Advancement Opportunities

Patrol Leader's Council

Parent Participation

The Cultural Fair

The Disability Awareness Trail

The history of every community in the United States has been influenced by many different groups: the native American Indians, who lived here first; the various peoples who have immigrated to this country over the past five hundred years; and those who continue to come to this country today, Each nationality brings its own language and customs, Initially these peoples settled near their friends and family, forming neighborhoods in which single ethnic heritages predominated.

By the time the Scouts in the troop reach midlife, most communities will no longer have a single ethnic heritage that predominates, and many communities in the United States will reflect the cultural diversity of the world,

Into these communities will also come people of different abilities and disabilities, This month’s program feature will help Scouts to understand better the different ethnic groups represented in their communities. It also will help them to develop a sensitivity to those who have some physical, mental, or emotional disability,

The troop’s big event this month will be either a cultural fair or a disability awareness trail. These activities might be part of a daylong event or tied into an overnight camp-out

This month’s patrol and troop activities should give your Scouts

• A greater understanding of their community and its people
• A sensitivity to people with disabilities
• A better understanding of their duty to help other people
• Awareness of their rights and duties as a citizen

By the end of the month, all Scouts should have met many of their citizenship requirements through First Class rank. Depending on the activities, they may also complete all or part of the following rank requirements:

• Outdoor—Hiking, camping
• Citizenship—Flag ceremonies, Good Turn
• Patrol/troop participation—Patrol identification
• Personal development—Scout Oath and Law

• Outdoor—Cooking, camping, hiking
• Citizenship—Flag ceremonies, Good Turn
• Patrol/troop participation—Leadership
• Personal Development—Scout Oath and Law

• Outdoor—Cooking, camping, nature, hiking
• Citizenship—Flag ceremonies, Good Turn
• Patrol/troop participation—Leadership
• Personal Development—Scout Oath and Law

Older Scouts may concentrate on the Disabilities Awareness merit badge this month; they should be able to complete many of the requirements. Depending on activities during the month, they may also complete requirements for the Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, and Citizenship in the World merit badges,

The patrol leaders’ council may involve parents in the program feature this month by

• Asking parents of different ethnic backgrounds to talk about their culture or assist with the cultural fair
• Inviting parents on the outing
• Asking parents to provide transportation for the outing

The patrol leaders’ council should have met in the middle of the previous month to plan troop activities for this program feature. If you don’t complete all items on the following agenda, continue planning at patrol leaders’ council meetings after each Troop meeting.

• Decide whether the troop wants to do a cultural fair or a disability awareness trail. Will the event be held for the public or will it just be for the troop? Will it be part of an outing or a daylong event?
• If the event is a cultural fair, discuss which ethnic groups are represented in the community and should be invited to attend. Scouts with those ethnic backgrounds should be put in charge of those groups.
• If the event is a disability awareness trail, make patrol assignments for the various stations along the trail. Discuss equipment needs and resources to secure.
• Arrange for a visit to a facility designed to assist kids with disabilities
• Hold a junior leader training session (Scoutmaster’s Junior Leader Training Kit)

It is difficult and perhaps impossible for people who aren’t disabled to understand what it’s really like to have a disability.

The disability awareness trail will give you an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the obstacles that face persons with disabilities. The trail has five stations,

This shows the difficulties, frustrations, and problems experienced by people with physical disabilities. For this event you will need:

• Four ropes, 3 feet long
• Four pairs of crutches
• Four blindfolds
• Four earmuffs that impede hearing (devices used by aircraft ground crews do a good job)
• Two BSA tents with poles, pegs, and ropes

Introduction (to be read to participants)

For a Boy Scout, pitching a tent is an easy job, isn’t it? But what if you were blind? What if you could only use one arm? What if you only had one leg and had to use crutches, or you were deaf? If you had one of these disabilities, then pitching a tent wouldn’t be so easy. We are going to give you a chance to experience coping with one of these disabilities as you pitch a tent. When we finish, we will take a few brief minutes to discuss what happened and how you felt.

Event Directions

Everybody should be disabled in some way: blindfolded, made deaf, have an arm tied behind his back, or have a leg tied up while on crutches. The event can be timed to determine the fastest patrol. The object now is to set up the tent

Reflection

Ask for participants’ reactions to being disabled, and how they feel now about other people who have to endure these challenges for their entire lifetime.

The purpose of this event is to show how simple events on an obstacle course become serious obstacles when a person is disabled. The equipment needed:

• Eight used automobile tires
• 2-by4-by-8-foot board, laid with 4-inch side to ground, and anchored by stakes driven beside it
• Three 2-by4-by-16-inch beam supports (laid under previous board for height)
• One tent (pitched)

Introduction (to be read to participants)

I’m sure you have all been through an obstacle course at one time or another. But how does a blind person walk through tires that are randomly placed on the ground? How does a person with only one leg crawl under a tent? What is an easy obstacle course for people with no disabilities becomes extremely difficult when you are disabled.

Everyone is to assume a different disability than they had at the last station. This event will call for teamwork.

Event Directions

Assign to each Scout one of four disabilities: being deaf, having only one arm, having only one leg, being blind. Have them complete the obstacle course in teams with only the patrol leader being able to speak.

Reflection

Ask for reactions on how it felt to try and complete the obstacle course without being able to use all of their faculties.

The purpose of this event is to experience the slowness and careful attention needed by people with impaired hearing in communications. Equipment needed:

• Copies of the manual alphabet in the The Boy Scout Handbook
• Pencils
• Strips of paper
• Messages prepared on strips of paper (examples: yell "go," pick up a stone, put paper on the ground)

Introduction (to be read to participants)

(The leader signs the word "Hi" to the boys.) How many of you boys understood what I just told you? Signing is the way many people who are hearing-impaired communicate with those around them. Letters, words, and ideas are made with the hands. This is called sign language.

Event Directions (to be read to participants)

In this event, we will all pretend that we are hearing-impaired and will not talk. Our only communication will be through sign language. You or your partner will have a message to send to the other by using only sign language. Communicating will be slow and will require careful attention. The message will tell you to do something to prove you understood. (Each Scout should have a pencil and paper to record the letters, and a copy of the manual.)

Reflection

Ask for reactions from Scouts to how it felt to communicate without being able to hear or speak.

The purpose of this activity is to gain an appreciation of the difficulty that blind people have in reading. Equipment needed

• Tables
• Pencils
• Braille alphabet cards
• Ten different messages prepared in Braille dots, with space below each letter for writing

Introduction (to be read to participants)

Our sight is extremely important to us. Without our sight, we would miss the beauty of the outdoors. We would be unable to watch our favorite television shows. Many people have never seen these things, and never will. Through the use of the Braille alphabet, blind people can read books and can use Braille computer keyboards to write with. We are going to show you the Braille alphabet and give you a chance to read a message in Braille.

Event Directions (to be read to participants)

(Hand out message strips and Braille alphabet cards.) Braille is a series of raised dots that the blind person reads with his or her fingers. Learning to read this way takes many hours of instruction and practice. For our experience today, we will read the dots with our eyes. Under each set of dots, write the letter and then decode and carry out the message.

Reflection

Ask for the Scouts’ reaction to reading in such a way.

The purpose of this activity is to foster understanding of what people in wheelchairs face. The equipment needed:

Two backboards with baskets 10 feet from the ground

• Basketballs
• Two wheelchairs (if more wheelchairs are available, then line up enough for regularly sized teams of five)

Introduction (to be read to participants)

Basketball is a very physical sport and actively involves all parts of your body What if you were unable to walk and had to be in a wheelchair? What if you drop the ball while playing— how do you pick it up? The basket stays at the same height; is it possible to make a basket from a wheelchair? Let’s play a short game of one-on-one.

Event Directions (to be read to participants)

Before we begin our game, you have five minutes to play around with the basketball. When the whistle blows, the game will begin. The regular rules of basketball apply. (Announce the amount of time available for the game.) Wheelchairs are very expensive, so please take care of them.

Reflection

Ask the Scouts how they felt about having to use a wheelchair while trying to play an active game like basketball.