Current requirements can be seen HERE as well as found in your rank manual - along with great ideas for completion. We guide you through the completion of the requirements in bold below.
Complete at least four of the following Requirements.
With other members of your den, try using a wheelchair or crutches, and reflect on the process.
Learn about a sport that has been adapted so that people in wheelchairs or with some other physical disability can play, and tell your den about it.
Learn about "invisible" disabilities. Take part in an activity that develops an understanding of invisible disabilities.
With your den, try doing three of the following things while wearing gloves or mittens:
Paint a picture two different ways: Paint it once the way you usually would paint it and then again by using a blindfold. Discuss with your den the ways the process was different.
Use American Sign Language to communicate either a simple sentence or at least four points of the Scout Law.
Learn about someone famous who has or had a disability, and share that person's story with your den or family.
Attend an event where people with disabilities are participants or where accommodations for people with disabilities are made a part of the event.
Radio or TV
Book
Sports teach people to set goals, the benefits of hard work, team spirit, and so much more. Athletes come from all walks of life including people with disabilities. The Paralympics are where people with all different types of impairments go to compete. Learn more about the Paralympics by watching a few of the videos below:
Not all disabilities have a symptom that can be seen by others. You might even wonder why someone uses a Handicap Parking spot but does not use a wheelchair or thought “You don’t look sick.” However, sometimes you cannot tell when a person has a disability and this is called an ‘Invisible Disability.’ These can range from autism to asthma and a lot of other things. Fortunately, a Scout is Kind and always willing to learn and understand.
Some people have trouble speaking or making their speech understood. Often they will use sign language or a board with pictures or words.
Try this - watch this video of The Cat in the Hat:
Note: If your child happens to understand Irish choose a different video
How did it feel to not be able to understand something?
Did you watch the entire show? If not, how long before you gave up?
How is this similar to people with disabilities who can talk but are hard to understand?
A person with hearing impairments can be someone who is completely deaf or a range of limited hearing. Often it is not about the volume but about the clarity - things can sound garbled or unclear.
Try this:
Put ear plugs in the scout’s ears
Turn a TV or radio to static and turn the volume up high.
Read a passage from a book. Read fast but quietly and mumble or run words together.
With the ear plugs still in and the white noise on, ask the scout some questions about the content of what you read. (Continue to speak quickly, quietly, and at an odd pace)
Remove the ear plugs and turn off the noise. How did it feel not being able to hear clearly?
There are over 200 known causes for learning disabilities. And not everyone is the same in the severity of their learning problems. Some may have trouble understanding what other people say or mean others may not be able to concentrate well or have to repeat things more.
Here are two simple tests. (Answers are below)
Read the sentence in the box to the right:
Now, count the F’s in the sentence. Count them only once. Do not go back and count them again.
How many F’s did you find?
Read the passage below and answer the questions.
Don’t worry it is really easy, all the answers are right there in the paragraph.
TEST #1
For the first passage, the correct answer is 6. Most people miss the Fs in the word “OF”. This is because we pronounce this as “ov” so our brain skips right over this when we are looking for “f.”
How did it feel to realize you missed some Fs and your brain “tricked” you?
TEST #2
How did it feel to be given a German test and told to “try harder?” Did that help? Did you even try once you saw what the test was?
How would it feel if this happened to you all the time, every day?
Try doing three of the following things while wearing gloves or mittens:
Tying your shoes
Using a fork to pick up food
Playing a card game
Playing a video game
Playing checkers or another board game
Blowing bubbles
Paint a picture two different ways:
Paint it once the way you usually would paint it and then again by using a blindfold.
Discuss with your den the ways the process was different.
Learn more about famous people who live with disabilities by clicking the heading above.
Look for events sponsored by Special Olympics or Easter Seals.
You may also attend a performance or presentation where an interpreter uses sign language