Able Scouts

A volunteer in the Northern Star Council (Minnesota and Wisconsin) has developed a series of three training presentations on advancement for Cubs and Scouts BSA with special needs or disabilities (SND). They are available below in PowerPoint format and on video.

The presentations break the topic into three parts:

1. Do’s and Don’ts
2. Scouts BSA
3. More Time.

Both the presentations and videos have been used in council training events. Live training with the videos should include breaks in between to discuss the contents, or may include pausing a video to further discuss the current topic.

The Videos

Each video lasts about 10 minutes. Following each video below are links to the current national documents and forms discussed in that video.

The videos below are from the 2024 version. The links and the presentation slides are all updated to the 2025 version.

1. Do’s and Don’ts

This presentation summarizes principles of SND advancement that apply to the typical BSA programs: Cubs, Scouts BSA, Sea Scouts, and Venturing.

Links TBD

2. Scouts BSA

This presentation describes how Scouts with SND may take advantage of advancement flexibility, and which forms to fill out when requirements must be modified.

Links TBD

3. More Time

This presentation describe how youth with SND may apply for time extensions or even permanent status as a youth participant in Scouting advancement.

Links TBD

The PowerPoint Presentation

The presentations were originally developed using Apple’s Keynote presentation software, though the animations are still effective in the PowerPoint format.

The current version of the presentations contain a blank space on the right to show the live speaker in the slide frame. Adding the live speaker requires a “green screen” and software like the “Open Broadcast System Studio” (OBS Studio) to combine the output of the presentation software (PowerPoint for example) with a live video feed of the narrator.

About the Author

These training materials were produced by Rick Smith of Northern Star Council. He chairs the council subcommittee on special needs advancement. While he is also a member of the BSA’s National Special Needs and Disabilities Committee, these training materials have not been officially approved at the national level. The author has been honored with the Woods Services Award, the Torch of Gold, the Silver Beaver, and the Special Needs Scouting Service Award.