Scouts with disABILITIES Information

Guide document - Working with Scouts with disAbilities

Guide document – Supporting Scouts with disAbilities

Procedures for requesting Alternate Eagle Merit Badges

Form for requesting Alternate Eagle Merit Badges

Procedures for requesting alternate requirements Boy Scouts Tenderfoot through First Class

Refer to Section 10 of the BSA Guide to Advancement

For a scout to be registered/continue to be registered with the Boy Scouts as an active scout with disabilities, a packet of materials outlined below must be submitted, which will then be reviewed and a decision made at the Council level.  If the request is granted, it permits the scout to continue working on advancement past the normal age of 18.  The following documents are required:

1. A letter from a parent or guardian describing the disability and its severity and permanence, and petitioning the council for approval of registration beyond the age of eligibility
 
2. A completed youth membership application or proof of current membership
 
3. A completed Annual BSA Health and Medical Record form, signed by a licensed physician, found online at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/ahmr.aspx
 
4. A signed statement from a qualified health professional attesting to the nature of the disability, its severity, and permanent limitations connected with it. For physical disabilities, this must be a licensed physician; for developmental or cognitive issues, a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, or as appropriate, a neurologist or other medical professional in a specialty related to the disability.
 
5. A letter from the unit leader advocating and supporting the registration
 
6. Other supporting documentation, such as an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), treatment summaries, etc., which are optional, but can make a difference in the decision, submitted by a  professional in a specialty related to the disability. 
  
When these pieces have been compiled, they can be mailed/delivered to the Council office:
 
Hudson Valley Council
6 Jeanne Drive
Newburgh, NY 12550 
 
Attention: Staff Advisor Youth Development Committee

How to work with Scouts who have ADD/ADHD

March 2013

Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. What is it? How do you know if someone in your troop has it and, more important, how do you as a leader handle a boy who has this disorder or other special needs?

If your troop has 25 boys, odds are three of them have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a CDC report.  Yes, 12 percent of boys ages 3 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD, and that doesn’t count those who may have the condition but haven’t been formally diagnosed.

That presents a unique challenge to you as a trusted leader, and it makes the March 2013 episode of ScoutCast a must-listen. You’ll learn what ADD/ADHD is, how you know if a boy has it, and how you as a leader can work with Scouts in your troop who have it.

Our ScoutCast hosts are joined by Tony Mei, a 40-year Scout volunteer with the Marin Council in San Rafael, Calif. He’s been working with Scouts with disabilities for almost 15 of those 40 years and has developed training for College of Commissioner Science classes for Scouting with special needs and disabilities, including ADHD and autism spectrum.

Listen at this link:

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/scoutcast/resources/201303_1/March_ADD.mp3