Here you will find general resources relating to Scouting and special needs:
SPECIAL NEEDS AND SCOUTING
RESOURCES FROM SCOUTING AMERICA
Scouting America—Serving Scouts With Disabilities Page
This is the first place to look for policies, guidelines and counsel about special needs and Scouting. Check out the Training Modules for specific issues and the Inclusion Toolbox, which is an encyclopedia of special needs Scouting.
This guide specifies mandated and recommended procedures for advancement in all Scouting programs. See in particular Section 10, “Advancement for Members with Special Needs.”
RESOURCES FROM SCOUTING COLORADO
Don’t miss our special needs homepage, which includes information about how to contact us.
Handouts & Flyers Distributed by the Special Needs Program
- FAQ for Parents
- FAQ for Adult Leaders
- Disabilities Awareness Presentation
- Guidelines for Specific Types of Special Needs
- How Can We Help You?
- How to help Scouts with ADHD Succeed
- SN Designation & Advancement Procedures
- SN ADD-ADHD Tips
- SN What To Do If You Are A Leader
- Special Needs Checklists: Designation, Alternative Requirements & Extended Eligibility
- Tantrum vs. Meltdown
- Why Scouting is a Great Program for Youths with Special Needs
Videos About Special Needs at Scouting Colorado
Special Needs Scouting Outreach
This video explores the many ways Greater Colorado Council reaches out to youths who have special needs.
Father and Son: Tim and Jack Ryan
Exposing Jack to Scouting was never part of a grand plan. Tim Ryan had very warm feelings for his time in the Scouts as a youth, but the years from the time he learned Jack was autistic (1994) until he started in Cub Scouts (2000) were a whirlwind of therapies and other efforts to address the autism that had become the central feature of their family’s lives.
Learn how a special needs Boy Scout with Down syndrome was included in Troop 767, Gateway District, Greater Colorado Council.
COLORADO AGENCIES
Community Resources for Youth with Disabilities
- This book is an extraordinary list of resources from Colorado, listing a great number of resources for youth. The resources include areas such as Employment, Internships, Education, Learning Disabilities, Advocacy Support, Youth Development, and much more.
Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
- DVR assists persons with disabilities to succeed at work and to live independently.
Colorado Fund for People with Disabilities
- This trust allows parents to leave their children money without it negatively impacting their disability benefit qualifications. The Director, Ms. Germany, can inform families about how the trust works and how to financially plan/prepare with a child with disabilities.
- Centered here in Colorado, Peak Parent has the mission to assist families with disabilities. You can reach their Denver office at 303-864-1900 or in person at 1212 Mariposa St, Denver, CO 80204.
- Easter Seals of Colorado offers help to the disabled and their families.
NATIONAL AGENCIES
Internet Resources for Special Children (IRSC)
- The IRSC website is dedicated to communicating information relating to the needs of children with disAbilities on a global basis.
- A variety of useful resources from DOL.
National Organization on Disability (NOD)
- The National Organization on Disability promotes the full and equal participation of America’s 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life.
- This organization promotes a people-first approach to disabilities and discussion of disabilities.
OTHER RESOURCES
Wheelchair Accessible Trails
Scouting Colorado territory offers many opportunities for the wheelchair user or the physically disabled to enjoy the outdoors.
- This article summaries many outdoor opportunities for those in Colorado who have special needs.
- Wilderness on Wheels provides a mile-long accessible boardwalk along Kenosha Creek, with options for fishing and camping.
- The Wild Animal Sanctuary provides a wheelchair-accessible elevated walkway that extends over a mile-and-a-half, overlooking hundreds of lions, tigers, wolves, bears, and other megafauna.
- Traillink provides a map that lists over a hundred accessible trails throughout Colorado.
- The Disabled Traveler’s Companion provides a guide to Rocky Mountain National Park, including its accessible trails.
