{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Nicola McMillan, Beaver volunteer and Sophie\u2019s mum","standfirst":"Sophie is a Beaver who has cerebral palsy. When she joined Beavers, it was the first time Sophie said an enthusiastic \u2018yes\u2019 to her family about an extracurricular activity with no hesitation. Sophie\u2019s mum, Nicola, writes how inclusive Scouts has been. Her story shows that inclusion isn\u2019t just possible \u2013 it can make a huge difference.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/vynhzhk1/sophie-receiving-her-chief-scout-bronze-award.jpeg","width":1020,"height":574,"altText":"The image shows Sophie standing in her Beaver uniform with badges on her blue jumper and a medal around her neck. She\u0027s smiling at the camera and there\u0027s a volunteer in uniform to her right who\u0027s holding her Chief Scout\u0027s Bronze Award certificate.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EMy daughter Sophie has cerebral palsy and a rare respiratory disease. Sophie is visually impaired and is unable to walk on her own.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThroughout her childhood, it\u2019s been a challenge to find spaces where Sophie could simply be a child. We\u2019d reached out to lots of extra-curricular activities, but each time, we got a polite but firm \u2018no\u2019.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EWe were feeling desperate to find somewhere for Sophie to make friends, learn skills and have fun outside of school. It was a shame to see her spending each evening at home, when her school friends were enjoying activities and continuing to grow and learn.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EAfter being turned away so many times, I was prepared for Scouts to turn us away, too. But we were completely blown away by their response.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EScouts didn\u2019t just say \u2018yes\u2019. They said an affirming \u2018yes\u2019 with enthusiasm and absolutely no hesitations. Sophie was over the moon, and it was the first opportunity she was immediately excited about, without any reservations.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/uunl0lgl/sophie-at-shirejam-2023.jpeg","width":1500,"height":1013,"altText":"The image shows Sophie at ShireJam 2023. She\u0027s in her wheelchair on grass opposite another Scout. She\u0027s holding a blue foam sword up to the other Scout\u0027s red one. There\u0027s a volunteer in a yellow top crouching down behind her.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe volunteers\u2019 attitudes have been incredible. Every activity is designed with inclusion in mind, whether it\u2019s creating wheelchair accessible routes, tailoring games where needed, or moving events to better suit Sophie\u2019s health needs.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ECamping trips have been so thoughtfully managed. They\u2019ve made sure Sophie\u2019s tent is close to the toilets, tweaked the kit list for her specific needs, and checked parking is accessible for quick access if needed.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EAnd they\u2019ve never made it feel like a burden. It\u2019s just about making Scouts open to all.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EEver since she joined, Sophie has thrived in Scouts. In the two years she\u2019s been a Beaver, she\u2019s played games, explored nature, and toasted marshmallows.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EShe\u2019s never made to feel like the odd one out and she\u2019s finally found an extracurricular space where she belongs. She\u2019s made lots of new friends and can\u2019t wait to turn up to her sessions each week.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESophie\u2019s completed the entire ShireJam programme (which includes climbing) and has also been on the District camp. With the right support, Sophie is unstoppable.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/4eaflrhe/sophie-climbing-up-a-climbing-wall-2.jpeg","width":1020,"height":574,"altText":"The image shows Sophie climbing up a climbing wall. She\u0027s holding onto and facing the wall and wearing a safety harness. There\u0027s a volunteer on the ground who\u0027s looking up at Sophie to support her. ","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EScouts hasn\u2019t just given Sophie a space to explore and grow, it\u2019s given her confidence. She\u2019s fiercely independent, and she\u2019s not afraid to advocate for herself and challenge other people\u2019s assumptions. When people stare or speak about her instead of to her, Sophie will call people out \u2013 and rightfully so!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter seeing how brilliant Scouts have been for Sophie and her brother, I was drawn to the amazing community and sense of adventure and I decided to become a volunteer. It\u2019s been so rewarding for me and amazing to be part of the Scouts journey with them.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/d2bll1l5/sophie-and-her-brother.jpeg","width":1020,"height":574,"altText":"The image shows Sophie in her wheelchair and Beaver uniform outside on a hill. She\u0027s smiling and looking towards the ground with the sun on her face. Her brother is stood to her left, also in Beaver uniform and is smiling at the camera while holding a plastic water bottle in both his hands.","caption":"Sophie and her brother","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EScouts has given my daughter something invaluable: the chance to properly be a child, just like everyone else. Now, as Sophie prepares to move up to Cubs, I\u2019m determined to share our story to encourage other volunteers and Groups to say yes to disabled young people and make reasonable adjustments.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EBy hearing our story, we hope other volunteers and Groups will see the difference that reasonable adjustments make to a young person\u2019s experience. And hopefully, other disabled young people will see that Scouts could be the place for them.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAre you the parent/carer of a young disabled person? Check out what support we provide on our \u003Ca href=\u0022/information-for-parents/scouts-with-additional-needs/\u0022 title=\u0022Scouts with additional needs\u0022\u003EScouts with additional needs webpage\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"At Scouts, everybody\u2019s welcome","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAre you a volunteer looking to make reasonable adjustments for disabled young people? Take a look at our \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/edi-volunteer-resources/accessible-spaces-checklist/\u0022 title=\u0022Accessible Spaces Checklist\u0022\u003EAccessible spaces checklist\u003C/a\u003E for support.\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"Making reasonable adjustments","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":"06 February 2025","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Supporting people with additional needs","url":"/volunteers/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/including-disabled-and-neurodivergent-people/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Scouts with additional needs","url":"/information-for-parents/scouts-with-additional-needs/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Accessible Spaces Checklist","url":"/volunteers/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/edi-volunteer-resources/accessible-spaces-checklist/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[],"id":84542,"nodeName":"How Scouts opened the door for my daughter with cerebral palsy","title":"How Scouts opened the door for my daughter with cerebral palsy","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/r2baswez/sophie-in-her-wheelchair2.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1db79567ab6a4a0","caption":"Sophie In Her Wheelchair","type":"jpg","size":165375,"width":1280,"height":720,"altText":"Sophie, wearing a blue necker, smiles at the camera while sat in her wheelchair."},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"How Scouts opened the door for my daughter with cerebral palsy","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Due to her condition, Sophie was always being turned away by out-of-school activities. That was until she found Scouts.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC84NDU0MiJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2025/february/how-scouts-opened-the-door-for-my-daughter-with-cerebral-palsy/"}