What’s it like being a young wheelchair user in Scouts?

Eddie and Penny are both Scouts. They’re 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.

We spoke to Eddie and Penny about their experiences in Scouts.

Hi Eddie, can you tell us about yourself?

I’m Eddie, I turned 20 last week. I’m studying law at university. In my spare time, I like to do a lot of fun activities, such as kayaking and archery.

What's your experience been like with Whizz-Kidz? And how did you come to be on the Kidz Board?

My experience with Whizz-Kidz 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.

I'd 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!

About six months later, a vacancy came up on the Kidz Board. I wasn't completely sure I was going to apply to be honest, because I was in the hospital at the time and was quite unwell.

When 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've really enjoyed it. It's been incredible. The places I’ve been to and the people that I've met – It's been a really incredible experience.

How old were you when you joined the Scouts? 

I was in Scouts between the ages of 6 and 12, before I left and then rejoined at 15. I've stayed in Scouts ever since, being a volunteer and part of Network. I got my first job through the Scouts too, as I worked at Scout Adventures!

What’s been your favourite bit about Scouts?

I've learned so much at Scouts, especially at Scout Adventures, where I got some qualification. I learned a lot as it was my first job and I also learned to live more independently .

Being 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.

More recently, I've just completed my Scouts of the World Award badge.  I 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.

How has Scouts supported you as a wheelchair user?

I went to Scouts in Edinburgh. With our Scout leader, called Allison, we were excited to go to the Monopoly Run in York. Allison had booked assistance in advance for our journey.

The 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’d be alone, and we couldn’t do that. 

Allison 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. 

My Scout Group always tried to make everything inclusive. Everyone was amazing – absolutely amazing. When things went wrong, they would always, always make sure it was sorted out. I couldn't fault them at all.

How can we encourage other disabled young people to join Scouts? And would you encourage them?

I think there needs to be more visibility for disabled people in Scouts. When I joined, I didn't know of anyone else who was disabled and a Scout. I thought I was the only one.

I have met some amazing Scouts who are also physically disabled. But I think our representation on posters, advertisements and the website ­needs to make sure that physically disabled people are included and present.

What are your plans for the future?

I’m currently doing an integrated Masters in Law and, I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. I'm 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’ve just missed it so much.  The 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.

Hi Penny! How are you? Can you tell us about yourself?

My full name is Penelope, but everybody calls me Penny. I'm 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'm really enjoying being able to do that now, because of the chairs that Whizz-Kidz have given me.

What's your experience been like at Whizz-Kidz? And how did you come to be on the Kidz Board?

I got involved with WhizzKidz from a young age. When I started primary school, I still couldn't walk.

My mum took me to the doctors and they said I’d be fine by the time I was 5, which wasn’t true. They refused to give me a proper wheelchair because they thought there wasn’t any point. Instead, they gave me an adult wheelchair, which I couldn’t move at all. I couldn't even reach the wheels. The wheels fell a lot, meaning my brother would have to pick me up when I fell.

My 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.

As disabled people, we don't 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've done everything you could possibly do with Whizz-Kidz, which led me to join the Kidz Board in 2018. 

What's your experience been like with the Scouts?

I 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, ‘now I've got the right chair, I can finally do it.’

As much as I'm grateful that Eddie had a wonderful experience, sadly I can't say the same about my own. 

Scouts 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’t adapted it for me. They thought that if it's adapted for me, then supposedly I wouldn’t be working as hard as everybody else to get my badge.

However, this isn’t true. Scouts offer reasonable adjustments 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. 

I 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.

The Beavers meeting place wasn't accessible too, as it wouldn’t have a disabled toilet. So, anytime that I wanted to attend a session, I had to make sure I didn’t drink anything for three hours before because I didn't want to risk needing to go.

I 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't check if anything was wheelchair accessible or if there was a different way of going about things, so I really struggled to participate.

I 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.

What do you think Scout volunteers could do to better support disabled people?

I've not been with Scouts for a while. From speaking to Eddie, he’s said that Scouts have included inclusion and diversity modules 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’s 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.

What are your plans for the future, after you graduate?

I would really like the opportunity to stay in France after I complete my degree, because I think it’d be a great opportunity. The city that I'm staying in for uni in France is close to my family who are abroad, so it would be nice to see them more often.