District and council volunteers who look over nominations for the Torch of Gold or Woods Services Award may learn of Scouters who don’t receive these awards, but deserve recognition for their service. These Scouters may qualify for the Special Needs Scouting Service Award (SNSSA), an earned recognition. It may be presented to adults, volunteer or... Continue Reading →
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 →
The Torch of Gold is a council award given annually to an adult Scouter for dedicated work for youth, particularly Scouts, with disabilities. It is not an award that is earned by simply fulfilling specific requirements. It is given in recognition for service in multiple areas for many years. The nominee should show a level... Continue Reading →
The Woods Services Award is given to one Scouter per year nationally for exceptional service and leadership. The nominee should have served Scouts with disabilities in several capacities at the unit, district, council, or national levels of the Boy Scouts of America. The nominee for this prestigious award must have served Scouts with disabilities for at least... Continue Reading →
Here is Volume 5, Number 4 of Abilities Digest. Highlights include: Adapting Activities: DisAbility adaptations for the COPE Challenge and course experience at the Philmont Training Center. Adapting Advancement: Perspectives on advancement as a method, not a mission, and on achievable challenges. Recognizing Abilities: Every council may present a Torch of Gold Award annually; Nominations for the 2019 Woods... Continue Reading →
The Seabase conference has been canceled for January 2019. Come and join us in the beautiful Florida Keys to learn how to work with Scouts with disabilities. We are offering the volunteer training conference Diverseability and DisAbilitiy – How to Apply Proper Methods in Scouting with Special Needs When: January 13-19, 2019 Where: Florida Seabase It's a... Continue Reading →
Reprinted from the July-August 2018 edition of Advancement News. The Guide to Advancement addresses council advancement committee responsibilities in Section 3.0.0.1, and it is always wise to ensure that the committee has someone well versed in special needs awareness issues so that other committee members can properly address them when they arise. Better still, the... Continue Reading →
The BSA’s National Disabilities Awareness Subcommittee has a Resources Task Force that maintains lists of resources to help Scouts and leaders address special needs and disabilities. Lists of web site links and mobile apps have been posted to the AbleScouts.org web site under the “Tools” menu. A list of helpful websites is at ablescouts.org/tools/ndas-links/. A... Continue Reading →
Bipolar disorder is one of many special needs that we need to understand in Scouting and in life. The negative side of a bipolar individual can be frightening and this prejudices many against anyone with bipolar disorder. Psychological and medical help can control bipolar behavior. Unit leaders can’t automatically exclude anyone based on a disability,... Continue Reading →
