[NFBOH-Cleveland] Please Read this Important Article In The June Braille Monitor: A Proposed Amendment to the Constitution of the National Federation of the Blind

[Suzanne Turner]

A Proposed Amendment to the Constitution of the National Federation of the
Blind

 

>From the Editor: We print here a proposed amendment to the Constitution of
the National Federation of the Blind that will be considered by the 2022
National

Convention. Here it is:

 

National Federation of the Blind

Proposed Constitutional Amendment 2022

 

The following proposed amendment to the constitution of the National
Federation of the Blind (as amended 2014) was approved for recommendation to
the 2022

Convention by the Federation's Board of Directors on May 12, 2022.

 

Under Article III: Membership, the Current Constitution (as Amended 2014)
Reads:

 

Section E. Any member, local chapter, state affiliate, or division of this
organization may be suspended, expelled, or otherwise disciplined for
misconduct

or for activity unbecoming to a member or affiliate of this organization by
a two-thirds vote of the board of directors or by a simple majority of the

states present and voting at a National Convention. If the action is to be
taken by the board, there must be good cause, and a good faith effort must
have

been made to try to resolve the problem by discussion and negotiation. If
the action is to be taken by the Convention, notice must be given on the
preceding

day at an open board meeting or a session of the Convention. If a dispute
arises as to whether there was "good cause," or whether the board made a
"good

faith effort," the National Convention (acting in its capacity as the
supreme authority of the Federation) shall have the power to make final
disposition

of the matter; but until or unless the board's action is reversed by the
National Convention, the ruling of the board shall continue in effect.

 

Proposed Amendments to Article III: Membership, Section E:

 

Remove the word "member"; this section will now pertain to local chapters,
state affiliates, and divisions.

 

Section E Would Then Read as Follows:

 

Section E. Any local chapter, state affiliate, or division of this
organization may be suspended, expelled, or otherwise disciplined for
misconduct or

for activity unbecoming to a local chapter, state affiliate, or division of
this organization by a two-thirds vote of the board of directors or by a
simple

majority of the states present and voting at a National Convention. If the
action is to be taken by the board, there must be good cause, and a good
faith

effort must have been made to try to resolve the problem by discussion and
negotiation. If the action is to be taken by the Convention, notice must be

given on the preceding day at an open board meeting or a session of the
Convention. If a dispute arises as to whether there was "good cause," or
whether

the board made a "good faith effort," the National Convention (acting in its
capacity as the supreme authority of the Federation) shall have the power

to make final disposition of the matter; but until or unless the board's
action is reversed by the National Convention, the ruling of the board shall
continue

in effect.

 

Proposed Addition of New Section F to Article III: Membership:

 

Section F. Any member of this organization may be suspended, expelled, or
otherwise disciplined for misconduct or for activity unbecoming to a member
of

this organization, and any non-member may have their engagement in the
organization restricted, through standards and procedures established,
maintained,

and regularly reviewed by the board of directors. These standards will be
publicly available as a Code of Conduct for the organization and members
will

be provided with opportunities to give feedback on the Code on a periodic
basis set by the board.

 

While considering disciplinary actions taken by the board either directly or
through the procedures it establishes, there must be good cause, and a good

faith effort must have been made to hear the concerns of all parties
involved. With regard to handling reports of violations of the code, the
board will

establish policies and procedures on how such reports will be investigated
and then resolved. Any person subject to a ruling under these policies and
procedures

may appeal that ruling to the board, which may elect to have a subcommittee
of the board handle the appeal. However, any three members of the board may,

through written request, initiate a full board review of any disciplinary
decision issued under the Code of Conduct. The procedures maintained by the
board

must provide individuals with clear guidance regarding their right to an
appeal, the process for requesting an appeal, and the standards used in the
board's

review of the appeal.

 

Any person subject to disciplinary action by the board issued through the
procedures and policies authorized by this section may appeal the board's
final

decision to the National Convention. Such an appeal must be filed in writing
and within thirty days of the board's decision. The written request shall

be submitted to the President and must be signed by five delegates to the
next Convention who support hearing the appeal. Notice of the appeal hearing

must be given on the preceding day at an open board meeting or a session of
the Convention. Due to the sensitive nature of certain matters, any
disciplinary

action to be considered by the Convention will only be considered in a
closed committee meeting consisting of the delegates present and voting and
the

Federation's President. The committee shall be chaired by the President
unless a conflict of interest prevents the President from chairing the
committee,

in which case the delegates shall elect one of the other delegates present
who does not have a conflict to preside over the meeting. All efforts will
be

made in any disciplinary meeting to protect the identity of individuals who
were harmed. A matter that has not been fully investigated shall never be
considered

by the Convention. If a dispute arises as to whether there was "good cause,"
or whether the board made a "good faith effort," the National Convention
(acting

in its capacity as the supreme authority of the Federation) shall have the
power to make final disposition of the matter; but until or unless the
board's

action is reversed by the National Convention, the ruling of the board shall
continue in effect.

 

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