In Girl Scouts, Abilities Vary and Friendships Thrive

July 22, 2005

By Ellen Christie, staff writer

In celebration of this month's 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we honor Girl Scouts around the nation who share their lives with other girls and adults and teach by example.

An estimated one-fifth of the U.S. population is directly impacted by disability. Ask a girl today if embracing diversity is part of her life, and you'll discover that if she's a Girl Scout, her answer will be yes. Girl Scouting's core values include teaching respect for others. In fact, a girl's Girl Scout troop may be the first setting she learns to welcome and appreciate girls of other cultures, races, religions, and abilities. The friendship and caring of girls with varying abilities can be found all around the country.

San Diego, California

In the San Diego, California, area, Cadette Girl Scout Troop 5321 is very active, and one member, 13-year-old Chelsea doesn't let being in a wheelchair stop her. One of her Girl Scout leaders, Janet Yumen, said, "Although she cannot walk or talk, Chelsea participates in as many activities as possible, including kayaking last year." Her Girl Scout friends decided to take on Rett Syndrome in Chelsea's honor and have helped at a fund-raiser run for two years now, working at the water stations, setting up, and running themselves.

Janet says the girls have learned so much about accepting differences, and that communication and friendship is always possible. "This year our girls have embarked on a project to encourage the Chula Vista, California, local community leaders to create an interactive park, so all kids with disabilities have an accessible and active place to play." The Girl Scouts have presented their ideas to their local city council members about the need for the park. Janet noted that while presenting to the city council members, the girls realized just how much it means to them to have their friendship with Chelsea. "I realize how much I love her, although we've never spoken words to each other," said one of the girls.

Janet says Chelsea's mom has told her of the physical and emotional benefits of her daughter's participation in Girl Scouts, noting that Chelsea appears more alert and experiences less problematic physical symptoms as a direct result of her activity in Girl Scouting.

Nassau County, New York

Five girls from a Girl Scout troop in Long Island, New York, have designed projects that were adapted for their limited mobility. With the mentoring of an occupational therapist at the Henry Viscardi School, a facility for children who have disabilities, the girls focused on working to adapt common items to provide more independence in their daily activities, and hope sharing them with others with similar disabilities will help them, too. One Girl Scout, Shirley, created a make-up adapter that allowed her to apply lip gloss and mascara. Maureen, age 15, designed an adapter for nail polish and polish remover. Maureen's mom, Wendy, said, "She loves wearing polish and since the two-handed application is a challenge, she created an easier way." Maureen decided to adapt a plastic applicator, like the kind used for fabric glue applications, as a nail polish applicator, thus creating a one-handed system for polishing her own nails. She also created a mini turntable that holds a sponge and nail polish remover jar. By moving the table instead of her hand, Maureen has modified the process to meet her needs and others with the same limitations. Hillary invented a device to help open drawers without handles, Adeline invented a key assist to help her unlock a door, and Nicole developed an adapter for a brush so she can comb her own hair and apply lip gloss.

Two girls from this troop continued their Girl Scout activities this summer by attending a Girl Scout "Destinations" program at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the nation's leading hands-on space science museum in Huntsville, Alabama. For Maureen, who has cerebral palsy, it was her winning essay that secured her a spot at the two-week camp, which featured one week of aviation challenges and one week of space equipment practice. She had a ball and earned one college credit. Her activities including going on gravity-defying equipment that astronauts use, which has inspired her to mock-up a kitchen using a technique she learned that could be adapted for home use. Maureen' s mom, Wendy, said, " She even won the camp's "Right Stuff" award for her work in the Aviation Challenge week, for being the most motivated camper. Maureen participated in a nighttime search-and-rescue practice, offering to act as the downed pilot and crawl through the woods. Learn more about this program at www.studio2b.org/escape/destinations/ussrc.asp

North Haven, Connecticut

This past March, the Connecticut Trails Girl Scout council sponsored a Disability Awareness day for Girl Scouts ages 6 to 17 and their leaders, and all were mentored by graduate occupational therapy students from Quinnipiac University. Participants learned the Girl Scout Promise in sign language, experienced adaptive and simulation activities, learned about animal-assisted therapy, and met the driver of an adaptive van. While Girl Scout leaders were in a disability awareness training session, girls were given tips on backpack and bicycle helmet safety. Alex from Middletown, Connecticut, said, "The day was fun and educational. I enjoyed the group stations and the pet therapy dog."

Monroe, Louisiana

Last fall, a Girl Scout troop with special needs from the Silver Waters Girl Scout council in Monroe, Louisiana, awed an audience when it performed a Flag Ceremony for the very first time. It was the girls' first year as a Girl Scout troop, and their meetings are held at their school. At a recreational center Veteran's Day program, the girls carefully showcased the ceremonial taking down and putting up of the flag with great pride. After a year filled with activities—everything from creating signs for Drug Awareness Week messages to leading a sock drive to give to patients at the nursing homes, their troop leader, a teacher, received a Rookie of the Year Award for the outstanding job she did of ensuring the girls were actively participating as Girl Scouts year-round.

Darian Atkins with the Silver Waters Girl Scouts said, "The Flag Ceremony was not performed perfectly, but it was indeed perfect. It felt so good to show that Girl Scouts is truly for every girl, everywhere. We're hoping that that concept catches on like wild fire."

Since then, a teacher from a nearby school heard about this troop, and has decided to start a Girl Scout troop for girls with special needs for an extracurricular activity at her school.

Dallas, Texas

Last April, about 70 girl Scouts in Dallas, Texas, spent a Saturday morning learning how people with disabilities cope with day-to-day life and what they can do to assist. The Goodwill Industries of Dallas has been sponsoring an annual Girl Scout Disability Awareness Day for the last 10 years. The girls, who are members of the Girl Scouts of Tejas Council, took part in a variety of activities, from using a wheelchair to spelling their names with sign language.

Representatives from the day's sponsors shared tips with the girls, such as their word choices are just as important as their actions. Girls learned about talking to people with varying abilities and not using labels such as "crippled," "handicapped," or "retarded."

To inject some fun into a day of lessons, girls raced in their wheelchairs, even setting up a rolling conga line, much to their delight.

For information about contributing your time, talents, or funds to Girl Scouts, visit www.committoagirl.org, or contact your local council.