Section I: Members 

Any School for the Deaf (combined schools are not allowed) is eligible for NDIAA membership, provided that the school meets all obligations set forth in this Constitution. Each school should be affiliated with its state athletic association. Schools must be in good standing, including paying membership fees with NDIAA, to be eligible for any NDIAA recognitions. 

Schools with at least 75 eligible students enrolled in grades 9-12 will be placed into Division 1. Schools with 74 or fewer eligible students will be placed into Division 2. 

Section II: Dues 

In August, at the start of the academic year, the NDIAA Treasurer will distribute a membership form along with a list of participating sports teams to each member school. All membership forms and dues must be completed and paid in full by November 1 of that year. Schools that have not paid their membership fees by this deadline will not receive any NDIAA recognition for their teams and athletes. 

Annual dues: 

• $200 for schools with 9 or more athletic teams 
• $100 for schools with 8 or fewer athletic teams 

ARTICLE II: Executive Board and Commissioners Section I: Meetings 

A national conference for athletic directors and supporting athletics staff shall be held biennially in March. 

Section II: Governance 

NDIAA is governed by a nine-member Executive Board. Each board member must be an athletic director at a school for the Deaf and in good standing with NDIAA. Recommendations for selecting NDIAA executives ensure fair and equal representation of school sizes and geographical locations on the board. 

Section III: Officers 

Elections shall be held at a bi-annual national conference. All officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) shall serve from the date of their elections until the next national conference, committing to a two-year term. Each officer may serve up to three two-year terms; at the end of their three terms, they may be re-elected for additional terms if approved by athletic directors during the NDIAA conference. 

Elections shall be held at each national conference. 

• The President shall perform the duties of directing the association, including: o Announcing any and all NDIAA awards. 

o Receive all referrals from member schools and direct them to the appropriate decision-making body. 

o Assigning duties to other board members. 

• The Vice President shall assume the President’s duties in the event of the President’s absence or inability to fulfill them. Additionally, the Vice President is responsible for overseeing any committees approved by NDIAA. 
• The Secretary shall record minutes for all board and general meetings and perform such other secretarial duties as assigned. Additionally, the Secretary is responsible for organizing and setting up the Executive Board meetings three times per school year, which includes creating meeting agendas and distributing them to Executive Board members. 
• The Treasurer shall oversee the association’s finances, update membership standings, track revenues and expenses, and submit a financial report to members at each national conference and executive board meeting. Additionally, the Treasurer shall send membership invoices to all athletic directors sometime in September, including some reminders before November 1st. The Treasurer will communicate with the Executive Board regarding the list of Deaf Schools that have paid or not paid for the NDIAA annual membership. 

The Past President automatically serves as an advisor for the next two years without voting power. They participate in discussions, offer guidance as appropriate, share experiences and organizational history, and support the President during their tenure. The Past President also mentors board members to ensure smooth leadership transitions and contributes to discussions and decision-making processes. 

Should a position on the board become vacant, whether by death, resignation, removal, disqualification, or otherwise, the Executive Board shall meet, discuss, and select a new individual based on the organization’s needs to fulfill the duties of the vacant position for 

the remainder of the term. The NDIAA President is responsible for communicating with the athletic directors regarding changes in the NDIAA board members. 

Section IV: Sports Commissioners 

Each Executive Board member will also serve as an NDIAA Sport-Specific Commissioner, responsible for collecting information and distributing it to the NDIAA Executive Board members to determine the Team of the Year, Coach of the Year, Cheerleader/Player/Runner/Wrestler of the Year, and All-Americans for each of the sports listed below. 

The NDIAA president should assign the sports-specific assignments to each Executive Board member at the beginning of their two-year term. 

• Cross Country 
• 6/8-man Football 
• 8/11-man Soccer 
• Volleyball: Division I & II 
• Cheerleading: Division I & II 
• Boys Basketball: Division I & II 
• Girls Basketball: Division I & II 
• Wrestling 
• Baseball 
• Softball 
• Boys Track and Field: Division I & II* 
• Girls Track and Field: Division I & II* 

*The United States Deaf Track and Field organization handles the selection process and submits results to NDIAA, which then recognizes the award recipients. 

ARTICLE III: Awards and Procedures 

Section I: Awards (NDIAA recognitions will be awarded per sport if there are at least four schools with that specific team) 

Award categories include: 

• Team of the Year 
• Coach of the Year 
• Cheerleader/Player/Runner/Wrestler of the Year 
• All-American Selections 
• Athlete of the Year 
• Rookie of the Year 

Awards are given to teams in Divisions I and II at the end of each sports season, except for cross country, football, soccer, and wrestling teams, depending on the number of membership forms turned in. Divisions will be classified by the first week of November based on the membership forms submitted by all Deaf schools. 

Section II: Awards Procedure 

At the end of each season, each coach per sport may nominate athletes for Cheerleader/Player/Runner/Wrestler of the Year and All-American recognition, as well as nominate their team for Team of the Year recognition. Only Athletic Directors can nominate coaches for the Coach of the Year honor. Nominations must be submitted online; any nomination received after the due date will not be considered without communication from ADs regarding postseason playoff eligibility. 

Only Athletic Directors may submit online nominations for the Male Athlete/Rookie of the Year and Female Athlete/Rookie of the Year awards for Division 1 and 2 during the month of May. 

Sport-Specific Commissioners will lead the selection process and submit final recommendations to the NDIAA Executive Board, which will then collectively make final selections. 

ARTICLE IV: Voting 

The quorum requires a minimum of 15 active member schools in attendance at business meetings to vote on the following matters during the bi-annual NDIAA conference: 

1. Amendments to bylaws 
2. Amendments to awards criteria 
3. Amendments to transfer form 
4. Removal of officers or board members 

ARTICLE V: Dissolution 

NDIAA may be dissolved only by authorization of its Executive Board. This authorization must be given at a special meeting called for that purpose and then may be executed with subsequent approval of a two-thirds majority of voting members (whose membership status must be determined by the membership committee). Upon dissolution or other termination, all remaining assets of NDIAA, after payment in full of all its debts, obligations, and final expenses, or after the making of adequate provisions therefore, shall be distributed to such tax-exempt organizations with purposes similar to NDIAA as chosen by the NDIAA Executive Board.

• National Athletic Directors Conference Sites

  2007: New Mexico School for the Deaf (Santa Fe, NM)

  2009: Model Secondary School for the Deaf (Washington, DC)

  2011: Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf (Faribault, MN)

  2014: Colorado School for the Deaf & Blind (Colorado Springs, CO)

  2017: California School for the Deaf (Fremont, CA)

  2019: Marie Philip School (Framingham, MA)

  2023: Texas School for the Deaf (Austin, TX)

  2025: California School for the Deaf – Riverside (Riverside, CA)