The Zia Experience: July 26-Aug 1, 2020 at Philmont Training Center. This is to be a Philmont experience for Scouting youth at all levels of functioning and abilities. Here is a flier: the-zia-experience-flierDownload
Adapting the COPE Challenge at Philmont
Last summer, Scouter Angela Glunt participated in the Philmont training course DIVERSEability and DisABILITY. Here are her experiences in adapting the COPE Challenge for people with disabiilities. Our class was approached by the COPE team and asked if we would be willing to participate in the COPE Course in order to help develop strategies for... Continue Reading →
Jamboree Joe
This story has been shared with Scouters nationwide by Charles Dahlquist, National Commissioner, in a recent issue of Scouting Magazine. Joe could be any Scout. This particular Scout attended the National Scout Jamboree last year. While we all face our daily challenges, Joe faces a lot more than most Jamboree attendees. He arrived with a motorized... Continue Reading →
Preparing for Summer Camp: Disabilities and Special Needs
Summertime means summer camp for most Scouts. Every Scout wants to take part and, more importantly, have fun. This takes preparation, especially for Scouts with special needs. The unit leader should take some time to think about each Scout as an individual and how each will react to summer camp routine. This is especially true... Continue Reading →
When Food Becomes a Special Need
We’ve all encountered Scouts who are picky eaters because the menu is different from home and food is cooked in unfamiliar ways. Most food aversions work themselves out because most kids will not willingly starve themselves. That is not always the case, and Scout leaders need to be receptive and address special cases. One special... Continue Reading →
Adaptive Archery at the 2017 Jamboree
Beginning in 2001, every Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill included a one-armed archery activity. At the Fort, it used a special one-handed bow-and-arrow fixture in a quonset hut as part of the disAbilities Awareness Challenge. When the Jamboree moved to the Summit in 2013 there was no enthusiasm for installing the fixture on... Continue Reading →
Sign Language for Scouting Events
Deaf and hard of hearing Scouts, Scouters and family members present new challenges for many units. Units, districts and councils aren't legally obligated to provide a sign language interpreter for deaf participants, and often can't afford a professional, certified interpreter. Yet we want to include everyone in the Scouting experience. We benefit both deaf and... Continue Reading →
Jamboree With Disabilities
Scott Hellen, a National Jamboree staffer with limited mobility, shares observations on his Jamboree experience. We all have preconceived expectations of what our first time on staff at a National Jamboree will be like. I was looking forward to working hundreds of Scouts from around the country and abroad as they came through the Disabilities... Continue Reading →
Severe and Unpredictable Behavior
Severe behavior takes many forms, from physical violence to seizures to unexpected, uninterruptible slumber. We adapt our activities to reduce the risk and impact, but we can’t always predict such incidents. How can we give young people the Scouting experience when they are subject to severe and unpredictable behavior? For example, a Star Scout with a sleeping... Continue Reading →
