Bylaws
Revised 2010
ARTICLE
The name of this organization shall be Texas Association for
Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired and
shall be known in abbreviated form as TAER.
TAER is a State Chapter of the Association for the Education and
Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) and is
subject to all of its rules and regulations.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE
The purpose of TAER 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. TAER will:
Section 1. 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 2.
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 3.
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 4.
Foster research to advance the knowledge and skills for the
improvement of services to all persons who are blind or visually
impaired.
Section 5.
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 6.
Assist in the development of professional standards for specialized
programs serving persons who are blind or visually impaired.
Section 7.
Initiate, collaborate, and cooperate with other groups in the
development of programs for the benefit of persons who are blind or
visually impaired.
Section 8.
Increase public understanding of the etiology of visual impairment
and its impact on individuals and society.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1.
Eligibility. All persons, agencies, and organizations who are
members of the International Association, living or working within
the state of
Section 2.
Non-Discrimination. No person, agency, or organization otherwise
eligible shall be denied membership in the Association on the basis
of age, gender, race, religion, national origin, or disability.
Section 3.
Types of Membership. Membership in TAER shall consist of individual
and institutional members. Both types of membership shall be
renewable annually.
3.1
Individual Membership.
The Board shall establish, in policy, categories for individual
membership defining eligibility requirements, benefits and
privileges for each.
3.2
Institutional Membership.
The Board shall establish, in policy, categories of
institutional membership defining eligibility requirements and
benefits for each.
Section 4.
Membership Fees. Dues for individual and institutional memberships
shall be established by the International Association.
Section 5.
Membership Division. There shall be established membership divisions
to encourage and promote professional standards and/or improvement
of services to persons who are blind or visually impaired. Each
member, by virtue of membership in the Association, may select
membership in any of the divisions and if that member is a voting
member of the Association, he or she shall also be eligible to vote
in the selected division(s). Each division shall establish a
membership fee, pursuant to guidelines set by the Council of
Division Chairs and approved by the Board of Directors. Such fee
shall be collected by AER at the time the member pays AER's dues and
shall then be rebated to the appropriate division(s).
Each member of the Association shall have the privilege of attending
any duly held meeting of any division, but may vote only in those
divisions in which he/she is a member in good standing.
Each division shall elect from its membership a Chairperson-elect, a
Secretary, and any additional officers or Board as decided by
majority vote of the division members. Division officers shall serve
until their successors have been elected except that the
Chairperson-elect shall succeed to the Chair without election.
Each division shall adopt bylaws which are not in conflict with the
Bylaws of the Association. Such bylaws and any revision shall be
submitted to the Bylaws Committee of the Association for review and
recommendation for action by the Board of Directors. A division's
bylaws shall be on file in the Central Office of the Association.
The divisions of TAER shall be as follows and must have five (5)
members to be recognized:
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Division 1 - Administration
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Division 2 – Rehabilitation Counseling & Employment & BEP Services
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Division 3 - Multiple Disabilities & Deaf/Blind
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Division 4 - Psychosocial Services
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Division 5 - Information & Technology
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Division 7 - Low Vision
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Division 8 - Infant & Preschool
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Division 9 - Orientation & Mobility
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Division 10 - Education Curriculum
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Division 11 - Rehabilitation Teaching
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Division 15 - Division on Aging
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Division 16 - Itinerant Personnel
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Division 17 - Personnel Preparation
Section 6.
The membership shall serve as the lawmaking and policy making body
of the TAER. It shall elect the Board of Directors and officers of
the chapter.
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS
Section 1.
The officers of TAER shall consist of a President, President-Elect,
Secretary, Treasurer and Past-President.
Section 2. The officers,
except the President, shall be elected every two years by ballot
according to procedures in Article VIII. The President-Elect shall
succeed to the office of the President and then to the office of
Past-President without election for a term of one year. In the event
the office of the President-Elect becomes vacant, an additional
office of President will be added to the ballot.
Section 3:
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.
In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the
President-elect shall 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 President-elect, there shall be no replacement until the
annual election at which time there shall be elected a President and
President-elect. In the event of a vacancy in both the offices of
President and President-elect, 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 5.
Duties of Officers. Subject to the control of the Board, all
officers shall have authority and perform such duties in the
management of TAER as may be provided by the membership and these
Bylaws, as generally pertain to their respective offices.
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5. 1 The President shall preside over all meetings of the
membership and the Board of Directors.
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5.2 The President-elect shall 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.
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5.3 The Secretary shall be responsible for the records of the
Association and shall have the minutes of 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
the President-elect.
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5.4 The Treasurer shall be the chief financial officer and shall
be bonded. The Treasurer shall see that regular financial
statements are prepared in accordance with recognized accounting
principles and shall report to the Board of Directors prior to
the annual conference and may, under the direction of the Board,
report to the full membership at the annual conference. The
Treasurer shall preside at board meetings in the absence of the
President, President-elect, and Secretary.
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5.5 The Past-President shall serve as the Chairperson of the
Program Committee for the annual conference of TAER, and shall
serve as 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.
Authority. The Board of Directors shall consist of the officers of
the chapter and four other members in accordance with the
requirements of the Constitution and the terms of the Bylaws.
Section 2.
Directors. Four members shall be elected to the Board of Directors
with each one serving for a period of two years.
Two members of the Board of Directors will be elected
annually.
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.
Meetings. The Board of Directors shall meet at the annual
conference. The Board
shall hold no less than 2 meetings during the calendar year to be at
the call of the President or three other members of the Board.
The Board may participate in special meetings by means of
telephone conferencing or email.
Section 6.
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 7.
Ex-officio Members. International officers, International Board
members, regional officers and/or regional representatives shall be
ex-officio members of the organization, and shall serve with the
Board, but will have no voting status on the Board.
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 TAER.
Each Board member shall have one vote. No officer or Director shall
be permitted to assign his/her vote to another Board member.
Section 10.
Policy Implementation.
The Board of Directors shall have the authority to promulgate, rise
or repeal policies governing the orderly business of TAER.
Such policies and rules shall be:
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10. 1 adopted by the Board in final form;
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10. 2 included in the minutes of the meeting at which they were
adopted;
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10.3 published in a regularly updated Policy Manual to be made
routinely available to the TAER membership, and
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10.4be consistent with the Bylaws and with resolution adopted by
the TAER membership.
Section 11.
Annual Report and Budget. At the annual conference, the Board of
Directors shall present to the membership a report verified by the
President and the Treasurer and approved by an audit committee
selected by the Board, showing in detail the following:
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11.1 the assets and liabilities, including the trust funds, as
of the end of a twelve month fiscal period.
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11.2 the principal changes in assets and liabilities, including
trust funds, during said fiscal period.
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11.3 the revenue or receipts both unrestricted and restricted to
particular purposes, during said fiscal period.
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11.4 the expenses or disbursements for both general and
restricted purposes, during said fiscal period.
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11.5 the annual report shall be filed with the records of the
Texas Chapter and a copy thereof entered in the minutes of the
proceedings of the annual conference of the members. The Board
of Directors shall review and make recommendations concerning
the budget.
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 said organization. The following standing
committees are approved by the Board of Directors:
·
Nominating
·
Scholarships/Awards
·
Resolution
·
Constitution & Bylaws
·
History & Memorial
·
Annual Conference
·
Ways & Means
·
Public Relations
·
Membership
·
Audit
·
Legislative
Section 2.
Committee chairperson will be appointed by the President for a
period of one year. The
Nominating Committee Chair shall be the immediate Past President.
ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS
Section 1.
An annual conference shall 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
conference.
Section 2.
The purpose of the annual conference shall be to promote the
purposes of the Association and the interests of its membership.
Section 3.
TAER shall make every reasonable effort to schedule and hold its
annual conference 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. ELECTIONS
Section 1.
The purpose shall be to elect annually by a majority of the votes
cast by ballot the following officers: President-Elect, Secretary,
and Treasurer. Two members of the Board of Directors will be elected
annually.
Section 2.
All voting members of the Association shall be eligible to vote for
the offices of President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Board of
Directors.
Section 3.
Procedures
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3.1. The immediate Past President shall serve as the Chairperson
of the Nominating Committee and shall solicit from the
membership, via email, nominations for each elective office or
seat on the Board of Directors.
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3.2. Before any nomination shall be considered valid, the
nominee shall submit a written statement of willingness to serve
if elected. Current paid membership of the nominee and the
nominator will be verified.
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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 final election ballot.
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3.4. Voting shall be by secret ballot, done at the annual
conference, with each verified member casting his/her own
ballot.
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3.5. Each voting member may vote for one (1) candidate for each
elective office or board seat on the ballot.
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3.6. The candidate receiving the most votes for each elective
position shall become the holder of the office at the final
business meeting of the annual conference. In the event of a tie
vote in the election for any office, the election shall thereon
be decided by a drawn lot.
ARTICLE IX. CHAPTERS
Section 1.
Members of TAER shall reside or work in the State of
Section 2.
TAER shall aid in planning and shall support and participate in
regional and international meetings sponsored by the international
association.
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).
No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inure to the
benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, directors,
officers or other private persons, except that the organization
shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for
services rendered and to make payments and distributions in
furtherance of Section 501 (c) 3 purposes. No substantial part of
the activities of the organization shall be the carrying on of
propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and
the organization shall not participate in or intervene in (including
the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign
on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office.
Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the
organization shall not carry on any other activities not permitted
to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from Federal income
tax under Section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code (or
corresponding section of any future Federal tax code) or (b) by an
organization, contributions to which are deductible under Section
170) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding section of
any future Federal tax Code).
Upon the dissolution of this organization, assets shall be
distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of
Section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding
section of any future Federal tax code), or shall be distributed to
the Federal Government, or to a state or local government, for a
public purpose. However, if the named recipient is not then in
existence or no longer a qualified distribute, or unwilling or
unable to accept the distribution, then the assets of this
organization shall be distributed to a fund, foundation or
corporation organized and operated exclusively for the purposes
specified in Section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code (or
corresponding section of any future Federal tax code).
ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS
Section 1.
This Constitution and Bylaws may be amended at any business meeting
held during the annual conference or by mail ballot or email ballot
involving the entire voting membership of TAER.
Section 2.
The amendment shall originate in one of the following manners: 1)
submission by petition of at least ten voting members, or 2)
submission by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Section 3.
Notification. A proposed amendment shall be submitted to the Board
of Directors at least forty-five days prior to consideration by the
Board and shall, in turn, be submitted to the entire membership no
less than thirty days prior to the final vote by the membership.
Section 4.
Adoption of Amendments. Adoption of proposed amendments requires a
quorum and affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the voting
membership present at a business meeting or the affirmative vote of
at least two-thirds of mail ballots returned.
ARTICLE XI. QUORUM
Section 1.
A quorum at a regular business meeting shall be constituted by the
presence of at least twenty percent of the membership who registered
at the annual conference during which the business meeting is being
held.
ARTICLE XII. BUDGET AND FISCAL
Section 1.
In addition to the membership fees, TAER may accept gifts or
donations from interested individuals or groups and may conduct fund
raising activities as approved by the membership for the general
purposes or special projects of TAER.
Section 2.
All income shall be handled by the Treasurer. All monies shall be
deposited in accounts by the Treasurer and approved by the President
and Board of Directors. All funds deposited shall be reported to the
President and Board of Directors.
Section 3.
Regular expenditures of the Texas Chapter shall be made in
accordance with a budget prepared by the Treasurer and approved by
the Board of Directors. All checks for expenditures must be signed
by the Treasurer and co-signed by the President.
Section 4.
Special projects will be maintained under the direction of the Board
of Directors.
Section 5.
Any non-budgeted expenditure or amount(s) in excess of the approved
budget shall need the approval of the Board of Directors before
payment will be made.
ARTICLE XIII. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Section 1.
TAER, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution and Bylaws
or in rules adopted by the Board of Directors, shall be governed in
all of its meetings by parliamentary law as contained in Robert's
Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
Section 2. Upon the
opening of the annual membership business meeting and all board
meetings, the President will announce the name of a qualified member
who is at the meeting and who has agreed to serve as a
Parliamentarian.
ARTICLE XIV. AWARDS
Awards may be presented at the annual conference as recommended by
the Awards Committee. The awards are as follows:
Aubrey Boyd Tipps Memorial Award
- The Aubrey Boy Tipps Memorial Award is presented to an individual
or organization who consistently provides outstanding services in
the field of placement or persons who are blind or visually impaired
either in competitive employment or sheltered workshops.
Paraprofessional/Worker of the Year Award
- This award will honor a full-time paraprofessional or worker. The
award will be presented to a paraprofessional/worker who has
performed duties conscientiously, has taken pride in the work
performed, has shown initiative, has assumed additional
responsibility when called upon, and has demonstrated a good working
relationship with supervisors, co-workers, and the public. The
recipient shall have promoted an understanding of blindness and
acceptance of persons who are blind or visually impaired by the
public. This person will also actively promote independence with the
students he/she serves.
Sammie K. Rankin Memorial Award (Outstanding Member Award)
- This award is to be presented to an individual or organization who
is a member of the Association and has made an outstanding
contribution to services for persons who are blind and visually
impaired in
Julia L. Young Award
– This award is to be presented to an individual who has done
outstanding work with children who are visually impaired in
Natalie Barraga Award
– The Natalie Barraga Award recognizes excellence in public school
programs for students with visual impairments.
The award is given in honor of Dr. Natalie Barraga for her
long and distinguished career in the education of students with
visual impairments and in university personnel preparation.
Awards are given to a small program (1-20 students) and to a
large program (21 students and over).
School districts and special education cooperatives may enter
their programs in visual impairment for the award.
After a program has been nominated, an entry form will be
sent directly to the program to request more specific information.
Virginia Bishop Award
– This award is to be presented to an individual, group, or agency
who has contributed outstanding services and/or contributions to the
field of early childhood education in relation to blindness and
visual impairment.
Phil Hatlen Award
– The Phil Hatlen Award recognizes excellence in leadership and
innovative changes in the field of education of students with visual
impairments. This award is given in honor of Dr. Phil Hatlen for
exemplary and dedicated service to our field.
A visionary of change, Dr. Hatlen has been an inspiration to
countless professionals during his career as a teacher, university
professor in teacher preparation programs, and in his many
leadership roles in national and state organizations and committees.
Outstanding Parent of the Year Award
– This award will be presented to a parent or parents of a person
who is visually impaired who has demonstrated advocacy and
dedication on the interest of persons who are visually impaired.
Outstanding Student of the Year Award
– This award will be presented to an outstanding high school or
college student who has demonstrated unparalleled accomplishment in:
a) academic achievement, b) the pursuit of a vocational goal or c)
athletic performance.
Awards
– Other awards may be established and presented by the membership.
Amended and Approved by the TAER Membership at the Annual Conference
Business Meeting, March 27, 2010, at the El Tropicano Hotel, San
Antonio, Texas