Articles on Scouting with special needs and disabilities
Here is Abilities Digest Volume 8, number 1 for Spring 2021. Here is a summary of the contents: Adapting Activities: Preparing for summer camp; parents and youth with special needs sharing tents; waterfront and boating accessibility.Adapting Advancement: The ISAP and the IEP.Awareness Events: Membership and unit growth roundtable for special needs and disabilities; training events... Continue Reading →
Philmont established the Zia Experience to open more of its activities more Scouts who have special needs or disabilities. The following comments and photo were shared with us by Mary, the mother of Zia participant OIiver. Oliver’s Philmont trip was amazing. Not only did he have the time of his life, but he learned and... Continue Reading →
This is an excerpt from the Special Needs and Disabilities Inclusion Toolbox being developed by the National Special Needs and Disabilities Committee (NSNDC). The Toolbox will replace the 2007 Scouting for Youth with Disabilities Manual. Every willing Scout should have opportunity to get in and onto the water and have fun. Opportunities for recreational time... Continue Reading →
Camping can provide many successes and experiences youth would never get to experience if not for Scouting. Camping with youth who have disabilities can be challenging. Going into the experience with insight can make the experience more successful. Here are a few tips to get parents, the Scout’s leadership, and the Scout prepared for an... Continue Reading →
The national office has recently issued a clarification about youth with special needs sharing a tent with parents if there are health and safety reasons to do so. The statement appears as a “frequently asked question” in the “Youth Protection and Barriers to Abuse FAQs.” (scouting.org/health-and-safety/yp-faqs/) Q. Can I share a tent with my son... Continue Reading →
If you’ve never been to the Summit Bechtel Reserve, here is a terrific opportunity to enjoy its adventures and to share experiences with other Scouters working with special needs and disabilities. Registration is still open for two conferences offered August 2-7, 2021. Registration is open at summitbsa.org/training. DIVERSEability and DisABILITY: Develop and Grow Scouting for... Continue Reading →
When: Wednesday, 26 May 2021, 8:00pm ET/7:00pm CT The BSA’s National Special Needs & Disabilities Committee is hosting a Roundtable for Council Champions/Chairs, staff advisors and Unit Leaders on May 26, 2021 at 7:00 CDT. This Zoom meeting will focus on membership and unit growth. Register in advance for this meeting online at scouting-org.zoom.us/meeting/register. After registering,... Continue Reading →
This article appeared in the Summer 2020 issue of Abilities Digest. While updating ability-specific guidance provided by the National Special Needs and Disabilities Committee (NSNDC), we reached out to the National Federation of the Blind. With the help of Christopher S. Danielson, its Director of Public Relations, we have developed the following guidance for “Building... Continue Reading →
This article appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of Abilities Digest. Special needs and disabilities are all around us. There are many of us who have disabilities, but by looking at us, one cannot tell. In the next few months, we all will be either recruiting or joining a new unit. With that in mind,... Continue Reading →
The following was a response to a problem encountered by a Scout parent. It originally appeared in the Summer 2020 issue of Abilities Digest. Here is the dilemma: the Scout has immunization problems and the Scout’s physician suggests the Scout be isolated while camping. The unit leadership does not agree. Having a special needs child... Continue Reading →
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