disabilityWhat are barriers? They’re different things to different people. All of us face barriers, but for disabled persons, barriers are curbs and steps, and attitudes like fear, embarrassment, and apathy. (GSBLC)

    Girl Scout Service Unit 133 in the Northeastern NY Council sponsored the Disability Patch Program, created by the Girl Scouts of Beaver and Lawrence Counties Council in Pennsylvania, to help girls learn about these barriers.
    Brownie Troop 1057 organized and hosted this patch program, and they invited three professionals to contribute their expertise.  Pam Vooris, an educational interpreter with the Capital Region BOCES, provided a center on hearing disabilities.  Pam Masick, also an educational interpreter with BOCES, led the center on visual disabilities.  David Foyt, a physician with Capital Region Ear, Nose and Throat, set up a center focusing on the ear. 
    After a brief introduction to the Disability Patch Program by the Troop 1057 leaders, Mrs. Vooris described a variety of disabilities before inviting the Brownies from Troop 1057 to demonstrate the Girl Scout Promise in sign language.
    Then, the 41 girls were divided into four groups that rotated through the hands-on activities at the following centers:
    1. Hearing Disability Center - Using a hidden pictures worksheet, the girls had to figure out short words written in the Sign Language alphabet to discover the hidden picture.  Pairs of girls also took turns on the TTY phone, a device that allows the hearing impaired to communicate using typed messages. 
    2. Visual Disability Center - Mrs. Masick gave a quick lesson on the braille writers and then the girls typed their own braille message.  They also used a variety of handouts to practice using braille.
    3. Ear Center - Dr. Foyt used pictures and a 3D ear model to show how the ear works and to explain conductive hearing loss.  After learning about hearing aids, and seeing a bone-anchored hearing aid, the girls got to try out a cochlear implant (an electronic device that allows people to hear.)
    4. Snack Station - Blindfolded girls were asked to guess the flavor of their goldfish snack.To close the program, Mrs. Vooris and Brownie Troop 1057 taught all the girls how to sign the Happy Birthday song.
    The girls really enjoyed all the hands-on activities while learning about the barriers that the disabled face, as well as many ways that people overcome those barriers.
    To get a peek at our event, take a look at this slideshow or click the link to view more pictures in a Flickr Album:
     
    Our Girl Scout Service Unit has also sponsored the following patch programs: