Scouting with disAbilities

Thanks to Google Alerts, I was able to read this great blog post about a young man with disabilities who was able to become a Boy Scout after many years of dreaming about it.  I thought I'd share it all with you both as an "Aww..." moment and a reminder that the Boy Scouts of America has some very inclusive policies when it comes to people with (dis)abilities joining as well as certain accomodations that can be made for helping the boys to earn their rank.

Our family's oldest young man is now a man in uniform. Stross, at 19 years of age, was inducted into the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) tonight. His life, the BSA's vision, our mission as Stross' parents - it all basically came together tonight when our oldest son ceremoniously claimed a status he's sought more than half his life. He is a Boy Scout. He is a man in uniform.

Amazingly, these two seemingly polar existences merge to reflect Stross' life circumstances. Due to the circumstances of his birth, our man of 19 lives with an intellectual outlook of one entering the scouting system in his boyhood years, yet his dream - since his actual boyhood - has been to serve his country as a man in uniform. That dream became possible tonight thanks to the Boy Scouts of America, and Stross' inherent persistence.

Stross - despite our assertions that he was too old to join the scouting program - independently searched the Internet to learn this: A Scout or Venturer with a disability may work toward rank advancement after he is 18 years of age. See also: Boy Scout Policy on Advancement for Members with Special Needs

 

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