Article 1: Name, Territory, and Description

Section 1. The name of the organization is SELF (Seeking Equality Leading to Fairness).

Section 2. The organization shall conduct its activities throughout Arizona.

Section 3. SELF is a self advocacy group which operates to form a diverse community of self-advocates who work together toward uplifting each other's voices and achieving an equal place in society. 

Article 2: Purpose

The purpose of SELF is to uplift the voices of citizens with disabilities and seek for equality and fairness, providing them a seat at the table to make decisions and hold those in power accountable.

Article 3: Membership

Section 1. The membership of SELF shall be people with and without disabilities who believe in the purpose of the organization. Voting members shall be people who have a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Non-voting members shall be people without disabilities.

Section 2. The categories of membership shall be:

• Self-advocates (voting members)

• Advisors (non-voting members)

These categories shall be as defined by the Executive Committee.

Section 3. Any member in good standing must have the following qualifications:

• Must be aligned with the purpose of SELF

• Must agree and follow SELF’s Code of Conduct

Section 4. Rights/Limitations

Voting members in good standing shall:

• Have the right to participate in SELF general meetings

• Have the right to vote for officers and decide by majority consensus what actions the self advocacy group shall take

• Have the right to participate and post on SELF social media pages and channels (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, etc.)

Non-voting members (advisors) in good standing shall:

• Have the right to participate in SELF general meetings

• Have the right to participate and post on SELF social media pages and channels (Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, etc.)

Section 5. General Membership Meetings

General membership meetings will be held twice a month over zoom. 

Article 4: Officers 

Section 1. The Officer roles shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Outreach Officer, Social Media Officer, and Member at Large. No officer shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same position. A term shall be one election period.

Section 2. Duties

• President: The President shall preside over meetings, work with the executive committee and Lead Advisor to prepare an agenda, guides a vote, and will adjourn meetings

• Vice President: The Vice President shall assist the President in presiding over the general and executive committee meetings, take roll call, covers the previous meeting, and takes over Presidential duties when needed

• Outreach Officer: The Outreach Officer shall reach out to potential new members, and collaborate with other groups

• Social Media Officer: The Social Media Officer shall help the advisors maintain SELF social media and oversee interaction with others online

• Member at Large: The Member at Large shall lead special projects for the group, remind members to come to meetings, and mentor new group members 

• Each of the officers shall embody the values of SELF

• Each of the officer positions shall have the support needed to fulfill the duties of their position

• Each officer roles will be subject to change according to the Lead Advisor based on the limitations of each officer

Section 3. Term Limits

• President: 2 Years

• Vice President: 2 Years

• Outreach Officer: 2 Years

• Social Media Officer: 2 Years

• Member at Large: 2 Years

Article 5: Executive Committee

Section 1. Executive Committee

 The Executive Committee shall consist of all the officers of SELF and shall be empowered to manage affairs between meetings (with assistance from the Lead Advisor).

 A consensus of officers or the Lead Advisor may call a meeting to order at any time on an ad hoc (as they happen) basis.

Section 2. A member can be suspended or removed by the Executive Committee if a consensus of officers agree that they have engaged in any of the following:

• A high degree of unruly conduct (picking fights)

• Violating the Code of Conduct 

• Physically or verbally hurting other members 

• Not following the bylaws on a regular basis

• Continually being in trouble with the advisors and/or officers 

Article 6: Finances

Section 1. Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the organization shall be in line with its fiscal sponsor, The Arc of Tempe.

Section 2. Funds

All funds received by the organization shall be credited to The Arc of Tempe. All checks drawn by the organization shall be signed by The Arc of Tempe.

Section 3. Accounting

All funds and expenditures shall be accounted for according to appropriate accounting procedures and shall be supervised by the The Arc of Tempe.

Article 7: Advisors

Advisors are non-voting members of SELF who are willing to actively support the goals of SELF.

Advisors for SELF must know how to help people understand information and how to help people without taking over the responsibilities of the Executive Committee.

Section 1. General Advisor:

• An advisor should have the ability and availability to communicate and network with other advisors (including the Lead Advisor) in their own region and wherever else it is

• An advisor will follow the direction of the Lead Advisor 

• They shall have the following qualifications:

  • Be aligned with SELF’s purpose 

  • Have either formal or informal experience interacting with people with disabilities 

  • Support and care about people with disabilities

  • Ability and availability to communicate (through email and social media) with members in their own region and wherever else necessary or requested. 

  • Ability to get support to do the things that members have difficulty with (reading, writing, traveling)

  • Ability to work with others cooperatively

  • Ability to get along with people

  • Good character (i.e. honest)

  • Ability to get time off to come to SELF meetings

  • Ability to express (communicate) oneself in one way or another

  • Ability and willingness to follow the consensus of voting-members

  • Ability to lead meetings when the Lead Advisor is not present 

  • Have US Citizenship

Responsibilities:

• Think about and support the whole group rather than just one member 

• Help members think about how to use their individual rights 

• Have fun and socialize with the members 

• Help with research and preparation for SELF meetings and events

• Support the officers and lead advisor in their roles

Duties:

• To provide information about issues and to assist in discussion by helping the voting-members to list a variety of options and by pointing out the possible consequences 

• To support the voting-members in learning how to participate in and lead the meeting, in developing self-advocacy skills, and in learning about rights and responsibilities

Section 2. Lead Advisor

• The Lead Advisor should have the ability and availability to communicate and network with other advisors in their own region and wherever else it is

• The Lead Advisor will direct other advisors in pursuit of SELF’s mission and goals 

• They shall have the same qualifications, duties and responsibilities as a general advisor

• They also shall have:

  • Experience as an advisor with a local/statewide self-advocacy organization for at least six months 

  • Ability to come to every SELF meeting (when another advisor cannot be present)

  • Ability to work with the Executive Committee to create an agenda and prepare for SELF meetings

  • Ability to enforce the removal of members at the behest of the Executive Committee

  • Ability to publicly represent SELF at non-SELF events, meetings and conferences 

Section 3. Removal of Advisors

Advisors can be suspended or removed by Officers for the same reasons as voting-members can be removed (see Article 5, Section 2).

Section 4. Replacement of Advisors

• Any advisor who resigns must do so by letter

• Advisors will be selected based on the qualifications (Article 7, Section 1 & 2)

• If a position of advisor is vacant and the executive committee deems it necessary to fill this position, the executive committee will elect an advisor to fill the position at the soonest convenience 

Article 8: Amendment of Bylaws

The bylaws may be amended by Officers by a two-thirds vote of those present, provided written notice of the proposed changes has been sent to all members at least 14 days prior to the meeting.