50) percent of the regular and special Board of Director's meetings (including conference calls) from Annual Convention to Annual Convention or a Director who fails to maintain their membership in good standing shall be subject to removal from office by a majority of the Board of Directors.
C. The ACB national office liaison to NABS shall act as an advisor to the NABS Board of Directors.

Return to top.

ARTICLE VIII: AFFILIATES
A. Any organization with goals, concerns, and/or philosophies similar to those of NABS may apply to the Board of Directors to become an affiliate of NABS.
B. An organization applying for affiliation with NABS must submit to the Board of Directors an application containing a:
       I. Written request seeking a charter with NABS.
      II. Membership roster consisting of five (5) General Members in good standing with their organization, along with their names, addresses, and phone numbers.
     III. A proposed copy of the Constitution and Bylaws which will govern them as an affiliate.
C. Applications may be considered by the Board of Directors during the annual convention or special meetings. All members of an affiliate will have the rights and responsibilities of the membership category they are placed in by the Board of Directors. In addition, the affiliate shall be granted one (1) vote for every ten (10) of its members in good standing or major fraction thereof. Each affiliate will act in accordance with all other portions of this Constitution as if it were an "Individual Member of NABS."

Return to top.

ARTICLE IX: SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION
Any affiliate or member may be expelled or suspended by a two-thirds vote of the membership present and eligible to vote at the annual convention. Suspension or expulsion of an affiliate or an individual can only occur after a hearing has taken place as prescribed in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised. In the proceedings to expel or suspend a member or an affiliate, the member or affiliate shall have the right to vote.

Return to top.

ARTICLE X: AMENDMENTS
A. This Constitution may be amended during the annual convention by a two-thirds vote of those present and eligible to vote according to the voting procedure contained in this constitution.
B. Proposed amendments shall be read from the floor of the meeting two (2) hours prior to the time of a final vote.
C. Proposed amendments shall be presented in writing to the Board of Directors on or before the first day of the NABS Convention.
D. Bylaws shall be amended by a simple majority of those present and eligible to vote.
E. All amendments to the constitution and bylaws passed by the membership at an Annual Convention will take effect immediately.

Return to top.

ARTICLE XI: PROCEDURE
In the absence of provisions contained herein or in the Bylaws, all proceedings of this organization shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

Return to top.

ARTICLE XII: DISSOLUTION
In the event of dissolution or cessation as an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, all assets shall be transferred to the American Council of the Blind, to be held in trust for a reorganized student organization. In the event that no student group is formed within a period of three years from the date of dissolution or cessation as an ACB affiliate all assets will be transferred to the ACB Scholarship Fund.

Return to top.

BYLAW I: TERMS OF DUES
A. The amount chargeable as dues may be changed by amendment to the Bylaws.
B. Five dollars ($5) from each member's dues shall be sent to ACB, except in the case of Patron Membership dues. The remaining General and Sustaining Membership dues, and all of the Patron Membership dues, shall be deposited into the NABS treasury.
C. At-large General Members shall pay dues in the amount of fifteen dollars ($15) per person per year.
D. At-large Sustaining Members shall pay dues in the amount of fifteen dollars ($15) per person per year.
E. Patron Members shall pay dues in the amount of fifty dollars ($50) per organization per year.
F. At-large Junior Members shall pay dues in the amount of eight dollars ($8) per person per year.
G. Affiliates shall pay dues in the amount of eight dollars ($8) per year per individual member 18 years of age or older, and two dollars ($2) per year per individual member under age 18.
H. Membership terms will run from January 1 until December 31 or on a calendar year.

Return to top.

BYLAW II: TERMS OF MEMBERSHIP
A. In order to remain in good standing in NABS, current affiliates must submit to the ACB Liaison Officer the names, addresses, phone numbers, and dues of their members by March 15th of each year.
B. In order for current members at large, sustaining members, and patron members to remain in good standing in NABS they must submit their name, address, phone number, and dues to the ACB Liaison Officer by March 15th of each year.
C. Members whose membership applications and/or dues are received after the March 15th deadline will be granted individual voting privileges during the upcoming NABS Convention. Their numbers will count toward the number of votes allowed for the various NABS state affiliates during NABS business meetings at the convention; however, their numbers will not count toward the number of votes allowed for the NABS Affiliate as a whole on the ACB National Convention floor.
D. The March 15 deadline shall not apply to non-ACB or non-NABS affiliated organizations or groups applying for membership to NABS during NABS' annual convention.

Return to top.

BYLAW III: MEMBERSHIP IN MULTIPLE AFFILIATES
Membership in more than one NABS affiliate is at the discretion of each affiliate.

Return to top.

BYLAW IV: NEWSLETTER
A. The NABS Newsletter shall be known as the "Student Advocate."
B. This newsletter shall be published at least two times between annual conventions, once by November 15, and once by May 15.
C. Any updates or changes in the format of this newsletter shall be made by a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors or of those present and voting at the NABS annual convention.

Return to top.

BYLAW V: DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The officers and directors of this organization shall perform the usual duties of their offices as provided in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, unless otherwise provided herein or in the constitution.
A. The President shall oversee the day-to-day operations of the organization, shall maintain communication with the national office, shall chair the Budget committee, propose a budget no later than October 15th of each year, and shall perform other duties as necessary throughout the year. The President, in consultation with the Board of Directors, will determine what committees are needed for operation during the year.
B. The First Vice President shall be responsible for appointing committee chairs, compiling committee reports, and shall perform other duties as requested by the President.
C. The Second Vice President shall serve as Convention Coordinator, and chair the Convention Committee.
D. The Secretary shall be responsible for taking minutes of all open board meetings, make minutes available to persons requesting them, and maintain a backup copy of the membership database. The Secretary shall also record and retain copies of agendas and minutes from all meetings. Recorded document(s) must be given to the Board of Directors within 14 days of the event where the information was recorded
E. The Treasurer is responsible for giving Treasurer's reports at all Board meetings, keeping accurate financial records, and filing annual reports. The Treasurer shall serve on the Budget Committee, as well as develop and implement fundraising strategies.
F. The members of the Advisory board may be called upon as needed to provide advice with regards to the field or fields of expertise in which they have experience.
G. The Webmaster shall be responsible for the organization's website. This person should also seek content from a wide variety of sources. No content shall be posted without the prior approval of the president of this organization.
H. The Editor shall be responsible for publishing the NABS newsletter in accordance with Bylaw IV.
I. The Junior Representative shall provide the NABS Board with a younger person's perspective and shall serve on at least one NABS committee.

Return to top.