About Us

Bylaws

Article I. Name

The name of the organization shall be the Atlanta Aphasia Association, Inc. This organization is not affiliated with other associations involved with aphasia and disabilities.

Article II. Purpose

• To organize and provide resources to individuals with aphasia and those involved with aphasia at various levels such as caregiving, providing therapeutic and healthcare services, and research.

• To create a service in the Atlanta area that educates the community about aphasia through providing education resources, discussion and communication about research advances in stroke and aphasia.

• To promote socialization of those with aphasia through various functions held throughout the year.

• To engage in fundraising activities that support the association.

• To provide support and training for vocational needs of those with aphasia. Also, to aid in locating transportation for those with aphasia.

Article III. Membership

The membership of the Atlanta Aphasia Association shall be composed of those individuals with aphasia, caregivers/spouses/ friends of individuals with aphasia, healthcare providers, and researchers. All members of the Atlanta Aphasia Association are encouraged to be dues-paying members of the Association, however, membership is not dependent upon the payment of dues.

Article IV. Officers

The Officers of the Atlanta Aphasia Association shall include but not be limited to the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Officers are elected or appointed for a term decided upon by the Association.

Article V. Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of the Atlanta Aphasia Association, Inc. shall be composed of the officers named in Article IV.

During the charter year, board members are elected to serve for a 1.5 year term. Thereafter, board members are elected to two-year terms, on a rotating basis. All board members will be nominated and elected by members of the Association.

Officer terms begin January 1 and end December 31. This coincides with the fiscal year of the Association.

Article VI. Duties of Officers

President

The President will preside at all meetings and appoint committee chairs. The President must be an individual living with aphasia.

Co-President

The Co-President will be present at all meetings and aid in appointment of committee chairs. The Co-President will be an individual without aphasia.

President Elect/Vice President

In the event of a disability or illness of the president, the president elect will temporarily assume the duties of the president. Should the office of President become vacant, the president elect will fill the unexpired term and assume the position of the president following his or her term as president elect. The Vice President must be an individual involved with aphasia, but not living with aphasia.

Secretary

The secretary will keep minutes of all meetings, arrange notices of all meetings and functions, and keep membership rosters of the organization.

Treasurer

The treasurer shall be in charge of the Association’s funding forms and ensure that the functions and programs of the organization are self-funded.

Facilitator

There will be one or two facilitators who are individuals without aphasia and act as a resource for board members with aphasia in regards to language demands.

Article VII. Club Committees

The board will create committees necessary to the functioning of the Association and the attainment of its objectives. Chairs for the established committees will be elected or appointed.

Education:

The Education chairperson will coordinate and investigate studies in areas on aphasia, apraxia and other speech language problems. The chairperson will speak to other speech pathologists and physicians to increase his/her knowledge about the topic. The chairperson will be responsible for developing and organizing the educational resources library. The chairperson will be involved in educating the Atlanta community about aphasia.

Vocational Retraining:

The Vocational Retraining chairperson will call corporations and companies regarding both paid and volunteer positions for people with aphasia. He/she should be ideal in networking, relationship building and interaction between corporations and individuals to get the right fit for their abilities and limitations.

Social:

The Social chairperson will design activities appropriate for all ages and engage

individuals with aphasia in the art of communication. It is crucial that this person be an individual that has aphasia in order to provide an opportunity for

practicing speaking to individuals consistently.

Fundraising:

The Fundraising chairperson will solicit both corporations and individual donations for money to support the Association’s activities. This chairperson will also write grants to fund research in the area of aphasia.

Article VIII. Quorum

Three members of the board shall constitute a quorum.

Article IX. Elections/Appointments

Elections/appointments will be held/made prior to the end of each fiscal year.

Article X. Amendments

The bylaws of the Atlanta Aphasia Association, Inc. may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the board members of the association present, provided there is a quorum. Any changes or amendments to these bylaws passed by the board must ultimately be approved by the membership.