Minutes of meeting of the Board of directors of The Autscape Organisation Meeting date: Tuesday 26th April 2016 12.00 BST Meeting time: 12:00 Meeting Chair: Kalen Present: Debbie, Elaine, Jeremy, Joseph, Kalen, Trish Apologies: None Meeting opened: 12.05pm, closed 2.50pm 1. Approvals 1.1. Minutes of the March 2016 meeting posted on list on 26th April 2016. Preliminary board approval of the minutes (pending final approval by chair of the meeting) (4 for, 2 abstentions) 2. Ratifications 2.1. The decision taken on list on 25th April 2016 that we sign the contract with Giggleswick school for Autscape to be held 16-19th August 2016. Contract decision ratified (6 for). 3. Proposals 3.1. Joseph proposed that board approved expenses for Joseph, Debbie and Peter of up to £70 for the venue visit to High Leigh Conference on March 22nd 2016. Travel expenses approved (6 for) 3.2. The Venue coordinator proposed that we purchase a projector, extra wheels and lenses, weighed blanket and UV lamp for the sensory room at a significantly reduced cost of £200 from Debbie. Note: This equipment is normally extremely expensive and would probably be outside of Autscapes budget. It is in excellent condition and no longer required by Debbie who is prepared to sell it to Autscape at well below the current market value. Sensory equipment purchase approved (5 for, 1 abstention). 3.3. The Company Secretary proposed that we create a new role of Publicity secretary. Publicity secretary position approved (6 for). 3.4. The Company Treasurer proposed that we i. Transfer the remaining funds in the Autscape 2014 designated fund to general reserves, and close the Autscape 2014 fund. ii. Transfer the remaining funds in the Autscape 2015 designated fund to general reserves, and close the Autscape 2015 fund. iii. Create a designated fund for Autscape 2016, to transfer GBP 2,500 from general reserves into that fund. Income from conference booking and expenditure related to that conference will assigned to the fund. iv. Create a designated fund for Autscape 2017, to transfer GBP 2,500 from general reserves into that fund. Income from conference bookings and expenditure related to that conference will be assigned to the fund. Transfers of funds to/from reserves approved (6 for). 3.5. The Company Treasurer proposed we adopt one of the fee options for Giggleswick 2016. Fees are at [internal web address removed] and summarised as: 1. Single and shared rooms cost the same. There is a supplement for having a sink. 2a. Shared rooms are cheaper than single rooms. The supplement for the sink is the same as in 1. 2b. A sink is treated like a single room. Shared rooms are cheapest. There is an equal supplement for sinks and single rooms. 3. All fees are equal. There is no cash disadvantage to needing a single room with a sink. Residential fee structure 2b approved (5 for 2b, 1 for 2a). 3.5.1. The chair proposed that the Company Treasurer be given the authority to make minor changes to the exact figures for fees, in keeping with the structure decided. Treasurer authority approved (6 for). 3.5.2. The chair proposed we approve the day fees as given on the webpage. Day fees approved (5 for, 1 abstention). 3.6. Programme Proposals The programme coordinator lead discussions on the proposals and the board selected the following for inclusion in the programme: * Expectations of what ‘autistic’ means and how this impacts upon self identity - Kabie Brook * Whose identity? - Larry Arnold * Claiming an identity they taught us to despise - Caroline Hearst * Autistic identity and the limits of inclusion - Martijn Dekker * Can a mindfulness practice help relieve everyday stress in a neuro diverse population? - Kay Locke * The professional auty - John Wilson * Exploring Autistic identity through performance - Olivia Astrid Pountney * Identifying with autism in film and television - Hannah Ebben * Autistics doing it for themselves: participation in academic research - Peter Bainbridge and Daniel Poole The board felt that Peter and Daniel should include opinions in their discussion and the Programme Coordinator agreed to make this clear to them. The board needed to clarify some things regarding Marie Yates Proposal so this was deferred to list for a decision. Meeting closed 2.50
Actions 3. Kalen to continue discussion on Marie Yates proposal