Connecticut AHEAD

An affiliate of the Association on Higher Education and Disability

Connecticut AHEAD

BYLAWS

Bylaws as updated by CT AHEAD, October 2, 2020

 

Table of Contents
Article I: Name
Article II: Purposes
Article III: Membership
Article IV: Organizational Structure
Article V: Officers
Article VI: Meetings
Article VII: Amendments

ARTICLE I

NAME

The name of the organization shall be the CONNECTICUT ASSOCIATION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AND DISABILITY, hereinafter referred to as CT AHEAD.

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ARTICLE II

PURPOSES

The purposes of the organization are:

  • To develop communication, cooperation, and coordination among institutions of higher education on issues relating to individuals with disabilities;
  • To promote public awareness of the needs and issues of individuals with disabilities;
  • To support institutions in balancing academic integrity with academic accommodations;
  • To work with other professional, public and private agencies and consumers to promote institutional and statewide initiatives to meet the educational needs of individuals with disabilities;
  • To collaborate with secondary schools and employers to facilitate transition to, and from, post-secondary education and public and private businesses;
  • To provide professional development for Association members and other professionals working within this field;
  • To promote and support policies (e.g. admission, staffing and accommodations) which increase access and opportunity in higher education for individuals with disabilities; and,
  • To promote systematic data collection to gather information across institutions for enhancing knowledge and awareness of factors relating to post-secondary education for individuals with disabilities.

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ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Qualifications

The membership of CT AHEAD shall consist of professional personnel and other persons with interests in the field of disability services and higher education. Members may be either individual private persons or institutions with interests in the field of higher education and disability.

Section 2: Categories

Institutional Membership

An institutional membership allows up to three individual from a college or university to be members of the organization. Each of the three individuals are entitled to one vote in the organization. Additional members from that institution may be added at an additional cost.

Individual Full-Membership

A full member is a college employee who is (1) currently servicing college students with disabilities at a college or university and is (2) an individual who is responsible for making decisions regarding the delivery of services to students with disabilities, or (3) is an ADA Compliance Officer employed by a college or university. Full CT AHEAD membership entitles the member to voting privileges and requires the payment of full membership dues.

Associate Membership

An associate member is an individual who works with students with disabilities, an active professional in the field of disability services, or other interested individual but is not employed by a college or university. Associate members are non-voting members of the association and cannot hold office but may serve on the committees of the association.

Section 3: Membership Dues

Membership dues will be $100.00 for institutional memberships, $50.00 for individual memberships and $25.00 for associate memberships. Institutional memberships can add additional members for $25 each. Amount of Membership Dues may be changed by majority vote of the Executive Committee of the Board without bylaws amendment or change. Annual dues to the organization shall be payable before the end of the membership year which runs from September 1st to August 31st.

Section 4: Voting

Members in good standing, whether individual or institutional members are entitled to one vote. A member in good standing is defined as a member who has paid membership dues for the year and has attended at least two Association meetings during the current calendar year. Each member entitled to vote may do so by proxy; provided, however, that the member shall have executed the instrument authorizing such proxy to act in writing. No proxy shall be valid after the expiration of eleven months from the date of its execution, unless the person executing it shall have specified therein, the length of time it to continue in force.

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ARTICLE IV

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Section 1: Structure

The organization shall consist of a membership, one standing committee to be called the Steering Committee, and such ad hoc committees as are necessary to address specific needs of the organization as determined by the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee is composed of the four officers of the organization and at least two at-large members. The Steering Committee acts as the Nominating Committee to propose a slate of officers at the annual meeting. The Steering Committee is responsible for making recommendations to the Board and the Membership regarding the direction and focus the organization will take.

Section 2: Fiscal and Administrative Years

The Fiscal Year of the organization shall be July 1st to June 30th of each year. Administrative years of all officers are coincident with the Fiscal Year of the organization.

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ARTICLE V

OFFICERS

Section 1: Elected Positions

The officers of the organization shall be duly elected by the Membership at the Annual Meeting of the organization. The officers shall consist of a President, President-elect, Secretary and Treasurer.

Section 2: Qualifications of Officers

All officers must be members in good standing of the organization at the time of their nomination and election and remain so throughout the duration of their term of office.

Section 3: Term of Office

The term of office for all officers of the organization shall be two administrative years. An individual member may not serve the same officer position for more than two consecutive terms.

Section 4: Succession

The President-Elect shall automatically succeed to the Presidency upon the completion of the term of office of the President.

Section 5: Vacancies

If a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the President-Elect shall serve as acting President for the remainder of the President’s term of office and then shall become President at the beginning of the new term. A vacancy occurring in any other office shall be filled by appointment of the President with the approval of the Steering Committee. The member appointed shall serve only until the end of the current of the officer or until replaced by a duly appointed successor.

Section 6: Duties of Officers

President
  • Supervises the conduct of the organization’s business and activities;
  • Serves, ex-officio, on all standing and ad hoc committees;
  • Presides at meetings;
  • Serves, ex-officio, in the year following the end of their term of office;
  • Serves as official liaison between CT AHEAD and all other organizations and groups.
President-Elect
  • Acts in place of the President when necessary and presides at meetings when the President temporarily vacates the chair. In the absence of the President, the President-Elect may not change rules of the organization or fill vacancies required to be filled by the President and does not serve as ex-officio member of committees;
  • Upon the death, retirement, resignation, removal, or completion of term of the President, the President-Elect assumes all the duties and privileges of the President;
  • Assists the President in the work of the office and performs other duties as determined by the President.
Secretary
  • Is the recording officer of the organization taking minutes for all meetings and distributes those minutes a minimum of one week to the membership prior to the subsequent meeting;
  • Handles all correspondence of the organization;
  • Issues notices of meetings;
  • Informs those elected to office or appointed to committees of their election or appointment; and,
  • Receives, files and distributes all Committee Reports
Treasurer
  • Receives funds;
  • Deposits funds in a CT AHEAD bank account;
  • Pays bills for all authorized expenses;
  • Prepares and presents financial reports at each meeting of the organization
    Prepares an annual organizational budget for review and approval by the Steering Committee prior to the Annual Meeting;
  • Provides tracking of Membership to maintain current records of members in good standing, to update all mailing lists for both surface and electronic mail.
Digital Information Officer
  • Maintains the organization’s web presence;
  • Creates digital material related to the organization;
  • Manages the organization’s social media presenceReceives funds.

Section 7: Compensation

No officer of CT AHEAD shall be compensated for work provided to the organization. Officers and other members of the organization may be reimbursed for legitimate expenses on behalf of the organization with the approval of the President and the Treasurer.

Section 8: Delegation of Duties

In the absence or disability of any officer of the organization, or for any other reason deemed sufficient by the Steering Committee, the President may temporarily delegate the duties of any officer to any member in good standing of the organization until the satisfactory resolution of the incapacity of the officer to perform their duties.

Section 9: Removal from Office

Any officer of the organization may be removed from office, with or without cause according to the following procedure:

  1. A petition for removal signed by five members in good standing may be presented to the President. If the President is the subject of the petition, it shall be presented to the President-Elect.
  2. The recipient of the petition shall notify the members of the Steering Committee within seven days of the receipt of the petition, request information from all relevant parties and call a special meeting of the Steering Committee within thirty days of the receipt of the petition.
  3. A two-thirds majority of the Steering Committee is required for an affirmative vote to remove any officer of the organization.
  4. The President will notify the officer who is the subject of the removal from office in writing. The officer shall have fifteen days from the receipt of such notice to file a written appeal of the removal with the President. Upon receipt of the appeal, the President shall convene a special meeting of an Appeal Board to consist of five members in good standing other than those who signed the original petition for removal.
  5. A two-thirds majority vote of the Appeal Board is necessary to overturn the Steering Committee’s decision to remove the officer.
  6. The officer will be notified of the decision of the Appeal Board within seven days. The action of the Appeal Board is final.

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ARTICLE VI

MEETINGS

Section 1: Number and location of meetings

There shall be a minimum of three meetings of the organization per year (Fall, Winter, Spring) with additional meetings as necessary to be determined by the Steering Committee. The location of the meetings shall be determined by the Steering Committee.

Section 2: Notice of meetings

The Secretary of the organization shall notify members of the date and location of any meeting thirty days in advance of such meetings, except in the case of emergency meetings called by the President.

Section 3: Attendance

Attendance at all meetings is open to all members in good standing. At least one meeting per year will be open to invited guests.
Section 4: Annual meeting. The last meeting of the year will be the annual meeting at which the formal business of the organization shall be conducted and passed by a simple majority of those members present.

Section 5: Quorum

A quorum sufficient to conduct official business of the organization at any meeting shall be defined as the presence of six members in good standing of the organization’s total membership. If any member leaves after the commencement of a meeting, this shall have no effect on the existence of a quorum, after a quorum has been established at such a meeting. Despite the absence of a quorum at any meeting, the meeting may be adjourned by a majority vote of those members present.

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ARTICLE VII

AMENDMENTS

Section 1: Amendments to Bylaws

Any proposed amendment to these bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the Steering Committee one month before the date of the next organization meeting.

Section 2: Review by Steering Committee

The Steering Committee shall review all proposed amendments for presentation to the Membership with recommendations for action.

Section 3: Action

Any proposed amendment to these bylaws may be adopted by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present at the meeting. The Secretary will modify the bylaws and disseminate the amended bylaws to the Membership.

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