Constitution
1 Name and Purpose
1.1
The name of the organisation is EIDD – Design for All Europe, hereinafter called the 'Institute'.
1.2
The purpose of the Institute is to enhance the quality of life through Design for All.
2 Objectives
The objectives of the Institute are to:
(a) promote, communicate and disseminate the theory and practice of Design for All as a tool for social and economic inclusion;
(b) undertake studies of and provide information and examples of best practices about the relationship between design and inclusion;
(c) initiate design solutions to meet identified needs;
at European level.
3 Structure and Membership
The Institute is a federal organisation of National Member Organisations, Corporate Member Organisations and Patrons; the National Member Organisations will comprise organisations, designers and related professionals who participate actively in the work of the organisation, stakeholders such as people with disabilities and others who support its objectives and activities.
4 Government
4.1
The Institute will be governed by a board of not less than eight members to represent all the countries in which the Institute has members.
4.2
The Board will select from its members a President, a Vice-President, an Honorary Secretary, an Honorary Treasurer, a Communications Officer and such other officers as it shall see fit to designate from time to time, who shall together constitute an Executive Committee.
4.3
The Board and Executive Committee will determine the frequency of meetings and the procedures by which business is conducted.
5 General Meetings
5.1
The Honorary Secretary shall convene an annual general meeting each year, which shall normally be held before the end of June.
The annual general meeting will:
(a) receive the report of the President;
(b) receive the report of the Honorary Secretary;
(c) receive the annual accounts;
(d) elect the members of the Board;
(e) transact other business appropriate to an annual general meeting.
5.2
The Board may convene a general meeting at any time and shall do so on the request of one quarter of the membership.
6 Members
6.1
The Institute shall have three categories of membership:
a) National Member Organisations;
b) Corporate Member Organisations;
c) Individual Patron Members.
6.2
A National Member Organisation (NMO) is an association established in a European country for the purpose of pursuing the objectives of the Institute at the national level, or an association already existing at national level that decides to pursue said objectives.
An NMO shall determine its own procedures and programmes of operation at national level and shall strive to maximise their synergic relevance with those of other NMOs through and with the Institute, as well as with those of the Institute itself. There shall normally be only one NMO per country.
6.3
A Corporate Member Organisation (CMO) is any other professional, commercial, statutory and social body or organisation, including organisations of and for disabled people, with an office in any European country that undertakes to pursue the objectives of the Institute. A CMO may continue to maintain its separate membership of the Institute even when an NMO is established in the same country.
A CMO shall not have operative autonomy as a body of the Institute, but shall contribute its know-how and resources to the programmes and activities of the Institute.
6.4
A Patron Member (PM) is an individual or an industrial and commercial organisation which supports the activities of the Institute financially.
7 Finance
7.1
The Institute is a non profit-making foundation. Any surplus derived from its operations may not be distributed to the members and must be re-invested in the organisation.
7.2
The Institute will derive its income from charitable donations and sponsorship, subscriptions by its members, fees earned from its activities, grants from governmental and non-governmental organisations at local, regional, national and international levels.
7.3
All monies, howsoever obtained, will be devoted to the objectives of the Institute.
8 Activities
The Institute may undertake any activity consistent with its purpose and objectives and in particular may:
a) co-operate with other institutions with similar interests and objectives;
b) support and participate in programmes of the European Union, the Council of Europe and other national or international organisations in favour of social inclusion;
c) promote, communicate and disseminate the theory and practice of design for and with stakeholders, such as disabled or elderly people, to government, designers, healthcare professionals, the stakeholders themselves, their carers and associations and the general public;
d) conduct courses and seminars for designers and design students, other professional and non-professional groups and stakeholders in social inclusion;
e) organise national and international meetings for designers, users, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders to share experiences and raise overall standards;
f) sponsor design competitions and award schemes and publicise the results;
g) organise exhibitions and publish and distribute information and other material concerned with design for social inclusion;
h) maintain close liaison with all relevant representative specialist bodies providing services to stakeholders, such as rehabilitation experts for people with disabilities, the IT R&D community and the mainstream business community;
i) carry out studies and research into various aspects of design for all;
j) undertake architectural, industrial, graphic and interior design commissions for local and central government, industry, private organisations and individuals;
k) employ staff and commission designers and other professionals to undertake work on its behalf;
I) actively seek funding, by way of grants, donations and other forms of finance, in support of its objectives;
m) open bank accounts, borrow and advance monies and conclude contracts for the execution of any work or projects:
n) create, maintain, update and administer a knowledge base about Design for All which shall take the shape of a website and publications in any form of new or conventional media;
o) acquire, administer, encumber or alienate real property and goods.
9 Amendments to the Constitution
The Constitution may be amended by a simple majority vote of the members in general meeting.
10 Dissolution
The Institute may be dissolved by a vote of two-thirds of the membership at a meeting called for that purpose. In the case of such dissolution, the residual assets of the Institute shall not be divided among the members but be transferred to some other body having similar objectives, as agreed by the members. Each individual member's responsibility for residual liabilities shall be limited to that member's unpaid subscription or personal debts to the Institute.
This Constitution was adopted at the first meeting of the Institute in Dublin on 4 April 1993, and amended at the Fourth Annual General Meeting of the Institute in Milan on 19 April 1997, at the Eleventh Annual General Meeting in Stockholm on 8 May 2004, at the Twelfth Annual General Meeting in Berlin on 14 May 2005 and at the Thirteenth Annual General Meeting in Waterford on 20 May 2006.
Published: 12 February 2008
Updated: 13 March 2008