SCOUTING FOR ALL

SCOUTING WITH DISABILITIES

1907 Brownsea Island experiment England

In the years following this initial gathering of " Scouts" archive photographs have shown boys with impairments. The photographs seem indicate that the disability was acquired through an accident as crutches are the only indicator of impairment. Many young people of the time worked in industry and the mines and accidents were a common form of an acquired injury. People with other disabilities were often 'hidden' away in institutions, usually run by Christian churches.

1927 Australia

The period from 1927 to the 2nd World War was a time when governments set up institutions for orphans and the intellectually and physically impaired whilst vision and hearing impairments were catered for by philanthropic organisations supporting specialised schools with accommodation.

Scout Groups were formed in many of the above institutions and schools. There was a ready source of young people in one location making it relatively easy to offer a Scouting program. The Royal Victorian Institute for Blind and the Victorian School for Deaf Children were prominent in this endeavour. The first scout troop for boys with disabilities was formed in 1930 at the Austin hospital. Many children in Victoria were victims of the Polio epidemic of the early 1930's and 1950's.

1939 The War Years

With the attack on northern Australia and the attempt to shell Sydney there was a concern in Melbourne for the safety of children. Families which could send their children to safety with relations in the country were asked to do so, but, what about children hospitals? Children were kept in hospitals for quite lengthy periods of time much of it a convalescent period. The government moved many of the hospitalized children out of Melbourne to Mt. Macedon where property was used to accommodate these children.

At the time a member of Scout movement, Dorothy Moore, ('Meeko'), a person with a private income, volunteered to assist with these children. She introduced many children to the Scout and Guide program. When the children returned to Melbourne many returned to convalescent hospitals. Miss Moore helped set up Scouts programs (mainly Cubbing) in hospital settings. She later became the Headquarters Commissioner for Handicapped Cubs. Towards the end of her work in Scouting she was awarded the Australian Scout Association's highest award, the Silver Kangaroo. She was the first female in Australia to ever receive this award. It is only in the last few years that any other females have been awarded this high honour, This says something about the then male dominated hierarchy.

1946

Institutionalised settings were very common during the years following the war, particularly orphanages. Settings for young people with disabilities were also common many being set up by specialist organisations, Yooralla, Dame Mary Herring Spastic Centre etc. Country towns had smaller versions of these settings. Because Government policy was that every child should receive an education and 'integration' was not heard of, disabled children, even with slight disabilities were sent to the big residential 'hospital-schools' in capital cities. Money came from Government sources and philanthropic individuals or organizations. There was an attitude of 'these poor little children'. One experience I can recount was at the Marathon Spastic Centre School when a donor of some carpet to the school came to see her donation. The children were all lined up to receive her, the best crockery was available for afternoon tea and it was a 'royal' occasion. In most of these settings Scout Groups and Guide Companies were carrying out programs to enhance the lives of the children.

Yooralla in Balwyn had children from Bairnsdale to Mt. Gambier and from Hobart to the Riverina. As a consequence the 6th Camberwell North Group had boys from four states in its group. Money for the Institutions came from Government sources and philanthropic individuals or organizations. There was an attitude of - "these poor little children." With the advent of television in 1956 this patronizing attitude reached new height with the famous Telethon Appeals.

In most of these settings Scouts Group and Guide Companies were carrying out programmes to enhance the lives of the children. 4th Frankston was attached to the Royal Children's Hospital, Orthopaedic recuperations wing at Mt.Eliza.

1970 A time of change in the Scout Movement

A group of Scouts (6th Camberwell North) wanted to attend the Sydney Jamboree. Their applications and money were duly sent to H.Q. After no reply for several months the initial applications were in fact rejected. The problem was could these Scouts pass the medical requirements as they were disabled? (Mainly physical disabilities, particularly cerebral palsy and post polio. In the main these Scouts were perfectly healthy but didn't have the same co-ordination as other Scouts.Three weeks before the Jamboree permission was given after much lobbying. Where were they placed at the Jamboree? Right next to the hospital. This was typical of community attitudes as hostels for physically disabled children in Melbourne were on a medical model with a matron and nursing staff. Since the 1980's hostels such as Yooralla, moved to a community service model. It was during this decade that the word 'Yooralla' from its name tape likewise, 4th Frankston dropped the word 'Orthopaedic'.

1981 The International Year of Disabled Persons

In 1981 there were fourteen specialised Scout Groups in Victoria including others in Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, Wangaratta, Shepparton and Moe. The youth members were either in an institutionalised setting or attended a special school but lived at home. The Victorian Government implemented in 1983 a program of "de-institutionalisation" and "normalisation." The latter term was dropped a few years later as it was derogatory.

It was in 1981, to celebrate the International Year of Disabled Persons, that the Boy Scouts of Nippon invited several countries, including Australia, to send a team of three to a Friendship Camp in Japan. The team of three consisted of a leader, a Scout with a disability and an able bodied partner Scout. All expenses were paid by the Boy Scouts of Nippon, including air fares and a weeks touring of Japan after the one week Camp. The purpose of the camp was to bring together non-disabled and disabled youth to work and have fun together and to advertise the Agoonoree the Japanese Scouts hold every four years.

Towards the end of the 80's most institutions closed and the residents returned to their own homes or to accommodation in the community known as Community Residential Units, where six to eights people live together with supporting Community Service staff. Young people could attend the local school or if necessary a special school. As a result only five specialised Scout Groups remained at the end of the 80's. Local Scouts groups were receiving many requests to accept youth members with disabilities. Some groups refused but many accepted those youth members who would benefit from the Scout program in a local group.

1990 "The Federal Disability Discrimination Act" March 1993

It is now an offence to refuse a person on the grounds of disability. This applied to the work force, sporting bodies, youth organizstions etc. The Scout Association was required to take a careful look at its policy. Much of wording needed to be changed in official documents, e.g. the use of the words "cripple", "handicapped", "retarded", etc. What was being offered to assist Scout leaders to assimilate youth with disabilities? Leader training courses introduced a segment on disability but unfortunately this segment was not included at every course.

As a resource, the Scout Disability Resource Center was set up the 6th Camberwell North Scout hall. Funding for this came from the Lord Baden Powell Society which is a Sydney based organisation of Scout Association members.

The Future

There is a need for more time to be devoted to Disability Awareness at the basic level of training.

The Scout Disability Resource Centre is attempting (with little or no funding) to become a mobile unit able to offer an activity program throughout Victoria. The Centre needs to move into the electronic era by accessing the internet, offering e-mail. The supply of graphic written and visual material should become available through the Victorian Branch in the form of booklets available from Snowgum shops

4th Frankston and 6th Camberwell North continue to offer programs for Scouts with disabilities but do not see themselves as segregated groups. They simply offer their members a different range of choices.

The setting up of an Advisory Panel to assist leaders is being considered. This panel will have representatives from specialist organisations outside of Scouting and Scouting personnel, but in particular, the panel, hopefully, will have a proportion of the people who can speak from experience for themselves - youth and adults with disabilities

Kevin Hogg January 1994
Revised Grant Morrow September 2002