Constitution & By Laws of New England AHEAD

Mission: 

New England AHEAD is dedicated to serving higher education disability professionals through promoting best practices and providing educational opportunities in order to mitigate institutional access barriers. Through thoughtful collaboration, we cultivate a knowledge community of regional partnerships and foster conversations that enable our members to confidently address unique challenges of disability access, equity, and justice in higher education.

Article I: Name and Affiliation

Section 1: The name of the undersigned Non-Profit Corporation shall be New England AHEAD (NE AHEAD).
No part of the earnings shall incur the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, or other private persons, except for reasonable compensation for services render and payments in furtherance of the association’s purposes.
No substantial part of the activities shall involve propaganda or attempts to influence legislation, and the association shall not participate in political campaigns.
 
Section 2: NE AHEAD is an affiliate of the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), which is an international, multicultural organization of professionals committed to the full participation in higher education for people with disabilities. AHEAD addresses issues of accessibility and equity to achieve universal access in higher education.
 
Section 3: The principal office of the association is located in Worcester County Massachusetts. Member states in the NE AHEAD affiliation include Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Article 2: Structure

NE AHEAD is created as a volunteer professional organization directed by a volunteer Executive Board. The Executive Board will be comprised of elected officials whose responsibility will be to carry out the mission of the NE AHEAD affiliation through policy formation, execution of fiduciary responsibilities, and maintenance and growth of the organization.

Article 3: Purpose

The association is organized exclusively for educational purposes and qualifies as an exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. NE AHEAD is designed to provide educational and professional development opportunities and develop a region-wide network for disability support services. The focus of the organization includes:
 
  • Promoting the equal rights and opportunities of students with disabilities in postsecondary education.
  • Promoting coordination between agencies working with postsecondary students with disabilities.
  • Encouraging and supporting legislation for the benefit of postsecondary students with disabilities.
  • Providing  a vehicle which will strengthen the professionalism, expertise, and competency of personnel working with post-secondary students with disabilities through:
    • Encouraging the development and expansion of a communications network primarily for those people professionally involved in programs for students with disabilities.
    • Developing the capability to make timely and meaningful responses to issues and concerns affecting the educational resources, and environment of students with disabilities.
    • Serving as a mechanism to facilitate the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of information for people professionally involved in programs for students with disabilities.
    • Promoting research, evaluation, programmatic and fiscal planning, and training for members of the Association to educate the public and public officials to the concerns of postsecondary students with disabilities.
  • Explore areas of qualifications of people working with students with disabilities on post-secondary campuses and promote the professional status and recognition of such people.

Article 4: Membership

Section 1: Membership Benefits:
Membership shall be open and available to any interested person according to the membership categories and dues categories as established by the Executive Board and contained in the By-laws. The benefits of membership include notice of educational materials and publications produced and/or distributed by NE AHEAD, reduced registration fees for regional events and conference; eligibility to apply for scholarships/fee waivers for regional events and conferences; eligibly to run for office, participate and/or chair committees, and vote in NE AHEAD elections. Additional benefits may be determined by the Executive Board.
 
Section 2: Membership Categories:
  • Individual Member: shall be any individual active in the field of disabled student services, higher education professional or other interested individual. Each individual member is entitled to one vote in the organization.
  • Institutional Member: this level of membership allows up to three individuals from an institution to be a member of the organization. Each of these three individuals is entitled to one vote in the organization. Additional members from that institution may be added at an additional cost.
  • Graduate Student Member: any student interested in the field of accessible student services and/or participating in those services may join at a reduced cost. Each student is entitled to one vote in the organization.
Section 3: Membership Dues:
Membership will be open and available to any interested people according to the membership categories and dues categories established by the Executive Board. Membership applications and renewals will be sent out annually with dues to the organization payable with a priority date of November 15th.  Membership shall operate on an academic year calendar of July 1-June 30, and memberships not paid in a timely manner may result in termination of the membership. 
Section 4: Earnings:
No part of the earnings shall incur the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, or other private people, except for reasonable compensation for services render and payments in furtherance of the association’s purposes.
Dues collected will be utilized to support the mission of NE AHEAD and provide professional development opportunities for members and support the purpose of the organization as stated in Article 3.
 
Section 4: Membership Meetings:
NE AHEAD member meetings are scheduled monthly from September to June. The Executive Board will post in August the dates and times of member meetings. Members are welcome to add agenda items to the monthly meeting by submitting them to the Executive Board prior to the meeting.

Article 5: Executive Board Elections

Section 1: Authority: 
The executive authority of NE AHEAD shall rest with the Executive Board as described below. The executive Board shall use the Constitution and By-laws contained herein as the ultimate authority for the organization
 
Section 2: Elected Officers and Board Meetings:
The Executive Board on NE AHEAD shall consist of the President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Chair, Assistive Technology Chair, and Community College Chair. The Board meets at the beginning of the month prior to the full member meeting. The Executive Board retreats in June to onboard new Executive members and to plan for the coming year.
 
Section 3: Election Cycle:
Nominations for Executive Board positions will be available to the membership by April 1st. Candidates will be confirmed by the April member meeting and elections will take place by the first week of May. The winners of the election will be announced to the membership by email prior to the May membership meeting. If there is a vacancy on the Executive Board, the remaining members of the Board shall designate a replacement subject to the approval of the membership at the next scheduled monthly meeting. 

Article 6: Duties and Terms of the Executive Board

  • President- shall preside at all meetings of the organization and perform such other duties as pertain to that office. The President shall be the Chairperson of the Executive Board and shall be an ex officio member of all committees. The President shall appoint the Chairperson of committees subject to the approval of the elected officers. The President shall submit an annual report and other required documents to AHEAD national. The President shall serve a 2-year term. 
  • President-Elect- shall, in the absence of the President, perform all the duties of the President with the same authority afforded to the President. The President-Elect shall be the Association's Standing Committees Coordinator and, in such a capacity, shall coordinate and assist as appropriate the functions of all Standing Committees as directed by the President. Note: this position serves with the President for one year then transitions to the President role for 1-year.
  • Secretary- shall be responsible for recording the proceedings of all meetings of the Association and the Executive Council and shall conduct the correspondence of the Association. The Secretary serves a 1-year term.
  • Treasurer- shall be responsible for receiving and disbursing all monies of the Association under policies approved by the Association. They shall keep adequate and appropriate records of such receipts and disbursements. The Treasurer shall perform the duties customary to the office and such additional duties as may be directed by the Association. The Treasurer shall submit regular reports to the Executive Council and an annual report to the Association. The Treasurer serves a 2-year term.
  • Membership Chair- shall be responsible for recruiting and maintaining the members of the Association. The Membership chair shall submit regular reports to the Executive Council and provide an annual report to the Association. The Membership Chair serves a 1-year term.
  • Assistive Technology Chair- shall provide the Association with educational opportunities and best practices regarding current trends in assistive technology. The Assistive Technology Chair serves a 1-year term.
  • Community College Chair- shall work with the Membership chair to increase participation from community colleges in the Association. The Community College chair shall ensure the perspective of the 2-year college experience is embedded in the activities of the organization. The Community College Chair serves a 1-year term.

Article 7: Finance

Section 1: Responsibility: The Executive Board is responsible for maintaining the fiscal integrity of NE AHEAD and for ensuring financial stability and growth. The Treasurer shall serve as the chief financial officer for the organization.
 
Section 2: Fiscal Year: The fiscal year of NE AHEAD shall be from July 1 to June 30.
 
Section 3: Income: Income shall be derived from membership dues and such other sources as the Executive Board may approve within the guidelines set by the IRS for non-profit organizations.
 
Section 4. Transactions: All financial transactions, fees and reference made thereto will be in U.S. funds.
 
Section 5: Disbursement: NE AHEAD funds shall be determined by the Executive Board and used for the purpose and mission of the organization as contained in Article 3 and Article 4 of this document. No part of the net earnings of NE AHEAD will be disbursed for the benefit of any member, officer, sponsor or private individual, except when such a payment is warranted as the responsible compensation for services rendered to or for the organization in effecting its purpose.

Article 8: Committees

The President, with the approval of the Executive Board, shall name standing and ad hoc committees as deemed necessary to conduct the business of NE AHEAD. All such committees shall operate within the purpose and mission of NE AHEAD as contained in Article 3 of this document, and the shall be specifically charged as to their purpose and function. Standing committees shall remain in operation at the discretion of the Executive Board and dismissed upon completion of their duties.

Article 9: Rules of Order

Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall be the parliamentary reference for proceedings of NE AHEAD unless otherwise specified in the By-laws. The President may appoint a parliamentarian for all voting meetings for NE AHEAD.  Reference: Robert's Rule Reference

Article 10: Amendments 

This constitution may be amended at a duly called meeting, with a 30-day notice in writing to all members, whereby an affirmative vote is cast by two-thirds of the voting members present.

Article 11: Accessibility

NE AHEAD shall hold all meetings, conferences, programs, activities, and social events in places in which the environment is accessible to all participants. Registration forms for all activities of NE AHEAD shall include an invitation to request accommodation in advance of the event. NE AHEAD will provide reasonable accommodations that are requested in advance. Written materials generated by NE AHEAD shall be made accessible in an alternate format if requested in advance. NE AHEAD will utilize the AHEAD.org website as a repository or NE AHEAD general information that shall meet the accessibility standards as detailed in Section 508 and /or W3C.  NE AHEAD Affiliate Information

Article 12: Implementation

This Constitution shall be implemented and go into effect immediately by two-thirds of the voting members present at a duly called meeting of the NE AHEAD members.

Article 13: Dissolution Clause

Upon the dissolution of NE AHEAD, the Executive Board shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all the liabilities of the Association, dispose of all of the assets of the association, exclusively for the purposes of the association in such manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for the charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501 (c)  (3) of the Internal Revenue code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), as the Executive Council shall determine.  Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the country in which the principal office of the Association is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization of organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
 
Updated April 2025