A. The name of this organization shall be Guide Dog Users, Inc., hereinafter to be known as GDUI.
B. The name of Guide Dog Users, Inc. shall not be used by any person or organization without the expressed written consent of the President and/or the Board of Directors of GDUI.
Amended July 5, 1993.
The purposes of this organization shall be:
1. To promote the acceptance of guide dog teams by all agencies, employers, educational institutions, commercial establishments, and the general public.
2. To work for the expansion, standardization, and enforcement of legal provisions, both civil and criminal, governing the rights and responsibilities in the areas of public access, employment, housing, personal injury, transportation, and recreation.
3. To work in cooperation with guide dog training providers in contributing input in the areas of selection, training, health care, and accommodations for both canine and human students, and to provide constructive input to improve the quality of the training experience.
Amended July 6, 1994
A. Any person 16 years of age or older may become a member of GDUI.
B. The majority of GDUI members shall be guide dog users.
C. All members in good standing shall have the right to cast their individual votes at any meeting of the membership. There shall be no proxy voting.
D. State and/or regional affiliates of GDUI may be organized in accordance with the following requirements:
1. Any organization making application for affiliate status shall have no fewer than seven (7) members, the majority of whom shall be guide dog users. Each affiliate organization shall maintain a majority of members who are users of guide dogs. Any affiliate failing to maintain a membership of at least seven (7) members for three consecutive years shall be subject to dismissal from GDUI upon the recommendation of the Board of Directors and a majority vote of the general membership at the next annual convention.
Amended in Houston, Texas July 9, 1997.
2. The organization making application for affiliation shall submit its constitution and bylaws for review and approval by the GDUI Board of Directors.
3. There shall be no conflict between the constitution and bylaws of any organization applying for affiliation and the constitution and bylaws of GDUI.
4. Applicants for affiliation shall be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors and of the membership.
5. All affiliates shall be responsible for paying $8.00 per affiliate member to GDUI on an annual basis.
Amended in Houston, Texas July 2, 2002.
E. Affiliate voting.
1. When conducting GDUI caucuses, each affiliate shall be entitled to one (1) affiliate vote in any annual or special meeting of the membership for each seven (7) affiliate members, or major fraction thereof; provided, however, that no affiliate may have more than twenty-five (25) affiliate votes.
(Amended by telephonic election, February, 2008)
2. Each affiliate shall select a delegate who shall cast the affiliate's vote.
3. Should the membership of an affiliate drop below seven (7) members, that affiliate shall be entitled to one affiliate vote; subject, however, to the conditions specified in sub-section (D) (1) of this article.
4. To insure that its affiliate vote is cast in an equitable manner when conducting ACB business, GDUI shall conduct a caucus at each annual convention at which time the delegates will record the vote of GDUI members and affiliate representatives present in conformity with the provisions of this section. Individual affiliate members shall be members of GDUI by virtue of their affiliate membership and shall possess all the rights incidental thereto.
Amended in Houston, Texas, July 2, 2002.
5. Dissolution and dismissal of affiliates.a. In the event of the dissolution of an affiliate the president or other presiding officer of the dissolved affiliate shall, as soon as possible after the membership has voted to dissolve, notify the President and Treasurer of GDUI, in writing, of the dissolution of the affiliate.
b. An affiliate failing to comply with the requirements specified in Article III, section D, subsection 5. of this constitution for a period of three consecutive years without appropriate justification, shall be deemed to have relinquished its status as an affiliate, and shall, after due notice and an opportunity to appear and defend itself, be removed from the roster of affiliates on the recommendation of the President and majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Amended in Houston, Texas July 2, 2002.
A. The officers of GDUI shall be the President, the First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary, and the Treasurer.
B. The President, First Vice-President, and Second Vice-President shall be elected for terms of two years and no person shall be eligible for more than two consecutive terms in the same office.
Amended July 5, 1993.
C. The Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected for terms of two years and there shall be no term limits.
Amended July 5, 1993.
D. Officers shall perform the usual duties of their offices as provided in Roberts Rules of Order, Current Edition, unless otherwise provided for by this constitution or such bylaws as may be enacted.
E. Six directors shall be elected and shall serve terms of three years. Two directors shall be elected annually to terms of three years. No person shall be elected for more than two consecutive terms as directors.
F. In the case of the President, 1st. Vice President, and 2nd Vice President, there shall not be more than one officer or one director elected from any single state and 2. In the case of the Treasurer and Secretary, there shall not be more than two officers or more than one director elected from any state which is the legal residence of the Treasurer or Secretary.
Amended Houston, Texas, July 9, 1997.
G. The officers, directors and immediate past president shall constitute the Board of Directors and shall be the governing body of GDUI between meetings of the membership. The Board of Directors shall make no policy decisions or take any official action which is in conflict with or contrary to prior decisions or actions of the membership. The Board of Directors may cast votes by mail or telephone.
H. The immediate Past President shall have full voting privileges and serve until there shall be a new immediate Past President or until elected to another position.
I. The editor of "Pawtracks" shall be appointed by the Board of Directors to a term of two years but shall not be subject to any restrictions as to the number of consecutive terms which may be served.
J. An Affiliate Liaison shall be appointed by the president to serve on the board of directors. the editor and affiliate liaison shall be ex officio or non-voting members of the board of directors.
K. The President of GDUI may, with the approval of the Board of Directors, appoint a member in good standing of the organization to serve at the pleasure of the President and Board of Directors as a Guide Dog School Liaison between the organization and guide dog schools. The Guide Dog School Liaison shall be an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors, and may participate in the discussion of all matters coming before the Board, but shall not have the right to cast a vote on such matters.
Amended in Jacksonville, Florida, July 11, 2006.
L. The President, the First Vice-President, the Second Vice-President, and a majority of the directors shall be guide dog users.
M. Election of officers and directors shall be by a majority of members eligible to vote at any election. Voting shall be by secret ballot or such other means as a majority of the membership present shall decide. If no nominee receives a majority of the vote on the first ballot, a second ballot shall be taken between the two nominees receiving the largest number of votes on the first ballot.
Amended by telephonic election, February, 2008.
N. For the purposes of calculating the number of terms an individual has served in any office, a partial term, (any term less than a term provided herein) , shall not be considered as a term in office.
A. GDUI shall meet in convention annually, in connection with the American Council of theBlind. The President may call additional meetings upon a vote of a majority of the Board of Directors.
B. Twelve voting members or a majority of voting members registered at any meeting of the membership, whichever is greater, shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting business. A majority of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum of that body.
A. The fiscal year of GDUI shall be from January 1 through December 31.
B. All fees, membership and other requirements of affiliation with the American Council of the Blind shall be provided as determined by the organization.
A. Any officer or director may resign from office by notifying the President in writing. The Board of Directors may, thereafter, in its discretion, elect a person to serve in the vacant office until the next annual election.
Amended by telephonic election, February, 2008.
B. Any officer or director may be removed from office for good and sufficient cause as enumerated in Bylaw 5, by a vote of two-thirds of the total membership of the Board of Directors, but, in no event, shall the Board vote to remove a person from office until the officer or director has been given notice in writing of the charges pending against him/her and is afforded an opportunity to appear and defend against the alleged charges.
C. At the next annual election, the membership of this organization shall, if necessary, elect a person to complete the term for which the resigned or removed officer or director was originally elected.
Amended in Chicago, IL July 6, 1994
A. Receipts and Disbursements. All funds received by GDUI from dues and other sources shall be paid into a general fund, and disbursements therefrom shall not be made without the approval of the Board of Directors; unless such disbursements are prescribed by the annual budget of GDUI.
B. Special funds. The Board of Directors shall establish and maintain special accounts for funds derived from inheritances, gifts, grants and endowments which are identified and earmarked for special projects, programs or activities; or from mutual trust accounts in participation with any other individuals, groups or organizations for which proceeds are specifically identified and earmarked for the special purposes of this organization as set forth in Article II. Of this constitution.
C. Budget and Finance. The Budget and Finance Committee shall, at the beginning of each fiscal year, prepare and recommend to the Board of Directors a budget of the financial needs of this organization, and shall supervise the finances of all activities conducted by the general membership. The Budget and Finance Committee shall include in each annual budget a designated amount to be used by the treasurer, with the assistance of the Products Committee, for the purchase of products to be sold for the benefit of the organization.
D. Review of Financial Records. The financial records of this organization shall be reviewed at such times as the Board of Directors shall deem appropriate by a properly qualified public accountant selected by the Budget and Finance Committee with the approval of the Board of Directors.
Adopted in Houston, Texas, July 2, 2002.
A. This constitution may be amended by a vote of two-thirds of those eligible to vote at the annual election, provided that notice of proposed amendments shall have been provided to the membership not less than 45 days prior to the annual election.
Amended by telephonic election, February, 2008.
1. Annual dues for GDUI shall be $15.00.
Amended in Houston, Texas, July 2, 2002.
2. Standing committees shall be:
A. Fund-raising.
B. Advocacy.
C. Membership.
D. Legislative.
E. Public Relations.
F. Publications.
G. Program, and
H. Special Concerns
amended July 3, 1996
3. The official publication shall be called Pawtracks. It shall be issued quarterly on 4-track cassette and on audio compact disk. Other media will be considered in the future.
4. Any person qualified for membership in GDUI may become a life member by the payment of a fee of $250.00. This payment may be made either in one lump sum or in monthly installments, the total of such payments being $250.00.
Amended July 4, 2003.
5. Grounds for removal of officers and directors:
A. Failure to attend three consecutive meetings of the Board of Directors without just cause.
B. Failure to pay dues or to otherwise comply with the membership requirements of GDUI.
C. Failure to perform the duties of office as prescribed by the constitution and bylaws.
D. Performance of the duties of office in a manner that is detrimental to the aims and purposes of this organization.
E. Personal conduct which brings discredit on this organization.
F. Conviction for any felony.
Amended July 6, 1994.
6. Each state or local affiliate shall, on an annual basis, submit an updated roster of members, copy of its constitution (as amended), and current list of officers and directors to the treasurer on or before the 15th day of February if in print or the 1st day of March if in braille unless the affiliate requests and is granted an extension of time by the President.
Amended July 6, 1994.
7. These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of those eligible to vote at the annual election, provided that notice of all proposed amendments shall have been provided to the membership not less than 45 days prior to the annual election.
Amended by telephonic election, February, 2008.
This constitution is current as of March 30, 2008.
Home Page|
About GDUI|
Membership|
Donations|
Advocacy|
Catalog|
Support