A New Model of Community-Rooted Governance

The Board of Directors of Bay Area Access serves as the organization’s primary governing body, responsible for safeguarding the mission, ensuring accountability, and advancing accessibility through equity-driven leadership. Unlike traditional nonprofit boards—which often lack representation from the communities directly impacted by governance decisions by their decisions—Bay Area Access is structured so that power originates in the community itself.

Grounded firmly in the organization’s bylaws and values, the Board is designed to be majority-led by disabled individuals, ensuring that lived expertise is the governing foundation of decision-making, but the foundation of all governance. This model reflects a more just and modern understanding of accountability: decisions about disability communities must be made by disabled people.

1. Intentional Representation of DeafBlind Leaders

The Board is intentionally designed to ensure meaningful representation of DeafBlind individuals, alongside blind and other disabled leaders. This structure recognizes and corrects historic underrepresentation without creating internal hierarchy, and ensures leadership reflects the full diversity of the community.

2. Integration With the Community Advisory Council (CAC)

Board members are elected only after review and recommendation by the Community Advisory Council, a permanent community body with its own independent authority. This creates a two-way power structure where the community does not merely “advise” leadership; it actively shapes who leads.

3. Transparency, Accountability, and Accessible Decision-Making

The Board is required to:

• Meet at least quarterly
• Provide advance public notice of meetings
• Consider CAC recommendations and provide written explanations when recommendations are not adopted
• Uphold standards of conduct grounded in accessibility, equity, and respect

These measures collectively form a governance model that is fully transparent to the disability community it serves.

4. Skills- and Values-Based Board Composition

While the Board centers disability leadership, it also maintains a balanced set of professional skills: finance, law, accessibility, policy, nonprofit management, and community leadership. Members must demonstrate independence, integrity, and a deep commitment to accessibility justice.

Bay Area Access is currently in its founding phase, establishing a governance structure aligned with its values. The initial Board of Directors is in formation, with recruitment intentionally designed to be open, equitable, and rooted in community-identified needs.

Consistent with the bylaws:

• All nominations are preceded by active outreach to disabled communities, especially to DeafBlind individuals.
• Recruitment efforts intentionally address systemic barriers to participation.
• The community’s voice—through the CAC—will play a central role in confirming the inaugural Board.

As the organization develops, the Board will grow through a transparent and community-centered process that honors the lived experience, leadership, and expertise of disabled individuals throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Please join the mission.