Two Deaf Patrols and Interpreting Staff

What a truly WONDERFUL experience this was on so many levels!!  GLAD I attended Utah’s 2014 Bilingual ASL/ English Wood Badge course.  I encourage you to experience Bilingual ASL courses for yourself, regardless of whether you are from Deaf or Hearing community.

Impressions I left with:

1.  As a Deaf Scouter, I’m NOT alone!  There were two Deaf Patrols of 5 each that were fluent in American Sign Language (ASL).  (Buffalo Patrol = 4 Deaf Scouters, 1 CODA.  Bobwhite Patrol = 3 Deaf Scouter, 1 Teacher of the Deaf and 1 Interpreter.)

2.  We come from all over: California, Idaho, New York and Utah yet there are more Deaf Scouters out there.

3.  Are in various units within BSA: Deaf School, LDS, and regular units.  These units operate differently.

4.  Vary in our BSA positions of responsibility: Cub Scout Den Leader, Boy Scout Leader,  Cubmaster, Commissioner, Merit Badge Counselor, Ward President, Committee Member, and ScOUTING Parent.

5.  Have different years of experience, from just starting within the Unit or Ward to being experienced at the District, Council, or State levels.

6.  Vision differences in goals and directions with our tickets.  Some goals are short term while others are long term. (Goals for ourselves consist of learning and understanding the BSA programs involved in, getting our sons or Deaf Scouts more involved in BSA, organizing ourselves and our BSA materials.   For others, sharing our Deaf experiences, spreading and educating others in Deaf Awareness; bringing Deaf Scouters out of isolation and uniting them; utilizing resources to enhance the ScOUTING experience.)

7.  Deaf Scouters have unique and diverse needs and/or visions.  ASL users are untapped resources within BSA’s diversity and inclusion program.

8.  Many Deaf Scouters believe in BSA’s wonderful youth, in spite of the challenges we face.  Deaf  and Hearing Scouters want to overcome various issues so Scouts (Deaf or Hearing) can benefit from Deaf role models AND gain ‘trained leadership’.

9.  Deaf AND Hearing benefit from the inclusion courses like this!  Walls created through fear and misunderstandings are taken down as bridges form through education and interaction opportunities like this.

10.  Where there is a will, dream, or vision… there is a way, others that want the same, and people willing to help!  (This third Bilingual ASL/ English Wood Badge was a result of  a dream that become a vision with the hopes of spreading ripples!)

As I go forth in my tickets, I am reminded of what Mother Teresa once said…

This website is one of my ticket items of creating ripples by way of providing a resource to many near or far.  This website will be an accomplishment of many by sharing  inputs: whether it providing presentation tips for BSA trainers, support to the ASL user or English speaker Scouter whom are Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing and hearing, connectivity and kindredship within ScOUTING program and etc.

Like Mother Teresa said, I can’t do it alone.  I need your help please, through comments and feedbacks.  Let’s start on this journey together by sharing what you were looking for, what you wish you knew, your ideas of what you would like to see here, your dreams/visions for Deaf Scouters within BSA.  Please offer up your suggestions below in the comment section.

Thanks!

Yours in Deaf ScOUTING,

Deaf Scouter Ursula

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Bilingual ASL/ English Wood Badge course!!

Great opportunity for all Scouters: Deaf or Hearing offered through Great Salt Lake Council.

Next course is May 12-17, 2014 in Snydermill Lodge in beautiful Park City, UT.

Scholarships are available to the deaf.

Check out the video to see the course in action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ty71q8Oa-E

(Please use the CC button in the right bottom corner to turn on the captions.)

ASL Wood Badge now has their own Facebook group.
https://www.facebook.com/aslwoodbadge

Check out Bryan in Scouting’s blog:
http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2014/04/04/utahs-wood-badge-course-for-both-deaf-and-hearing-scouters-leaves-nobody-out/

There is many ways to get oneself to this course if from out of Council.  I’m using Utah’s Wood Badge Scholarship being a  Deaf Scouter and my own Council’s Wood Badge Campership fund.  My council agreed to pay half of the cost of my airline ticket.  (Know that campership comes in many types.  Usually campership refers to summer camps which is the most common one. Check with your Council Training Advisor for the Wood Badge Campership or Training Campership which are least known or used.)

As nervous as I was (I dislike asking for money for myself), I started a GoFundMe page.  Talk about AMAZEMENT!!  Utilizing both my facebook and email contact list, I reached over my goal in 3 days THANKS to the generosity of many.  I will stress how its written helps and it did take me a couple days to write it.  Also state over your goal as GoFundMe charges a couple fees: your check disbursement and % on your collection.  Overall, I liked the ease of GoFundMe in using contact list, posting update and saying thank you.   Here’s mine as an example: http://www.gofundme.com/ASL-English-Wood-Badge

Remember you CAN do everything but hear!!  Don’t miss out on this once in lifetime opportunity with the word can’t.

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AND that is not all!

Considering Deaf Schools that have so FEW students, these numbers are impressive coming from their Troops where Scouts are earning ScOUTING’s highest honor, their Eagle Scout Award: Oregon boasts 48, North Caroline 36, Alabama 32 and Maryland 22 Eagle Scout earned.

As a Deaf Scouter looking for support, inspiration and kindredship, these numbers help encourage one to obtain a ScOUTING honor regardless of whether it is for the youth Scout or for the adult Scouter.  It encourages the ‘can-do’ attitude and the resourcefulness to obtain one’s goals .

It encourages ‘DREAM BIG’ tickets in Wood Badge.  Utah’s Great Salt Lake Council is proof as it gears up to offer its third annual Bilingual ASL/English in Wood Badge for a week during May 12 thought May 17, 2014 at Syndermill Lodge in Park City, Utah.  Having been the only Deaf Scouter to attend my Wood Badge course, I can’t tell you how many discouraged me when I first expressed my desire.  Luckily there were a few that really encouraged me along with having a wonderful mentor and staff that really bent over backwards to help me by utilizing powerpoints and providing written material.

Sometimes I look back and laugh at the cluelessness that popped up here and there like putting me with another Scouter that knows sign (this was like putting a high school student with a toddler and expecting the toddler to be fluent in signing…*grins).  Giving an assignment that involves discussion back at one’s campsite and the only light is the campfire.  (Nice that they used LED head light but I didn’t have the heart to tell them LED for me is the hardest to lip read by especially in LIGHT that they used their resourcefulness to include me…*reminiscing smile.)

When I look back on my journey into ScOUTING, things have changed!  More and more there are those that believe, help encourage and lend support to the inclusion method regardless of one’s hearing loss.  My one advice to any Deaf Scouter… don’t just stay within your units.  Reach out at the District level by going to Roundtables.  Reach out Council level by going to Council events or asking for help for your specific needs.  Even if it takes several months, keep plugging, asking and making your needs known.  Eventually you’ll be glad you did as more and more become aware of a Deaf Scouter in their midst.  Thanks to TV programs like Switched at Birth, we’re seeing more and more awareness of Deaf needs and the ASL users while the hidden treasure, the Deaf Community, is being uncovered.

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It is hard making the vision in my head of what I want my page to look like when I still need to understand what each button does as I click here and there.  It seems other parts in another section (that I can’t find now but found when I first started) affects the section I’m currently navigating in.  After hours of playing at designing, I’m tired mentally.  Eh, tomorrow begins a new day of playing, oops designing, I mean.  I can only keep my fingers crossed that I’ll have the professional design I see on so many blogs on mine.

But the blessing is now Deaf Scouters like myself will have a place to connect.  Trainers and/or Training Teams can glean tips for presenting materials while Deaf Scouters and/or parents can learn how to get the most out of ScOUTING.  I’ve enjoyed my years of ScOUTING but it wasn’t always easy as it is now.  Experience is a teacher along with the long lasting friendships and mentors that inspire, encourage and help find resources to help me.  ScOUTING is truly a blessing that makes volunteering so MUCH more than just simply volunteering one’s time.  I am glad I have the pleasure to be a part of ScOUTING!  Hopefully it will be the same for you.

Thus begins Deaf Scouter….

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