The Western New York Disability and Neurodiversity Bar Association (WNYDNBA) is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the personal information entrusted to us by our members, website visitors, partners, and community advocates. This comprehensive Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your information, and explains your rights regarding your data.

This policy is designed to comply with applicable data protection laws, including best practices derived from common U.S. state regulations and international standards (such as principles of the GDPR, where relevant to our operational scope).

1. Introduction and Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal information collected by the WNYDNBA through our website wnyd.site, membership applications, event registrations, email communications, and other official interactions.

What is Personal Information?

For the purpose of this policy, Personal Information means any information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household. This includes identifiers like names, email addresses, mailing addresses, payment details, and professional credentials.

Who We Are

The WNYDNBA is a non-profit professional association based in the United States, focused on legal advocacy, education, and support for legal professionals and the disability/neurodiversity communities in the Western New York region.

Contact for Privacy Matters:

• Email: info@wnyd.site
• Mailing Address: 3560 ORANGEPORT ROAD, GASPORT, NY 14067 US

2. Categories of Information We Collect

We collect information primarily to fulfill our mission, manage membership, and administer events. The information collected falls into the following categories:

Category of Data	Examples of Information Collected	Purpose of Collection
A. Identity and Contact Data	Name, title, firm/organization, mailing address, email address, phone number, and professional licensing information (for verification).	Membership administration, communication, directory services, and legal compliance.
B. Financial Data	Credit card number, payment details, and billing address (collected by secure third-party processors).	Processing membership dues, event registration fees, and donations.
C. Professional and Demographic Data	Years of practice, areas of specialization (e.g., disability law, education law), neurodiversity or disability status (optional, for inclusion/accommodation purposes only).	Tailoring resources, content, and events; ensuring proper accommodations; building member expertise directories.
D. Technical and Usage Data	IP address, browser type, operating system, pages visited, time spent on the website, referring website, and dates/times of access.	Website security, troubleshooting, optimizing user experience, and internal analytics.
E. Communication Data	Records of correspondence (email, phone transcripts, meeting notes) and survey responses.	Responding to inquiries, internal record-keeping, and gathering feedback on association activities.
F. Accommodation Data (Sensitive)	Specific requests for event or communication accommodations (e.g., ASL interpreter, braille, large print, specific platform requirements).	Fulfilling our commitment to accessibility and compliance with disability laws (ADA). This data is treated with the utmost sensitivity and restricted access.

3. How We Collect Your Information

We collect personal information through various methods:

A. Direct Interactions

You provide us with data when you:

• Apply for membership or renew your membership.
• Register for our CLE seminars, conferences, or social events.
• Subscribe to our newsletters or email lists.
• Make a donation or payment.
• Communicate with us via email, phone, or mail.
• Voluntarily complete a member survey or contact form.

B. Automated Technologies (Cookies and Tracking)

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect Technical and Usage Data using cookies, server logs, and other similar technologies.

• Cookies: Small text files placed on your device to track your activity on the site. We use both session cookies (which disappear when you close your browser) and persistent cookies (which stay until you delete them or they expire) to remember your preferences and analyze website traffic.
• Analytics: We use common web analytics services (like Google Analytics) to track and report on website traffic. This data is generally anonymized or aggregated.

C. Third-Party Sources

We may receive information about you from third parties, such as:

• Payment processors (who provide us with payment confirmation, not raw financial details).
• Partnerships (if you register for a joint event hosted by the WNYDNBA and another organization).
• Publicly available professional sources (like Bar Association directories) for verification purposes.

4. How We Use Your Information (Purposes and Legal Basis)

We use your personal information for legitimate business purposes, primarily related to fulfilling our mission and maintaining our legal obligations.

Purpose of Use	Legal Basis / Justification (where applicable)	Retention Policy Summary
Membership Services	Necessary for the performance of the contract with you (the membership agreement).	Retained for the duration of membership plus a necessary archive period (typically 7 years) for historical and audit purposes.
Communication	Necessary for our legitimate interest in informing our members and the public about important legal updates, events, and resources.	Retained until you unsubscribe or opt-out of communications.
Financial Processing	Necessary for compliance with legal and regulatory obligations (tax law, accounting).	Financial records are typically retained for 7 years as required by tax law.
Website Improvement	Necessary for our legitimate interest in monitoring and improving our website’s performance and security.	Technical and usage data is typically retained for up to 2 years, with aggregated data kept indefinitely.
Accommodation Services	Necessary for compliance with a legal obligation (ADA, etc.) and explicit consent (for voluntary sensitive data).	Data is deleted or anonymized immediately following the event or service fulfillment, except where required for ongoing safety planning.
Member Directory (Public)	Based on explicit consent (you opt-in during the membership application process).	Retained only while membership is active and consent is maintained.

5. Sharing and Disclosure of Your Personal Information

We do not sell your personal information. We only share or disclose your data in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: We share data with third-party vendors who perform services on our behalf, such as website hosting, payment processing (e.g., Stripe or PayPal), email marketing (e.g., Mailchimp), and event management. These service providers are legally bound to protect your data and are prohibited from using your personal information for their own purposes.
• Professional Directory: As a service to the community and a benefit to members, we maintain a member directory. We will only publish your name, firm, and contact information if you have given us explicit consent during the membership process.
• Joint Events and Partnerships: If we co-host a CLE or event with a partner organization, we may share the registration list (names and contact info) with that partner for the purpose of event administration only. You will be notified in advance when registering for such an event.
• Legal Compliance and Protection: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, subpoena, or other legal process, or if we believe in good faith that such action is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of the WNYDNBA, our members, or the public.

6. Data Security and Retention

Data Security

We employ robust technical and organizational measures designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These measures include:

• Using SSL/TLS encryption for data transmission on our website.
• Storing sensitive data (like professional accommodation requests) on secured, access-restricted servers.
• Employing two-factor authentication for administrative access to our systems.
• Mandating that all third-party payment processing is handled by PCI-compliant vendors.

While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security, as no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, including for satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

• Member Data: Retained while you are an active member. Non-financial data is archived for up to seven (7) years after membership ends to facilitate easy re-joining and respond to historical inquiries.
• Financial Data: Retained for seven (7) years to comply with U.S. tax and accounting laws.
• General Inquiries: Deleted after two (2) years if no relationship is established.

7. Your Rights Regarding Your Data

You have specific rights regarding the personal information we hold about you. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@wnyd.site

A. Right to Access

You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

B. Right to Rectification (Correction)

You have the right to request that we correct any personal data about you that is inaccurate or incomplete. Members can typically update most of their profile information directly via their online member portal.

C. Right to Erasure (The “Right to Be Forgotten”)

In certain circumstances, you have the right to request the deletion of your personal data. This right is subject to our legal and regulatory obligations (e.g., we cannot delete data required for tax audits).

D. Right to Restrict Processing

You have the right to request that we limit the way we use your data in certain situations (e.g., you can ask us to stop publishing your contact information in the public directory without deleting your entire membership profile).

E. Right to Object to Processing

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where the legal basis is our legitimate interest.

F. Right to Data Portability

You have the right to request that we transfer the data we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.

G. Right to Withdraw Consent

If we rely on your explicit consent as the legal basis for processing your information (such as publishing your professional details in a public directory), you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

8. Opting Out of Communications

You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:

• Marketing Emails: You can opt-out of receiving non-essential emails (like newsletters or event announcements) by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email communication.
• Public Directory: You can withdraw consent for your information to be published in any public member directory by emailing info@wnyd.site.
• Cookies: You can typically modify your browser settings to decline cookies. Note that declining cookies may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website’s features.

9. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to other websites, such as those of our partner organizations or external CLE providers. This Privacy Policy applies only to the WNYDNBA website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

10. Children’s Privacy

The WNYDNBA services are not directed to individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware that we have collected Personal Information from a child under 16 without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers¹ immediately.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make changes, we will revise the “Effective Date” at the top of the policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically for any changes. Substantial changes will be communicated to active members via email.

12. Contacting Us About Privacy

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your data rights, or the data practices of the WNYDNBA, please contact us:

Data Protection Officer/Privacy Contact:

• Email: info@wnyd.site (Preferred method)
• Mailing Address: WESTERN NEW YORK DISABILITY AND NEURODIVERSITY BAR ASSOCIATION, 3560 ORANGEPORT ROAD, GASPORT, NY 14067 US