Membership

This membership policy contains important information for anyone wishing
to become a member or for any current member. The policy specifies applicable
dues, benefits, eligibility criteria, procedures, and forms.

Membership Fees

Membership fees are set by the ASC-CAD Board of Directors.
Members are notified in writing or electronically of their fees.
Individual members: $25/year.

Membership begins on the first day of the fiscal year
(April 1) and ends on the last day of the same fiscal year
(March 31).

If a member does not renew their membership within 45 days prior
to the Annual General Meeting, their membership in ASC-CAD is
automatically terminated.

Eligibility Criteria

• All membership applications must be accompanied by full payment
  of the relevant membership fees.
• All members must support the mission and vision of the ASC-CAD,
  in its defense and promotion of sign language rights, human rights
  and equity and accessibility rights of Deaf, Deafblind and
  hard-of-hearing Canadians who use sign languages.
• All individual members must have legal status in Canada at the
  time of joining.
• Individual members must be at least 18 years old and legally
  capable of entering into contracts within the same calendar year
  as their membership year.

ASC-CAD is a civil society organization that respects the principles
and practices of inclusion, diversity, and equality. For all membership
categories, any member may be refused membership or have their current
membership status revoked if it is determined that they have violated
these principles and practices in any situation, whether private or public.

As stipulated in the ASC-CAD regulations, Section II, Members;
6, Membership Category:

“The society comprises full members, organizational members,
and individual members whose application for membership received
by the Society’s board of directors is approved each fiscal year
at the sole discretion of the latter.”

Procedure

1. As a general rule, individual membership is granted once the
   appropriate membership form has been completed and the membership
   conditions have been accepted.
2. The ASC-CAD office acts as a selection body to ensure that
   membership applications meet the relevant requirements,
   including eligibility criteria.
3. In accordance with Section 6 of the bylaws, the ASC-CAD Board
   of Directors may, at its sole discretion, approve and evaluate
   all membership applications. Any membership application may be
   suspended until the next Annual General Meeting or a special
   Board meeting. All decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
   Any applicant whose membership for the current year has been
   rejected may reapply the following year. Any member may withdraw
   at any time without a refund.
4. Membership fees are NON-refundable.

Approved: February 2021

Note:
This policy may be amended to reflect subsequent changes to the regulations.

This membership policy contains important information for any
organization wishing to become a member or for any current member.
The policy specifies applicable dues, benefits, eligibility criteria,
procedures, and forms.

Member Categories

According to the regulations, there are two categories of
organizational member:

• Provincial/territorial affiliates –
  provincial Deaf associations only; except in the absence of
  a provincial association, up to two local Deaf associations
  may be affiliated.
• Organizational affiliates –
  national, regional or local Deaf associations.

Membership Fees

Membership fees are set by the ASC-CAD Board of Directors.
Members are notified in writing, or electronically, of the fees due.

• Provincial/territorial affiliates:
  $300/year.
• Organizational affiliates:
  $100/year.

Membership begins on the first day of the fiscal year
(April 1st) and ends on the last day of the same fiscal year
(March 31st).

If a member does not renew their membership within 45 days prior
to the Annual General Meeting, they automatically cease to be a
member of ASC-CAD.

Membership fees are non-refundable.

Benefits of Membership

Provincial/territorial affiliates may appoint up to two representatives
to the ASC-CAD AGM, while organizational affiliates may appoint one.
Each affiliate member has voting rights, as described in the ASC-CAD
bylaws, including the ability to submit motions and propose amendments
to the bylaws in accordance with the ASC-CAD bylaws and timelines.

• Regular updates and announcements.
• Annual reports, minutes and other documents sent before
  the Annual General Meeting.
• 15% discount on ASC-CAD publications and products.
• 15% discount on events, including congresses, workshops,
  training, public meetings, roundtables and other activities,
  up to a maximum of two members of the organization’s board
  of directors, other than general members.
• Participation in committees, working groups or strategic teams
  is possible, with a limit of one representative per committee.

Eligibility Criteria

• All membership applications must be accompanied by full payment
  of the relevant membership fees.
• All members must support the mission and vision of the ASC-CAD,
  in its defense and promotion of sign language rights, human rights
  and equity and accessibility rights of Deaf, Deafblind and
  hard-of-hearing Canadians who use sign languages.
• Affiliated members must be located in Canada.
  Organizations located in other countries cannot be affiliated
  with ASC-CAD.

ASC-CAD is a civil society organization that respects the principles
and practices of inclusion, diversity, and equality. For all membership
categories, any member may be refused membership or have their current
membership status revoked if it is determined that they have violated
the principles and practices in any situation, whether private or public.

As stipulated in the ASC-CAD regulations, Section II, Members;
6, Membership Category:

“The society comprises full members, organizational members,
and individual members whose application for membership received
by the Society’s board of directors is approved each fiscal year
at the sole discretion of the latter.”

Procedure

1. All membership applications must be submitted to the ASC-CAD
   offices. Applications must be made using the official
   membership form.
2. The ASC-CAD office acts as a selection body to ensure that
   membership applications meet the relevant requirements,
   including eligibility criteria, the duly completed written
   form, and full payment of dues.
3. The ASC-CAD office presents evaluated applications to the
   Board of Directors at least once a month. The office includes
   a recommendation (acceptance or rejection) with each
   membership application.
4. The Board of Directors reviews and votes on all membership
   applications submitted by the executive committee.
   All decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
   Any member whose application for membership for the current
   year has been rejected may reapply the following year.

Approved: February 2021

Note:
This policy is automatically modified if subsequent changes
are made to the regulations.

CAD-ASC offers a dedicated Indigenous membership option.
Indigenous membership has no annual fee and is offered as a
lifetime membership.

Indigenous members may access applicable CAD-ASC member benefits
associated with their membership category.

Please use the Indigenous membership application process for
additional eligibility and application information.