BYLAWS
Visually Impaired Computer Users'
Group of New York City

Article I.  Name

Article II.  Purpose

The purpose of VICUG is to:

A) Encourage, educate, and support new users of computer and access technology.

B) Facilitate advanced users in keeping abreast of developments in access and information technology

C) Advocate for technologies which are fully accessible to, and usable by, all members of society, especially those who are blind or visually impaired.

Article III.  Officers

Section 1.

Section 2.  Duties

A) The President shall preside at all meetings and ensure that meetings are conducted in an organized and orderly fashion. The President shall appoint all committees with the approval of the Executive Committee. If an officer fails to attend three consecutive regular meetings without good cause, or resigns, the President may declare the office vacant an appoint a replacement for the duration of the term, subject to ratification by the membership.

B) The Vice-President shall take the place of the President during any absence, or upon the President's resignation.

C) The Secretary shall take minutes at all meetings and make them available to members, as well as the WebMaster/ListOwner for publication. Additionally, the Secretary shall maintain a file of outgoing correspondence, as well as significant correspondence which may be received by VICUG.

D) The Treasurer shall receive all the moneys belonging to VICUG and deposit them in a reputable bank or banks within a reasonable period of time. The Treasurer shall pay all debts approved by the Executive Committee. Payments in excess of $25.00 shall be by check or money order signed by the Treasurer and one additional director. Payments of $25.00 or less may be made in cash and evidenced by a receipt. The Treasurer shall keep all financial and membership records.

E) The WebMaster/ListOwner shall maintain the VICUG NYC web site and VIC-NYC, the group's electronic mailing list. The WebMaster/ListOwner must have demonstrated a clear mastery of HTML4, CSS2, and a thorough knowledge of accessible web design. (Amendment unanimously adapted October 20, 1997)

Article IV.  Duties of Executive Committee

Section 1.

The Executive Committee shall consider and recommend to the membership such policies, plans, and issues which, in the judgement of the Committee, are in the best interest of the organization.

Section 2.

Members may attend any Executive Committee meeting and may present ideas for discussion. However, only Executive Committee members have voting privileges.

Section 3.

Any formal decision of the Executive Committee is subject to review and reversal by a two-thirds vote of the membership in attendance at the next regularly scheduled General Membership meeting.

Article V.  Membership

Section 1.

Affiliation with VICUG shall be recognized by the payment of membership dues, which shall be set from time to time as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee with the approval of with the approval of a simple majority of the members present.

Section 2.

Membership dues shall be payable each calendar year. Payment of dues during the last quarter of any year shall entitle the individual to membership for that quarter and the entire following year.

Section 3.

Membership shall be open to all persons who have an interest in the use of computers and adaptive technologies which make computers accessible to the visually or physically impaired.

Section 4.

Membership shall not be denied because of a person's age, color, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or degree of visual acuity.

ARTICLE VI.  Meetings

Section 1.

General Membership Meetings shall be held once a month. Executive Committee meetings shall be held regularly, but no less frequently than once per quarter. The time and place of meetings shall be determined by the Executive Committee.

Section 2.

VICUG is committed to making itself open and accessible to all those wishing to attend and/or participate. Therefore, best efforts will be made to choose accessible sites and media.

Section 3.

Special Executive Committee meetings may be called by the President, or any three (3) members of the Executive Committee, to discuss specific agenda items. Executive Committee members shall be notified in writing concerning the time, place, and specific agenda of any special Commiteee meetings. Only specified agenda items for which the special meeting is called shall be discussed.

Section 4.

The quorum at a General Membership Meeting shall be thirty percent of the membership. The quorum at a meeting of the Executive Committee shall be three (3) Executive Committee members, two (2) of which must be directors.

Section 5.

In the event of a tie vote, the item shall be tabled until the next meeting.

Section 6.

Voting privileges at General Membership Meetings shall be limited to members in good standing.

Section 7.

All procedural aspects not explicitly covered in these bylaws shall be resolved in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order.

ARTICLE VII.  Elections

Section 1.

Nominations for officers will take place at the General Membership Meeting prior to elections. No member may nominate any other member without first obtaining that member's assurance that he or she will serve if elected. Persons nominated must be members in good standing. Immediately prior to the election, additional nominations shall be accepted from the floor.

Section 2.

Elections will be held annually in October.

Section 3.

The order of elections will be in the same order as the positions are listed in Article III, Section 1. Nominations from the floor will be accepted immediately before the election for each office. Candidates who are defeated in the election for an office may be nominated for election to other offices at that time.

Section 4.

In the event of a tie vote, an immediate runoff election will be held between the candidates receiving the two highest vote totals.

ARTICLE VIII.  Committees

The Executive Committee shall establish standing committees from time to time as appropriate.

ARTICLE IX.  Property and Income

Section 1.

All property and income of VICUG shall be used to promote the organization's purpose as set forth in ARTICLE II.

Section 2.

No property or income may be use for the personal benefit of members or officers.

Section 3.

VICUG may pay usual and customary fees for services rendered.

ARTICLE X.  Code of Ethics

No member may represent VICUG without the written authorization of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE XI.  Amendments

Section 1.

These Bylaws may be amended by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the membership.

Section 2.

Membership shall receive notice of proposed amendments to the Bylaws no later than the General Membership Meeting prior to the meeting at which the Bylaws are to be voted upon.

ARTICLE XII.  Dissolution

Upon the dissolution of this organization, the Executive Committee shall, after paying or making provision for payment of all of the liabilities of the organization, dispose of all assets of the organization to other local non-profit organizations that serve a similar purpose.

adopted by unanimous vote of the General Membership June 9, 1997
last amended by unanimous vote of the Membership, October 20, 1997

Terminal Index

1. Directions to the TAB/Selis Manor Building

2. Take Aim at a Moving Target

3. Join VIC-NYC, the emailing list of VICUG NYC

4. Learn how to network with other VICUGs

5. Contact and Learn More About VICUG NYC Members

6. Return to VICUG NYC's front page

7. Return to the top of this page

This page was created on June 4, 1997
Hypertext last modified September 3, 2003