If you have interest in running for the Board of Directors of the National Down Syndrome Congress, we are pleased that you have considered putting your name up for nomination.
Please read the information here regarding the process of election and the responsibilities if elected.
Should you put your name into nomination, you will be expected to be present at the upcoming Youth & Adult Convention. During one of the general meetings, you will need to present a short 2-3 minute speech to both the teens and adults at the NDSC Youth & Adult Conference. The self-advocate members of the NDSC are very supportive of people at the microphone. Your speech can be read or memorized and should tell the audience a little about yourself and why you feel you would make a good board member for the NDSC.
Everyone brings unique and special qualities to the board and every person with Down syndrome has many talents and assets. Your job will be expressing what yours are to the voters. Some people have been quite creative in campaigning in their 3 minutes. Some people have extended their campaigns by creating posters, name labels, and handouts. To be fair to all running we ask that no more than $5.00 be spent on campaign materials.
Email us at info@ndsccenter.org to receive a nomination form.
Once you got the form, fill it out and mail it together with your photo to:
NDSC Center
Attn: Self-advocate Nominations
1370 Center Drive
Suite 102
Atlanta, CA 30338
Don’t wait. You should get your nomination in well in advance of the convention date. Remember if your photo does not get in by the ballot print date your name and photo will not be on the election ballot.
Good luck!
NDSC Information on Self Advocate Board Member Process
I. Board Member Responsibilities:
- Be a member in good standing of the NDSC.
- Participate as an active member of NDSC committee(s).
- Personally assume responsibility for paying all expenses related to board membership (e.g. travel expenses to attend board meetings; incidental telephone and postage expenses; convention registration, etc.). Based upon need, however, it is possible to request some financial assistance.
- Attend all board meetings (a minimum of 2 meetings per year for the full board meetings and 4 meetings per year for executive committee members). Should you need support it is recommended that you bring a support person such as a parent, sibling, friend, contracted independent living assistant, a person from the NDSC general membership, to attend the Board meetings with you. This support person can be anyone of your choosing, someone you feel will enable you to understand and participate fully during the meetings and assist you with travel and hotel needs. We encourage that this support person be a member of the NDSC or establish membership prior to attending a board meeting.
II. Nominating Process:
- Any member with Down syndrome 22 or older in good standing in the NDSC is eligible for nomination to the Board of Directors of The National Down Syndrome Congress.
- Self-nominations as well as nominations by third parties are accepted (provided the third party has secured the consent of the nominee).
- During the annual Y&A Conference held in conjunction with the NDSC Annual Convention all self-advocates nominated will be voted upon by the Y&A attendees after a 2 to 3 minute speech. The winning candidate’s name (the person with the plurality of the votes) will be submitted to the full membership at the General Membership Meeting as part of the slate of nominees.
- In the event there is a vacancy in one of the three Board seats reserved for a self-advocate, it will be filled by the same process used to fill any other unexpired Board seat, except the person selected must be a self-advocate.
III. Makeup of the Board Membership
The NDSC seeks wide representation in its board membership and considers factors such as geographical representation, areas of expertise, minority representation, and prior experience on non-profit boards and self-advocacy groups. NDSC members are encouraged to be active members of NDSC Committees and to attend board meetings prior to being nominated to the Board.
IV. Terms of Office
Self-advocates serve a term of three years.
