Re: "MY SCOUT BADGE"
Susan Ganther (susan@GIBBS.OIT.UNC.EDU)
Thu, 20 Jan 1994 16:53:13 +0500
On Wed, 19 Jan 1994, Settummanque, the blackeagle wrote:
> Yep. That's where we "stand" on all "Scouting for the Disabled"
> programs. What it looked like to me is an attempt to move away from
> mainstreaming and move back toward "special units and special
> programs" which Scouts with disabilities do NOT need...they need to be
> challenged like "normal" Scouts!
>
Last summer a troop attended summer camp and another troop was invited to
join theirs to share a place at camp. The other troop brought a boy who was
on anti-psychotic medication, without which he was dangerous to the other
boys. We are not exactly sure who should have been responsible for making
sure that the boy took his medication, which he seemed to like to avoid,
but there were incidents which would have been preventable if proper care
had been given in assuring that the boy had been following his med plan.
If his SM had better training in medical issues and knew what to expect if
the med was not taken on time, the other scouts would not have been
exposed to unnecessary danger from this boy.
This is just one example where a special unit would have been a better
place for a boy. Volunteers with proper training and experience would
provide a safer environment for the disabled boy, for his peers, and for
the adult volunteers themselves. Trying to disarm even a small boy
weilding a shovel can be dangerous without training.
It seems unrealistic to expect BSA to train every adult volunteer in
every aspect of dealing with all the different types of disabilities,
but folks who are not aware of what it is they don't know and what they
need to learn before getting involved in working with disabled Scouts can
do as much harm as good. Sometimes good intentions can lead to bad
experiences.
Just my humble opinion.
YIS, Susan Ganther, CM Pack 837, ASM Troop 837
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
