Bylaws

I. Name and Purpose

The name of this organization shall be the Section on Women’s Issues in Rehabilitation Psychology, a Section of the Division of Rehabilitation Psychology (22) of the American Psychological Association (hereinafter may be referred to as the Section, the Division, and the APA, respectively).
Consonant with the objectives of the Division of Rehabilitation Psychology and the American Psychological Association as expressed in Article 1 of their respective Bylaws, the purposes of the Section are to encourage, promote, and facilitate contributions by division members and other psychologists to the field of Rehabilitation Psychology particularly as they pertain to women, and to represent the interests of women to the Division within the APA and to external constituencies. Specifically, the goals of this Section are described under four major headings:

I. Professional Support:

To bring together rehabilitation psychologists and other affiliates who specialize and/or have an interest in a broad range of women’s issues in Rehabilitation Psychology;
To maintain a network of support for and a forum for sharing ideas and common experiences among rehabilitation psychologists and other affiliates who specialize and/or have an interest in a broad range of women’s issues in Rehabilitation Psychology;
To promote, by mentoring and other means, the advancement of women in Rehabilitation Psychology who represent diverse races/ethnicities and cultures, socioeconomic classes, sexual orientations, gender expressions, physical and mental abilities, ages, religions, nationalities, and worldviews.
To encourage, nominate, and support women for awards as well as their appointment and election to positions of leadership in the Division and the APA.

II. Education, Training, and Distribution of Information:

To be instrumental in raising the awareness of a broad range of women’s issues within Rehabilitation Psychology;
To define, promote, and support the professional education and training of rehabilitation psychologists and other affiliates who specialize in a broad range of women’s issues that are consistent with the Bylaws and Rules of the APA and Division 22;
To cooperate with Division 22, other divisions (e.g., Divisions 35, 44, 45, and 51), and the APA as a whole, including those boards and committees (e.g., Committee on Women in Psychology) that are concerned with the education and training of psychologists who work with women from diverse populations and a with broad range of women’s issues;
To work with other organizations (such as the Association for Women in Psychology) on a broad range of issues facing women in psychology and rehabilitation;
To organize and promote meetings, sessions, and conferences pertaining to a broad range of women’s issues in Rehabilitation Psychology;
To encourage the preparation and publication of technical and professional manuals, reports, guides, etc., pertaining to a broad range of women’s issues within Rehabilitation Psychology.

III. Scientific Affairs and Scholarship:

To provide summaries of current knowledge and practice pertaining to diverse groups of women in rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Psychology, and psychology as a whole;
To provide leadership in identifying cutting edge and other significant issues for research and publication pertaining to women and rehabilitation;
To encourage research on a broad range of women’s issues by members and affiliates of the Section, Division, and other appropriate groups;
To develop and implement new avenues for the distribution of scholarship in Rehabilitation Psychology pertaining to women.

IV. Professional Practice:

To extend application of the knowledge and methods of the science of psychology to rehabilitation and women in health and welfare agencies, educational institutions, industrial or business enterprises, consulting, and private practice;
To promote high standards of competence in the rehabilitation of women that take into consideration implications for working with diverse groups of women;
To encourage the development of organizational patterns and administrative procedures that will facilitate gender-sensitive and multiculturally competent treatment of women clients, employees, students, and members;
To formulate, refine, interpret, and promote practice standards and ethical principles and practices that are consistent with the Bylaws and Rules of APA and Division 22 for all psychologists who work with women.

V. Advocacy and Public Interest:

To promote public understanding of a broad range of women’s issues in Rehabilitation Psychology;
To increase public and professional awareness of a broad range of women’s issues in rehabilitation and diversity among women, including differences in races/ethnicities and cultures, socioeconomic classes, sexual orientations, gender expressions, physical and mental abilities, ages, religions, nationalities, and worldviews.
3. To increase public and professional awareness of women’s unique experiences of bias and barriers within social and professional networks and the potential consequences of these on health, socioeconomic status, and vocational or professional advancement.

II. Membership

I. The membership of the Section shall consist of two categories: Section Member and Section Student Affiliate, according to the conditions stated herein.

Member: Any Associate, Member, or Fellow of the Division who has an interest in the purposes of the Section may apply to be a member of the Section. A member shall be entitled to all rights and privileges of the Section, is eligible to vote in Section elections, and is eligible to hold appointed offices, and is eligible to serve on Section committees or task forces. Any Section member who is a voting member (Member or Fellow) of the Division is eligible to hold elected office.
Student Affiliates: Any student belonging to either Division 22 or APAGS who has an interest in the purposes of the Section may apply for affiliate status in the Section. Student affiliates of the Section shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of the Section, except that they not eligible to hold elected office. They are eligible to hold appointed office, serve on Section committees and task forces, and vote in Section elections.

II. At least 25 of the members of the Section must be voting members (i.e., Members or Fellows) of Division 22.

III. Dues: All members and affiliates will pay Section dues according to their income (details of dues in Article VIII, Section 1).

IV. General Procedures:

Each applicant for election as a member or affiliate of the Section must complete the application forms approved by the Section Governing Board. A list of Sections and contact persons will be sent to all Division members or potential members by the Division 22 Membership Chairperson. Applications for Section members are available through the Section Membership Committee Chairperson. The criterion for membership is expressed interest in joining the Section for Women’s Issues in Rehabilitation.
Applications for Section Membership (Members and Student Affiliates) are reviewed and processed by the Section Membership Committee and reported annually to the Section Chair.

III. Officers

I. All elected Section officers must be voting members (Members or Fellows) of Division 22. The elected officers of the Section shall be the Chair, Chair-elect, Treasurer, Membership Chair, and Past-Chair. The term of office of the Chair shall be two years. The term of office of the Chair-elect shall be one year. The term of office for the Past-chair shall be two years. The term of office for the Treasurer, Membership Chair, and Newsletter Editor each shall be two years. All terms of office will run from the end of the annual business meeting of the Section following the election to the end of the annual business meeting of the Section of the appropriate calendar year. All officers of the Section shall serve on the Section Governing Board. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Section and the Governing Board, exercise general supervision of the affairs of the Section, prepare an annual budget with the Treasurer, and be a member of the Elections and Awards Committees. The Chair shall issue all official calls to meetings, maintain records of Section Governing Board Meetings, appoint a Scribe for the Annual Business Meeting, and maintain written communication with Division 22 and other relevant bodies. Other responsibilities of the Chair include, but are not limited to:

Appointing chairs of Section committees;
Delegating responsibility for special projects or tasks not specifically assigned in the Bylaws;
Coordinating APA Programs and Hospitality Suite activities in conjunction with the Division 22 Program Committee;
Planning the agenda and making local arrangements for Section and Governing Board Meetings;
Responding in the name of the section, with appropriate consultation with the Governing Board if necessary, to requests from individuals or organizations;
Articulating and advocating Section positions to others;
Providing for appropriate recognition of retiring Section officers;
Serving as a voting member of the Division 22 Executive Board. The Section recognizes that the Division 22 Executive Board or President appoints all liaisons, monitors, and observers to any APA Committees or Boards and other organizations. The Section may provide suggestions for liaisons, monitors, or observers to the Division 22 President.

II. The primary role of the Chair-Elect is to work closely with the Chair in an apprenticeship capacity. The Chair-Elect, in the absence of the Chair, will preside at meetings and shall carry out such other duties as may be assigned by the Chair or the Section Governing Board. In the event that the office of Chair is vacated in the first year of the term, the Past-Chair will assume the full functions of the Chair. In the event that the office of Chair is vacated in the second year of the term, the Chair-Elect shall assume the full functions of the Chair with advisement from the Past-Chair.

III. The Treasurer shall have custody of all Section funds and shall: Collect, or verify the collection of, dues and assessments; authorize disbursements and make payments in accordance with the budget and the rules set forth by the Section Governing Board; prepare an annual report and such interim reports as may be ordered; and with the Chair, prepare an annual budget for adoption by the Section Governing Board. The Treasurer will submit an annual report of income and expenditures and a proposed budget to the Division 22 Executive Board at its midyear meeting. The Treasurer will submit semi-annual reports to the Division 22 Treasurer showing income and expenditures in the line-item format used by APA. These reports are due July 15 and December 1 of each year. The Treasurer will work closely with the Membership Chair to maintain the Section Membership database.

IV. The Membership Chair shall be responsible for the creation and revision of the Section Membership Brochure, recruiting new Section members and affiliates, responding to membership inquiries, working closely with the Treasurer in maintaining the Section database, and providing mailing labels as needed in the ongoing business of the Section.

V. The Chair shall be responsible for the collection of Articles and information for the Division 22 Newsletter. The Newsletter Editor shall be responsible for including the following disclaimer in every Section Newsletter: “The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the policies of the American Psychological Association, the Division of Rehabilitation Psychology, or its Sections.”

VI. The Past-Chair is the most immediately retired Chair of the Section and shall serve as a member of the Section Governing Board for the two years immediately following the term of office as Chair. The Past-Chair serves as the ex-officio Chair of the Section Election and Awards/Appointment Committees. If for any reason the Past-Chair cannot complete the term of office, the office shall remain vacant throughout the balance of the term in which this occurs, and the Chair will appoint Election and Awards/Appointment Chairs.

VII. In case of departure from elected office of the Chair-Elect, Treasurer, Membership Chair, or Newsletter Editor, the Section Governing Board by majority vote shall make a pro tem appointment to serve until a successor can be duly elected to complete the unfinished term

IV. Governing Board

The Section’s Governing Board shall be comprised of elected officers (Chair, Chair-Elect, Past-Chair, Treasurer, and Membership Chair) and Chairs of Section Committees and Task Forces. Each Officer is elected for two years except the Chair-Elect, who is elected for one year. Chairs of Section committees and task forces shall serve variable terms to be decided by the Section Governing Board.
The Section Governing Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Section and carry out the specific functions and duties assigned to it by various articles in these Bylaws and by actions of the members in annual or special meetings.
The Section Governing Board shall meet annually during the APA Convention. Other meetings will be convened as needed. Under special circumstances, there can be a called meeting if a task force leader, committee or subcommittee chair, or member requests this formally in order to resolve an issue related to the purpose and interests of the Proposed Section. Although these meetings ordinarily shall be open, the Section Governing Board may, upon a two-thirds majority vote, convene in executive session. These executive sessions are intended for consideration of such matters as personnel decisions, legal affairs, and fiscal issues.
The Section Governing Board will make reports of its own actions and of committee and task force activities to the members and the Executive Board of Division 22, including, as a minimum, reports at the annual conventions of the American Psychological Association.

The Section Governing Board shall be responsible for ensuring that:

The Section complies with Division 22's Bylaws;
The Section refrains from any activity that creates the potential for legal risk to the Section, Division, or the APA;
Section officers attend the APA-sponsored Division educational training on legal risk management;
Section officers submit to the Division’s Executive Board for approval its initial Bylaws and any proposed changes in its Bylaws;
Section officers avoid scheduling Section meetings or conferences at times that may conflict with Division 22 business meetings or regional conferences;
Section officers submit to the Division’s Executive Board for review and approval on a semi-annual basis the following:
A proposed budget with specified line items;
Membership application forms;
A roster of names and addresses of officers;
A membership list verified to assure that all Section members are either Division members, Divisional affiliates, or members of APA who are not members of the Division;
Mid-year and year-end activity reports;
The Treasurer’s report which includes actual income and expenses;
Any proposed changes in the Section Bylaws and Rules and Procedures;
Copies of any publications (e.g., directories, newsletters, Section brochures, conference programs); and
Reports of proposed change in the governance structure (e.g., new committees, ad hoc groups) not contained in the Section Bylaws.

Chairs of Section Committees and Task Forces are appointed by the Chair and serve on the Section Governing Board. These include, but are not limited to, the Student Network, Multicultural Voices Task Force, and Strategic Planning Committee. Committee chairs will report on the activities of their committees at the annual meeting of the Section.

V. Nominations and Elections

The elected Officers (Chair, Chair-Elect, Treasurer, and Membership Chair) shall be elected by a plurality mail ballot vote of all ballots cast by all members in good standing.
The Past-Chair will oversee Nominations and Elections. It shall be the duty of the Past-Chair to conduct and supervise the e-mail elections of the Section.
The Past-Chair shall issue a call for nominations to the membership in the Winter edition of the Division 22 newsletter.
The following staggered schedule of terms of office shall govern the call for nominations elections of new officers and the taking of office by the Chair and Past-Chair:
Odd-numbered Years Even-numbered Years
Chair Elect Treasurer
Membership Chair Chair
Past-Chair
The Past-Chair shall certify a list of names of persons who are nominated for each office, secure permission for candidates to be placed on the mail ballot, and prepare a ballot for e-mailing to voting members.
The Past-Chair will coordinate Section nominations and elections with those of the Division and the APA. The election results shall be reported by the Section to the Division 22 Executive Board at least one month prior to the Division’s next regularly scheduled Executive Board Meeting.

VI. Meetings

The annual meeting of the Section shall take place during the Annual Convention of the APA, in the same locality, for the transaction of business and discussion of professional matters.
The presence of 7 members shall constitute a quorum for conducting the business of the Section at the annual business meeting.
Notice of the annual meeting shall appear in the Division 22 Newsletter (Summer/Convention issue).
Members may introduce agenda topics to be addressed at the annual business meeting of the Section by contacting the Chair in advance of the meeting. The deadline for submission of agenda items will be announced in the Section’s Summer Newsletter. If necessary, agenda items can be introduced during the “New Business” portion of the annual business meeting.
A special circumstance or issue-related meeting may be called if the Chair is approached by a task force leader or committee chair and the stated purpose of the meeting if clearly relevant to the interests and focus of the Section.

VII. Dues and Finances

The Section, with approval by the Division 2 Executive Board, may assess dues from its members and affiliates if so indicated by a majority vote. These individual Section dues shall not exceed the sum of one-half (½) the total individual dues and assessments charged by the Division during the preceding year. In addition, although not exceeding one-half (½) of the total Division dues, the Section will employ a graduated dues structure that will allow members and affiliates to pay dues according to their income. The Section Treasurer, with oversight of the Division Executive Board, shall be responsible for the billing and collection of dues which shall be payable during the first quarter of the Section’s current fiscal year. Individuals joining the Section at the Annual APA Convention will be granted membership through the end of the following fiscal year.
The Section Treasurer will work with the Division Treasurer to establish and maintain appropriate financial procedures (e.g., tax information).
The Section Treasurer shall submit: (a) an annual report of income and expenditures; and (b) a proposed budget to the Division Executive Board at its midyear meeting.
The Section Treasurer shall submit semi-annual reports to the Division Treasurer showing income and expenditures in the line-item format used by APA. These reports are due July 15 and December 1 of each year.
The Section Treasurer is authorized to disburse funds (including signing of checks) that have been duly authorized in the approved budget. In the event of the inability of the Section Treasurer (due to unavailability or incapacity) to disburse funds, the Section Chair is authorized to disburse funds (including signing of checks) on behalf of the Section under the same provisions. All other financial documents, other than direct payment disbursements as noted above, shall be signed by the Section Chair and the Section Treasurer.
As a Section of a Division of the APA which is a tax-exempt organization under 501 (3) (c) of the Internal Revenue Code, the Section will disburse funds by policies and methods consistent with that tax status.
The Section’s fiscal year shall be the same as the fiscal year of the Division (January 1 to December 31).
Members who have not paid dues during the current fiscal year may be considered as having tendered their resignation from the Section by nonpayment.
In the event of the dissolution of the Section, any assets of the Section including monies in its Treasury will become, after meeting any financial obligations of the Section, a part of the Division Treasury.

VIII. Amendments

I. The Section, by vote of two thirds of the Members and Affiliates present at the Annual Business Meeting, or by a majority vote of the Members and Affiliates on an e-mail ballot (providing at least 40% of all have voted), may adopt such amendments as have been presented and read at the Annual Business Meeting or mailed to the membership two months prior to the voting date on the proposed amendment.

II. Final approval and adoption of any change in these Bylaws is contingent upon the approval of the Executive Board of Division 22.

Drafted April 2005