REPRESENTATIVES: Equal Accessibility Advisory Committee (EAAC)
The Goddard Space Flight Center’s Equal Accessibility Advisory Committee (EAAC), formerly the Equal Opportunity Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities, is established by authority of the Center Director. It operates under a Charter, see below, signed by the Center Director. You can also find the Charter in Accessible PDF at: EAAC Charter
Information and assistance regarding the Committee, and people with disabilities are available from:
Namrita Owens
Chair
EAAC
Code 564
(301) 298 9160 (If no answer, please leave a message.)
Nancy Lockard
Vice-Chair
EAAC
Code 210
(301) 286-2062
Debbie Parsons
EAAC Senior Champion
Code 110
(301) 286-5299
Denna Lambert
Goddard Disability Program Manager
Equal Opportunity Programs Office
Code 120
(301) 286-0844, voice and TTY
Ann Richmond
Employment Coordinator for Persons with Disabilities (Selective Placement Coordinator)
Office of Human Capital Management
Code 113
(301) 286-5392
Alan Binstock
Facilities Management Division Liaison for People with Disabilities
Code 221
(301) 286-3889
Charter of the Equal Accessibility Advisory Committee
July 16, 2008
I. AUTHORITY
The Goddard Space Flight Center’s Equal Accessibility Advisory Committee (EAAC) is established by authority of the Center Director. It operates under this Charter and is consistent with the efforts promoted through Executive Order 11478, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Equal Opportunity Management Directive 715; NPD 3713.2G, Federal Equal Opportunity Programs of NASA; GPD 3713.1A Goddard Space Flight Center Equal Opportunity Advisory Committees; and other statutes and regulations that govern Goddard's equal opportunity program. Its establishment is recognized officially as appropriate for this Center.
II. PURPOSE
The EAAC’s purpose is to assist all levels of management in creating an environment that is conducive to the recognition, development, understanding, and utilization of the abilities, skills, and knowledge of employees with accessibility needs, including disabled veterans, in order to achieve maximum productivity. The sponsoring organization is the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs (EOPO), Code 120.
For the purpose of this charter, the term “accessibility needs” relates to permanent or temporary disabilities and medical conditions that would benefit from a reasonable accommodation for equal access and full inclusion within NASA.
III. OBJECTIVES
The committee is chartered to:
A. Provide advice, guidance, and recommendations, to the Director, in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the Center's affirmative action program on the employment and advancement of people with accessibility needs, including disabled veterans;
B. Serve as a focal point for the concerns of employees on matters affecting their employment at Goddard Space Flight Center through personal contact with the Director, senior staff, and other officials of the Center;
C. Provide educational forums for employees and managers on issues concerning individuals with accessibility needs, including disabled veterans, and,
D. Help resolve Center wide problems affecting employees with accessibility needs, including disabled veterans.
IV. MEMBERSHIP
The membership of the committee will primarily consist of employees with accessibility needs and medical conditions. Individuals, without accessibility needs, who have a strong interest in, or personal experience with, issues of concern to people with accessibility needs, are also eligible for membership. However, a majority of the membership will consist of people with accessibility needs. In an effort to better address the concerns of veterans with disabilities or accessibility needs, it is the goal of the committee that there will be at least one member of the committee who is also a disabled veteran.
The committee will consist of between 9 and 15 civil servant representatives and up to 2 contractor members. Each Directorate will have at least one civil servant representative, if possible. Additional numbers of representatives for each Directorate will be determined by the Chief, EOPO and will be roughly based on the number of individuals with accessibility needs, in each of the Directorates. The representative distribution will be re-evaluated at the end of each calendar year.
In constituting the EAAC, consideration will be given to representation of a broad range of challenges and medical (temporary and permanent) conditions. As with other advisory committees, membership shall also include representation from each directorate, skill group, supervisory & non-management levels, while ensuring demographic diversity among its membership. The committee will make further recommendations to ensure inclusiveness.
Each member will serve for a term of 3 years. Terms will be staggered so that only 1/3 turns over in a given year. Normally, members will serve no more than two consecutive terms. If the initial appointment was for a period of 18 months or less (see IX), a member can then be appointed for up to two full terms. The Equal Opportunity Programs Office Chief will approve any exceptions. The committee structure and selection process will be reviewed in the fall of each year. The EAAC year is from January through December, which allows for a smooth transition during the fall quarter.
In addition to the voting members described above, the Office of Human Capital Management (OHCM), and the EOPO, as well as the following organizations in the Management Operations Directorate (MOD) -- Planning Office and Engineering Branch within the Facilities Management Division, and the Chief Information Office (CIO), will each have an ex-officio member on the committee. Union officials and/or representatives are invited to participate in meetings. However, union representatives will have privileges extending to participation in discussions and serving on sub-committees, will not be extended voting privileges on issues brought before the subcommittees or full committee.
The Disability Program Manager (DPM) has the responsibility for convening an ad hoc panel for the purpose of reviewing/interviewing applicants for the EAAC and nominating new members. The ad hoc panel shall consist of the EAAC Chair, the DPM, the Senior Level Champion, and possibly 1-2 members of the constituent group. The DPM shall ensure that the makeup of the panel reflects the diversity within the constituent group.
V. COMMITTEE FUNCTIONS
The committee has a wide range of functions that include:
A. Contributing to the Center's annual updates of the affirmative action plan for the hiring, placement, and advancement of women, minorities, and individuals with accessibility needs (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Management Directive 715), as well as the Disabled Veterans Affirmative Action Plan;
B. Monitoring and evaluating implementation of the plans, recommending actions to improve performance in implementing the plan to the Center Director, Deputy Director, and other officials of the Center;
C. Assessing Center barriers to the employment and advancement of people with accessibility needs, and developing recommendations for their elimination. These barriers include, but are not limited to, architectural, attitudinal, electronic and information technology, environmental, communication, and transportation, that prevent access to programs and activities;
D. Monitoring, assessing, and evaluating other Center policies, practices, procedures, and issuances, as well as the work of other committees, boards, and other special function entities whose work products and endeavors affect people with accessibility needs and disabled veterans;
E Receiving, considering, and transmitting, as appropriate, proposals, statements of problems in directorates, and other recommendations of persons on matters relating to issues faced by individuals with accessibility needs and disabled veterans. These problems will normally be Center wide in scope or encompass more than one organization or more than one person;
F. Maintaining liaison with similar committees in other NASA installations, NASA Headquarters, and other Governmental agencies;
G. Meeting at least once annually with the Center Director and Deputy Director and formally meeting, as needed, with the Chief of EOPO and the Directors of the Office of Human Capital Management, and Management Operations Directorate. When the need arise, the committee may request meetings with relevant program managers to discuss problems and assess progress toward their solutions that fall within the scope of the committee’s purview.
H. Evaluating the effectiveness of the committee's structure and activities annually and reporting to the Director, recommending continuation or termination, and any changes considered desirable in the role and structure of the committee; and,
I. Taking the leading role in planning and implementing of, as well as participation and attendance at activities surrounding Center commemorative events for people with accessibility needs and disabled veterans such as Disability in Employment Awareness Month.
J. Serving, at the request of the Chair, on various Center wide or Directorate standing and ad hoc committees, Work Groups, panels, and other small group projects or activities that request the representation of the Committee.
VI. SUB-COMMITTEES
The committee will form such sub-committees as it considers necessary, on a continuing or ad hoc basis, to address specific issues as employment, training, architectural, attitudinal, electronic and information technology, environmental, communication, transportation barriers, career development, recruitment; merit promotion; special events, committee membership; etc.
VII. DECISION-MAKING
Whenever possible, decision-making will be by consensus of all EAAC members. When voting is required by the Charter, the committee will assure that, prior to any vote, the views of every person are communicated, that information is shared, and that committee actions are taken with full understanding and consent.
Once projects are delegated, the subcommittees will have the authority to make project decisions. However, the subcommittee chair is expected to keep the committee informed of their progress and to address any issues raised.
VIII. COMMITTEE OFFICERS
The committee will elect a Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary from among its members. The Chair and Vice Chair will serve for a period of 1 year and the Secretary will serve for a period of 1 year. The same individual will typically not serve as chair for more than 2 consecutive years. Subcommittee chairs will be selected as needed.
IX. DUTIES
The Chair, or in his/her absence, the Vice Chair, will develop an agenda, based on member suggestions, and facilitate each meeting. The Secretary will prepare minutes of the Committee meeting, including Committee decisions, attaching any documents/work products drafted or submitted by appointed committees for consideration of the total membership. This information will be E-mailed to all Committee members within one week after the meeting.
The Vice-Chair will serve in the absence of the Chair. The Vice-Chair will also coordinate the activities of the sub-committees and provide necessary monitoring and guidance in all the work of the sub-committees.
Under most circumstances, members have a responsibility to educate themselves on the issues and participate in the Committee process and efforts. Members will have two weeks to respond, request clarifications, and suggest edits, etc., before any decisional material is presented to the full Committee for a vote. Reports and recommendations that are officially approved by the Committee will be forwarded to the Director.
X. COMMITTEE MEETINGS (FREQUENCY AND ABSENCES)
Meetings will be held once a month. Its members will determine the need for additional meetings. Meetings of sub-committees will be on an as-needed basis.
Members can be excused from meetings due to illness, conflicting work assignments or scheduled leave. If a member knows in advance that she or he will be absent for more than two consecutive meetings, he or she may request that an alternate be appointed. The DPM will forward the request to the appropriate Director of. If a member who has not made provision for an alternate misses three consecutive meetings, or four meetings over the course of 12 months, the committee may dismiss the individual by a vote of the majority of the committee. In the case where an accessibility need hindered a member’s ability to attend meetings, consideration will be given regarding their individual circumstance and future ability to participate in committee meetings and activities. The DPM will notify the member that a vote is pending 10 days prior to the Committee vote. The member will have an opportunity to request renewal of her or his participation.
XI. FILLING VACANCIES
Vacancies occurring on the committee for any reason will be filled in the same manner as the position was filled originally. The vacancy will be filled until the expiration of the appointment of the vacating member, at which time the new member may be reappointed to serve a full term.
XII. COMMITTEE DURATION
The committee will be a standing committee of indefinite duration with continuance dependent on the annual evaluation and Director's approval.
XIII. COMMITTEE SUPPORT
The Chief, EOPO will be responsible for management control and logistic support functions for the committee. On a day-to-day basis, the Chief, EOPO will exercise this responsibility through an appropriate person on EOPO staff.
XIV. COMMITTEE CHARTER AMENDMENTS
This charter stands until revised by the committee with a two-thirds vote of the membership and final approval by the Center Director.
Approved:
Robert D. Strain
Director, Goddard Space Flight Center
Updated December 11, 2008
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