Adaptive Troop for young women with disabilities (NJ)

[RememberSchiff]

Six years ago, Karen Briegs, a longtime scout leader, and co-Troop Leader Kathy Kafka, started Troop 60561 in Hillsborough, which provides a Girl Scout experience for young women with significant disabilities.

"We call this an 'adaptive' troop, and we modify the Girl Scout curriculum in ways that make it accessible to our girls who have a mixture of disabilities − physical, cognitive, intellectual," said Briegs. "I want the parents of girls who have disabilities who they believe make their daughters not eligible for Girl Scouts understand that there is a way. We want them to thrive and find opportunities to leadership in their own community."

"Everything we do requires quite a lot of assistance, but these girls would have never done that otherwise," Briegs said. "Girl Scouts is always about trying something new. Let's do something that you might not otherwise get the experience of doing − whatever you want to try, let's go try it."

...

Two of the girls are fairly non-verbal, two have wheelchair needs, and two have autism to a fairly significant degree.

"These are girls who really would not be successful in a troop of their chronological age level," Briegs said. "One size does not fit all, and that size did not fit these girls."  

...

"The Somerville Elks reached out to us and asked if there was anything we needed," Briegs said. "We made a 'wish list' and instead of granting us one wish, they granted all our wishes with a major donation."

 

More at source including photos, good story:

Scout salute!

https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/2025/07/28/nj-girl-scout-troop-for-kids-with-disabilities/84531919007/