{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Olive Duffey, Creative Content Producer","standfirst":"We spoke to two young Scouts about their experience in Scouts.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EEddie and Penny are both Scouts. They\u2019re also both wheelchair users and members of the Kidz Board at Whizz-Kidz, a charity supporting wheelchair users from childhood to the age of 25.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe spoke to Eddie and Penny about their experiences in Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/17174/kidzboard-portraitscandids-063.jpg","width":2756,"height":4134,"altText":"Eddie in his wheelchair, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, smiling at the camera in the park.","caption":"","link":null}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHi Eddie, can you tell us about yourself?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m Eddie, I turned 20 last week. I\u2019m studying law at university. In my spare time, I like to do a lot of fun activities, such as kayaking and archery.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u0027s your experience been like with Whizz-Kidz? And how did you come to be on the Kidz Board?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMy experience with \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://www.whizz-kidz.org.uk/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Whizz-Kidz homepage\u0022\u003EWhizz-Kidz\u003C/a\u003E has been absolutely amazing. I needed a new wheelchair about three years ago, so I looked for places I could get one and found Whizz-Kidz. I could apply for equipment with them.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u0027d never heard of Whizz-Kidz before I applied for equipment from them., but they were fantastic. They told me they had some clubs too, so invited me to come down and see what was going on. I went along to some of the clubs and got involved - it was a lot of fun!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAbout six months later, a vacancy came up on the Kidz Board. I wasn\u0027t completely sure I was going to apply to be honest, because I was in the hospital at the time and was quite unwell.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen I got discharged from the hospital, I realised I really wanted to be doing something and the Kidz Board role seemed really interesting. I then got in touch with WhizzKidz, and I got the role. I\u0027ve really enjoyed it. It\u0027s been incredible. The places I\u2019ve been to and the people that I\u0027ve met \u2013 It\u0027s been a really incredible experience.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow old were you when you joined the Scouts?\u00A0\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI was in Scouts between the ages of 6 and 12, before I left and then rejoined at 15. I\u0027ve stayed in Scouts ever since, being a volunteer and part of \u003Ca href=\u0022/network/\u0022 title=\u0022Network\u0022\u003ENetwork\u003C/a\u003E. I got my first job through the Scouts too, as I worked at Scout Adventures!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u2019s been your favourite bit about Scouts?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u0027ve learned so much at Scouts, especially at \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://www.scoutadventures.org.uk/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Scout Adventures homepage\u0022\u003EScout Adventures\u003C/a\u003E, where I got some qualification. I learned a lot as it was my first job and I also learned to live more independently .\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBeing disabled, I always felt like part of me was missing. However, when I went to Scout Adventures, it was just like me and 20 other teenagers. It felt like I was really part of something.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMore recently, I\u0027ve just completed my\u00A0\u003Ca href=\u0022/network/awards/scouts-of-the-world-award/\u0022 title=\u0022Scouts of the World Award\u0022\u003EScouts of the World Award\u003C/a\u003E badge. \u00A0I set up a Facebook social network for young people with disabilities. We even had people from America. We did Zoom meetings every other week and we worked on some campaigns. It was exciting to take my personal interests and use them to gain one of the top awards in Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow has Scouts supported you as a wheelchair user?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI went to Scouts in Edinburgh. With our Scout leader, called Allison, we were excited to go to the \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://monopoly-run.co.uk/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Monopoly Run homepage\u0022\u003EMonopoly Run\u003C/a\u003E in York. Allison had booked assistance in advance for our journey.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe travel went great getting there, and we had a great day. However, when we went to get on the train home, it turned out the train was not accessible. They wanted to put me on a separate train from everyone else, which would mean I\u2019d be alone, and we couldn\u2019t do that.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAllison was absolutely amazing. She made sure that we could all get the train back together. She really fought for me. She wrote a letter of complaint afterwards, and we got an apology. They actually set up a meeting with me to apologise.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMy Scout Group always tried to make everything inclusive. Everyone was amazing \u2013 absolutely amazing. When things went wrong, they would always, always make sure it was sorted out. I couldn\u0027t fault them at all.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow can we encourage other disabled young people to join Scouts? And would you encourage them?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI think there needs to be more visibility for disabled people in Scouts. When I joined, I didn\u0027t know of anyone else who was disabled and a Scout. I thought I was the only one.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI have met some amazing Scouts who are also physically disabled. But I think our representation on posters, advertisements and the website \u00ADneeds to make sure that physically disabled people are included and present.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are your plans for the future?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m currently doing an integrated Masters in Law and, I\u2019ve been thinking about this a lot recently. I\u0027m going to be doing four years at university. After that, I want to go back and work at Scout Adventures as a senior volunteer. I absolutely loved my time there and ever since I left, I\u2019ve just missed it so much. \u00A0The environment was incredible and to be able to do that work. It was so incredible. From there, I want to get a training contract and go into law, but I definitely want to go back to Scout Adventures.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/17175/kidzboard-portraitscandids-082.jpg","width":2756,"height":4134,"altText":"Penny in her wheelchair, wear a casual dress, smiling at the camera in the park.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHi Penny! How are you? Can you tell us about yourself?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMy full name is Penelope, but everybody calls me Penny. I\u0027m currently studying for a dual degree at the University of Leicester, but my third and fourth year will be at the University of Strasbourg. I like to read and go out with my friends. I\u0027m really enjoying being able to do that now, because of the chairs that Whizz-Kidz have given me.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u0027s your experience been like at Whizz-Kidz? And how did you come to be on the Kidz Board?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI got involved with WhizzKidz from a young age. When I started primary school, I still couldn\u0027t walk.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMy mum took me to the doctors and they said I\u2019d be fine by the time I was 5, which wasn\u2019t true. They refused to give me a proper wheelchair because they thought there wasn\u2019t any point. Instead, they gave me an adult wheelchair, which I couldn\u2019t move at all. I couldn\u0027t even reach the wheels. The wheels fell a lot, meaning my brother would have to pick me up when I fell.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMy mum found a leaflet for Whizz-Kidz. They paid for me to go to a massive kind of wheelchair showroom, where there were lots of wheelchairs all strapped to the wall. They showed me all of the different things that I could get. They measured me and told me which type they thought was best for me, but they told me I can decide whatever one I felt was best for me.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs disabled people, we don\u0027t really get a lot of choices. To have such an important thing to decide on as a five-year-old, and to have an adult trust you to do that, was such an empowering experience. From then on, I\u0027ve done everything you could possibly do with Whizz-Kidz, which led me to join the Kidz Board in 2018.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u0027s your experience been like with the Scouts?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI joined Scouts after I got my first rescue wheelchair. I had wanted to join for a while, as my brother was a Cub and I wanted to do everything my brother did. I was like, \u2018now I\u0027ve got the right chair, I can finally do it.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs much as I\u0027m grateful that Eddie had a wonderful experience, sadly I can\u0027t say the same about my own.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EScouts is run by local volunteers. I joined Beavers in my area, but whenever it came time for me to get a badge or to partake in activities, I always struggled to ever do it because it wasn\u2019t adapted it for me. They thought that if it\u0027s adapted for me, then supposedly I wouldn\u2019t be working as hard as everybody else to get my badge.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever, this isn\u2019t true. Scouts offer \u003Ca href=\u0022#\u0022 title=\u0022Reasonable adjustments\u0022\u003Ereasonable adjustments\u003C/a\u003E on all their badges and activities. When done right, it means that everyone can take part, with people having the same level of challenge to suit their needs and abilities.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI do have a few memories of actually getting some of badges, such as the ones where you learn to tie all the different knots, as I managed to do those things. I also learned basic first aid.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Beavers meeting place wasn\u0027t accessible too, as it wouldn\u2019t have a disabled toilet. So, anytime that I wanted to attend a session, I had to make sure I didn\u2019t drink anything for three hours before because I didn\u0027t want to risk needing to go.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI persisted with Beavers and moved up to Cubs, but my local Cubs did more trips out of meeting place than Beavers. My experience then dipped even more for me, because they didn\u0027t check if anything was wheelchair accessible or if there was a different way of going about things, so I really struggled to participate.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI understand Scouts is about challenging yourself, but the challenge needs to be for everyone. There always needs to be a way for everybody to easily participate.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat do you think Scout volunteers could do to better support disabled people?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u0027ve not been with Scouts for a while. From speaking to Eddie, he\u2019s said that Scouts have included \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/inclusion-and-diversity/inclusion-learning-and-training/\u0022 title=\u0022Inclusion Learning and Training\u0022\u003Einclusion and diversity modules\u003C/a\u003E in the training, which is great to see. However, it should also be remembered that the physical places we went to were also a barrier, especially for me as a wheelchair user, so it\u2019s making sure to use venues we can all access. Disabled toilets, wider doorways and corridors, access ramps and surfaces at different heights are all great.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are your plans for the future, after you graduate?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI would really like the opportunity to stay in France after I complete my degree, because I think it\u2019d be a great opportunity. The city that I\u0027m staying in for uni in France is close to my family who are abroad, so it would be nice to see them more often.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"Supporting those with additional needs","body":"\u003Cp\u003EFind our more about \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/inclusion-and-diversity/supporting-those-with-additional-needs-and-neurodiversity/\u0022\u003Esupporting those with additional needs\u003C/a\u003E and take a look at our advice on \u003Ca href=\u0022#\u0022 title=\u0022Reasonable adjustments\u0022\u003Emaking reasonable adjustments\u003C/a\u003E.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":"Supporting those with additional needs and neurodiversity","id":null,"url":"/volunteers/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/including-disabled-and-neurodivergent-people/","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"More information","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"30 March 2022","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Supporting those with additional needs and neurodiversity","url":"/volunteers/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/including-disabled-and-neurodivergent-people/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Understanding Disability activities","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/about-us/help-others/community/understanding-disability/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Whizz-Kidz","url":"https://www.whizz-kidz.org.uk/","newWindow":true},{"caption":"","title":"Beavers Disability Awareness activity badge","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/beavers/activity-badges/disability-awareness/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Cubs Disability Awareness activity badge","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/cubs/activity-badges/disability-awareness/","newWindow":false}],"id":48687,"nodeName":"What\u2019s it like being a young wheelchair user in Scouts?","title":"What\u2019s it like being a young wheelchair user in Scouts?","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/17176/whizz-kids-quotes8.png?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dab8dccaa444d0","caption":"Whizz Kids Quotes8","type":"png","size":1429019,"width":1367,"height":683,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"What\u2019s it like being a young wheelchair user in Scouts?","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Eddie and Penny share their memories of being young wheelchair users at Scouts in an interview about accessibility.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODY4NyJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2022/march/what-s-it-like-being-a-young-wheelchair-user-in-scouts/"}