Covenant: The By-Laws of the AAIDD Religion & Spirituality Division

A "Covenant" is a bond entered voluntarily by two or more parties, in which each
pledges him or herself to do something for the other.1

This "Covenant" is a bond entered voluntarily between and among the members of the
Religion & Spirituality Division of the American Association on Mental
Retardation (AAMR). Guided by the Religion & Spirituality Division Mission
Statement, and the rules of membership of AAMR, we pledge ourselves to addressing and
meeting the needs of people to be a member of a religious community, whether they are
disabled or temporarily able-bodied.

This Covenant describes both the role and function of the officers of the Religion
& Spirituality Division. Some description of officers, like the President, are
defined by the laws and by-laws of the national office of AAMR. Others offices and
roles, like past-President, Executive Secretary, Treasurer, Certification Committee
Chair, Newsletter Editor, and Book Exhibit Coordinator, are particular to the
Religion & Spirituality Division itself, and are not defined by the national
office of AAMR.

The President, Past-President, Exec. Secretary, Treasurer, Certification Comm.
Chair, Newsletter Editor, and Book Exhibit Coordinator will be the "Executive
Committee" of the Religion & Spirituality Division. They will meet at least once
before and once after the national annual meeting of AAMR. These will be open-door
meetings, and minutes from these meetings will be published in the Religion &
Spirituality Division newsletter.

President

The President holds a term of two years. If the President is unable to fulfill the
term, then a special election will be held to fill in the rest of the term.

The Presidential election is coordinated by the national office of AAMR, and
nominations usually come from within the division.

The responsibilities of the President are as follows:To represent the issues and
concerns of the Religion & Spirituality Division with the members of the national
office of AAMR.

To represent the issues and concerns of the Religion & Spirituality
Division with the members of the national office of AAMR.
To coordinate and be liaison with the representatives of the Religion &
Spirituality Division within the regions.
To communicate with and among the members of the Religion & Spirituality
Division nationally.
To participate in the planning of the national annual meetings of AAMR. This
includes participating in the planning meetings prior to the meetings, including
conference phone calls;
- to issue the call for papers for the annual meeting;
- to select the papers for the annual meeting, and place them in the
  appropriate categories;
- to coordinate the Religion & Spirituality Division retreat;
- to coordinate the Religion & Spirituality Division dinner;
- to coordinate the times of "Prayer and Meditation" at the annual
  meeting;
- to chair the Religion & Spirituality Division business meetings;
- to attend the evaluation of the annual meeting.
To write a "President's Column" in each Religion & Spirituality Division
newsletter.
To represent the Religion & Spirituality Division at other
disability-related meetings, e.g., the NCCC Task Force on Disability, National
Organization on Disability meetings; COMISS meetings. The President may choose to
send someone else in his or her stead.
To be chair and take part in the Executive Committee of the Religion &
Spirituality Division (AAMR-RSD). He or she alone has the prerogative of calling a
special meeting.
To approve all financial transactions of AAMR-RSD, coordinated with the work of
the President.
Should an officer resign, then the President will either assume the
responsibilities of that office, or designate someone else for that role and
function, until a new officer is voted upon and installed at the next Business
Meeting.

Past-President

The term of Past-President is for two years after his or her term as President.
(Along with the two year term as President, that person will serve on the Executive
Committee for four years.)

The function of the Past-President is as follows:

To help in the selection of papers to be presented at the AAMR national
meeting.
To serve on the Certification Committee of the Religion & Spirituality
Division-AAMR.
To serve on the Executive Committee of the Religion & Spirituality
Division.

Executive Secretary

The term of Executive Secretary is for four years.

The election is to be held within and among the members of AAMR-Religion &
Spirituality Division. Nominations will be collected during the year, and an election
will be held at one of the Business Meetings of the Religion & Spirituality
Division. If the Exec. Secretary is unable to fulfill a term, a special election will
be held at the next Business Meeting at the annual meeting of AAMR.

The function of the Executive Secretary is as follows:

To record the minutes of the Business Meetings of AAMR-RSD, held during the
annual meeting of the Religion & Spirituality Division.
To publish those minutes in the fall volume of the AAMR-RSD Newsletter.
To serve on the Executive Committee of the AAMR-RSD, and to maintain notes of
these meetings, to be published in the AAMR-RSD newsletter.
To maintain the history of the AAMR-RSD, including all the past minutes of
previous Business Meetings of AAMR-RSD. This will most likely involve communication
with the AAMR national office.
To help the President write the yearly review of the AAMR-RSD to be presented
to the national office of AAMR.
To maintain correspondences and solicitation of inquiries as to the work of
AAMR-RSD.
To help in the planning of the annual meetings of AAMR as a member of the
Executive Committee.
To maintain mailing list for all correspondences, in coordination with the
Newsletter Edito

Treasurer

The term of Treasurer is for four years.

The election is to be held within and among the members of the AAMR-Religion &
Spirituality Division. Nominations will be collected during the year, and an election
will be held at one of the Business Meetings of the Religion & Spirituality
Division. If the Treasurer is unable to fulfill a term, a special election will be
held at the next Business Meeting at the annual meeting of AAMR.

The function of the Treasurer is as follows:

To receive and put in the bank all money that has been made out to the
AAMR-RSD.
To pay all bills incurred by the AAMR-RSD. Approval by the President for all
bill payments is required. Both the receiving of payments, and billing will be done
through the national office of AAMR and their banking procedures.
To present a Treasurer's Report at the business meeting of the Division.
To maintain contact with the Treasurer of the nation office of AAMR.
5. To serve on the Executive Committee of the Division.
To help on the planning of the national meeting of AAMR as a member of the
executive committee.
To help in raising funds for the Division.

Newsletter Editor

The Editor is elected by the members of the Religion and Spirituality Division for
a term of four years. The Executive Committee will ask for names of people who are
interested in this position, and present these names at one of the business meetings
of the Division.

The function of the Editor is as follows:

To publish three times per year the newsletter of the Religion and Spirituality
Division. This involves:
- soliciting articles for the Newsletter.
- soliciting news items and a calendar of events.
- editing the newsletter.
- publishing the newsletter (through Bethesda Lutheran Homes).
- mailing the newsletter.
To serve on the Executive Committee of the Division.

Book Exhibit Coordinator

The Coordinator is elected by the members of the Religion and Spirituality
Division for a term of four years. The Executive Committee will ask for names of
people who are interested in this position and will present these names at one of the
business meetings the Division.

The function of the Coordinator is:

To solicit publishers to contribute to the Book Exhibit.
To coordinate the financial charges for the exhibit.
To send the exhibit to those Division members, and other interested parties,
who would like to display the exhibit.
To coordinate volunteers to be at the exhibit when it is being displayed at the
annual meeting of AAMR.
To serve on the Executive Committee of the Division.

Certification Committee

The Certification Committee is composed of eight members elected by the members of
the Religion and Spirituality Division. The Division's immediate past president is an
ex officio member of the committee. Committee members are elected for three years
terms and may serve two successive terms. Nominations will be collected during the
year, and two or three members on a rotating basis will be elected each year at the
annual business meeting of the Division. If a committee member other than the chair
is unable to fulfill his/her term, the unexpired term will be filled at the election
in the next Division business meeting.

The chair is elected by the members of the Division for a term of three years. If
the chair is unable to fulfill the term, the President of the Division will appoint
another committee member to fulfill the term of the chair. The duties of the chair
are as follows:

To coordinate the process of the certification of candidates, including:
- receiving and reviewing all applicant documents;
- assigning a presenter for each candidate;
- scheduling each candidate's meeting with the committee;
- insuring that all documentation relative to the certification process is
  accomplished and on file.
To publicize and promote the certification process within the Division and
other agencies.
To serve on the Executive Committee of the Division.

1 This definition of "covenant" comes from F.L. Cross and E. A.
Livingstone, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 2nd Edition (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1978).