[il-talk] FW: Changes to the Code of Conduct

Tue Apr 30 21:20:24 UTC 2019

Hello all,

Below is a message from President Riccobono regarding the updates to the Code of Conduct. Please read his message, and the Code of Conduct. You will find it attached to this e-mail. But you can also find a link on the nfbofillinois.org website to the Code and complaint form found on our national website, www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org> . A signature is not necessary for the Code. However, all leaders and members, and those participating in NFB events are bound by the Code. 

Thank you for your cooperation.

Denise R. Avant, Esq.

President,

National Federation of the Blind of Illinois

773-991-8050

Live the life you want.

For more information about NFBI,

Go to www.nfbofillinois.org

From: President, National Federation of the Blind <OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org> 
Sent: Thursday, April 25, 2019 2:08 PM
To: State Presidents <StatePresidents at nfb.org>
Cc: Hairston, Ever Lee <ever.hairston at gmail.com>; Gashel, Jim <jgashel0923 at gmail.com>; President, National Federation of the Blind <OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org>
Subject: Changes to the Code of Conduct

On April 12, 2019, the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind adopted changes to the organization’s Code of Conduct that impact the practices in local affiliates. You will recall that when the board originally adopted the Code of Conduct in January 2018, each affiliate was asked to adopt and confirm an affiliate version of the code. In reviewing the implementation of this policy during the past eighteen months, the board recognized that affiliate versions of the code were duplicative and established procedures that may be less effective for our organization. The April 2019 revisions are intended to create clarity, consistency, and greater accountability in our Code of Conduct and investigations of  potential violations. With this memo I am asking you to be aware of the following points and provide leadership to your affiliate in ensuring that our organizational code of conduct is lived up to at the state and local level.

1.	Please review the revised Code of Conduct, attached. Note that the most significant changes are to clarify that the policy extends to all members and leaders of the organization and that the national organization has responsibility for conducting investigations of code of conduct violations. This version of the policy also requires leaders of the Federation at all levels to disclose conflicts of interest to the national board for review.
2.	You should continue to find ways to make members aware of our Code of Conduct and advise them of the procedures for filing grievances under the code. Note that the online version of the code provides a link to our online form, and extension 2475 at our national office can be used for verbal submissions. Please keep in mind that if you receive knowledge of a potential violation of the code of conduct, as a leader of the organization, you are expected to report those incidents to the national organization. You should ensure that your affiliate website links to our national Code of Conduct <https://nfb.org/about-us/history-and-governance/code-conduct> .
3.	The national board will be implementing training for leaders of the organization to ensure that we have a qualified pool of individuals to conduct investigations of alleged code of conduct violations. If you are interested in participating in such a training, please stay tuned for training opportunities. In addition we will be increasing our training opportunities on topics related to the code of conduct, such as sexual harassment and diversity and inclusion. 
4.	Our current procedures for investigating alleged code of conduct violations are being reviewed by both internal experts as well as a third-party consultant. We are currently using these procedures for active investigations, but we wanted our experts to review the procedures to ensure we did not neglect any best practices. When our procedures are ready, our intention is to make them publicly available so that everyone knows what to expect in active investigations.
5.	This policy does not eliminate the responsibilities of state affiliate boards or chapter boards to manage the affairs of the local organization and to ensure that proper organizational procedures are followed. This includes taking appropriate actions to address issues within the affiliate. For example, if an affiliate board becomes aware of a local chapter member who has taken funds from a local chapter, they need not initiate a formal investigation by the national organization in order to take action against the member. However, the affiliate president should coordinate with the national president in order to ensure that local actions are properly documented and that members are advised of their appeal rights. We will be providing further training on these topics in the future. In the meantime, if you are in doubt, give me a call. 

We appreciate your giving attention to assisting with the implementation of our Code of Conduct. It is critical that we have leaders who exemplify the values that are embodied in our code. There is more that we need to do to effectively implement training and to create awareness of the expectations in our code. However, your leadership gives me confidence that we will continue to raise expectations across our organization.

Mark A. Riccobono, President

200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

(410) 659-9314 |  <mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org> officeofthepresident at nfb.org 

 <https://nfb.org/> 

                          <http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind>      <https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice>      <https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind> 

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want. 

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