The below code of conduct applies to all athletes and volunteers participating in Metro Washington Association of Blind Athletes (MWABA) activities, including tandem bike rides, hikes, classes, goalball practices, and competitions. This code is modeled on the Code of Conduct and Ethics Agreement of the United States Association of Blind Athletes, of which MWABA is a local sports club member.
As a Member of MWABA, I hereby promise and agree that:
• I will act in a sportsmanlike manner consistent with the spirit of fair play and responsible conduct;
• I will respect the property of others whether personal or public;
• I will respect members of my team, other teams, volunteers, spectators and officials, and engage in no form of discriminatory behavior or verbal, physical or sexual harassment or abuse;
• If I am a coach or staff member participating in competitions, I will complete U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee SafeSport Program training and will comply with the full spirit and intent of the program;
• I will act in a way that will bring respect and honor to myself, my teammates, MWABA and the United States;
• I will not retaliate in any manner against any person who reports an allegation that I have violated this Code of Conduct; and
• I will cooperate in the investigation of any complaint that is filed under this Code of Conduct, regardless of whether I am the person filing the complaint, the subject of the complaint, or a third person.
The procedure for filing a complaint under this Code of Conduct is as follows:
• A complaint form is available on the MWABA website at gomwaba.org. A complaint may also be filed by contacting any member of the MWABA board of directors. The complainant must provide specific information about the date, time and location of the incident, describe how the complainant believes the Code of Conduct was violated, and list any witnesses who observed the incident.
• A member of the board of directors who did not observe the incident will investigate the complaint by speaking with the complainant, the person about whom the complaint was made (the subject), and any witnesses that either of those individuals identify. The investigator will prepare a report to be shared with the full board, except that if any board members were involved in the incident that generated the complaint, those board members will be recused from and not permitted to participate in the discussion of the report. The report will include a recommendation on whether the investigator believes that the subject violated the Code of Conduct.
• The board, or the subset of the board not recused from participation, will have an opportunity to review the report and ask the investigator questions. The board, or the non-recused subset thereof, will then vote on the recommendation themselves if no previous complaints have been made against the subject of the present complaint. If a majority of those voting find that the subject violated the Code of Conduct, that person will receive a written warning letter describing the investigation results. The person will also be invited to engage in restorative justice measures with the person or people harmed by their actions, such as engaging in a mediated dialogue.
• In the event that a second complaint is made against the same subject within three (3) years of the first complaint, the same investigation steps will be taken except that the non-recused board members will not vote on the investigator’s report themselves. Instead, if a majority of those voting believe that the Code of Conduct was violated, the board will convene a special disciplinary panel made up of three people, at least two of whom will be non-board members. One of the three panel members will be a blind athlete and at least one will be a volunteer. The board will try to select panel members who are diverse both demographically and in terms of the organization’s sports and activities. The complainant and subject will have an opportunity to submit any written materials that they would like the disciplinary panel to consider in addition to the initial investigator’s report. The disciplinary panel will also hear directly from the complainant and the subject and have an opportunity to ask them questions. Unless both the complainant and subject choose to make their presentations at the same time, they will speak to the disciplinary panel separately, and under no circumstances will the complainant have the opportunity to directly ask the subject questions or vice versa. If after the hearing a majority of the disciplinary panel believes that the subject violated the Code of Conduct, that person will be barred from all MWABA activities for one month. The panel can also take other disciplinary actions they deem necessary depending on the nature of the violation, including a requirement that the subject’s future interactions with minors be supervised by another adult, etc.
• In the event that a third complaint is made against the same subject within three (3) years of the first complaint, the same investigation and hearing process shall be followed as described above except that the disciplinary panel shall be comprised of five members rather than three. IF the panel concludes that a subject with two prior violations of the Code of Conduct has violated it for a third time within a three-year period, that individual will be permanently barred from participating in MWABA activities.
• The MWABA board reserves the right to deviate from this policy and take more drastic action in response to a first or second violation if the conduct is sufficiently severe, such as a physical assault or threat of violence. If the non-recused members of the board unanimously conclude that the subject’s continued presence at MWABA events presents a safety risk, they can suspend that person pending resolution of the disciplinary process, and can also report the incident to law enforcement.
• All reasonable efforts will be made to maintain confidentiality of the complaint process to only the complainant, those named in the complaint as subject or witnesses, members of the board, and those invited by the board to serve on a disciplinary panel.