On 21 Aug 2006 20:07:05 -0700, "Fred Goodwin, CMA"
<fgoodwin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>Disabled Boy Scout soars to rank of Eagle
>
><http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/15321875.htm>
>http://tinyurl.com/oy3qt
>
>Posted on Mon, Aug. 21, 2006
>LAKELAND
>
>Eighteen-year-old A.J. Trueblood refused to let the limitations of Down
>syndrome keep him from attaining Scouting's highest rank.
>
>BY MATTHEW PLEASANT
>The Lakeland Ledger
>
>A.J. Trueblood leaned over a piano at the First United Methodist Church
>of Lakeland and played the first few notes of The Star-Spangled Banner.
>A group of khaki-clad Boy Scouts marched an American flag through the
>auditorium.
>
>''He forgot his music book at home,'' his father, Bart Trueblood, said.
>But ``he'll make it.''
>
>A.J. Trueblood is used to making it despite the obstacles. Growing up
>with Down syndrome, he might have been expected to deviate from the
>rules, skip the hard part, or simply pass go because of his physical
>and mental disabilities. But he usually spurns short cuts. That's why
>the 18-year-old Boy Scout stuck to the rule book when he set out to
>earn Eagle status, Scouting's highest rank. He wanted to earn it just
>like everyone else.
>
>Serenading his own ceremony, the McKeel Academy senior took the Eagle
>Scout oath at a ceremony at the First United Methodist Church. More
>than 100 people attended.
>
>''The kid obviously has limitations, but you would never convince him
>of it,'' said Troop 760 Scoutmaster Jim Mock, who has worked with A.J.
>for many years.
>
>21 MERIT BADGES
>
>To become an Eagle Scout, A.J. had to complete a community service
>project of his own devising. He also had to earn a set of 21 required
>merit badges, which range from plumbing to lifesaving, before he turned
>19.
>
>Down syndrome made almost every step a challenge. The genetic disorder,
>caused by an abnormal number of chromosomes, manifests itself in mental
>and physical handicaps. Children with Down syndrome usually experience
>varying levels of mental retardation and developmental problems.
>
>With his disabilities, he could have been exempted from earning certain
>badges or completing his project within the time frame of the age
>requirement. But he chose not to disclose his condition when applying
>to become an Eagle Scout.
>
>''The only way someone would have known he had Down syndrome is if
>you'd have worked with him one-on-one,'' Mock said.
>
>At the ceremony, three tables were dedicated to photos and artifacts
>from A.J.'s time in the Boy Scouts, the last covered with photos from
>his Eagle Scout project.
>
>For his project, A.J. landscaped Noah's Nest, a house near the First
>United Methodist Church owned by Noah's Ark of Central Florida. The
>organization helps provide living spaces to people with disabilities.
>Currently, three women with development disabilities live in the house.
>
>''He drew up the plans, grew the plants,'' said his mother, Suzanne
>Trueblood. Hibiscus, gardenias and crotons were among the foliage he
>grew or organized to have donated for the house's lawn. ``He'd go out
>in the backyard and water them after school.''
>
>A.J. got a local company to donate a concrete slab to be used as a
>patio and built a trellis for the backyard. Although the project was
>completed in February 2003, A.J. still needed to earn several badges
>before he could become an Eagle Scout.
>
>CHALLENGES
>
>Among the badges that tested his disabilities was public speaking,
>which, because of his speech impediment, took him longer to complete.
>
>One of the most challenging parts of attaining Eagle status was filling
>out the required paperwork.
>
>''I did all the homework,'' A.J. said, miming with his hands as if he
>were writing with pen and paper.
>
>''We really wanted him to learn and understand what he was doing, so we
>had him fill out the paperwork and information himself,'' his mother
>said. ``It takes him a lot longer but he never gave up. He's the only
>one [from his original troop] to stay in the organization and earn an
>Eagle Scout badge.''
>
>HAS STRONG POINTS
>
>Although a few of the merit badges posed big challenges to A.J., his
>mother said he displayed advanced abilities in other areas.
>
>``I was very surprised by his swimming. He also has great directional
>ability, as far as finding his way and not getting lost.''
>
>Designating a child as handicapped is not required for disabled
>children entering the Boy Scouts.
>
>Warren Wenner, executive director of the Gulf Ridge Boy Scout Council
>in Tampa, said an alternative route to Eagle Scout can be created based
>on a child's disabilities but that the decision is solely up to the
>parents.
>
>Wenner's son, who has cerebral palsy, became an Eagle Scout through an
>alternative route.
>
>''My son couldn't swim, so obviously he can't earn the swimming
>badge,'' he said. ``Working with a troop committee and, in some cases,
>special education teachers, we can look at the required badges and
>substitute them with others.''
>
>Wenner, who worked as executive director of the Southern Illinois Boy
>Scout Council, said that in his former council, about 10 percent of Boy
>Scouts had disabilities.
>
>''Those special needs ranged from learning disabilities like dyslexia
>to multiple handicaps,'' he said.
>
>National Boy Scout officials said 49,895 Scouts earned Eagle rank in
>2005. National statistics on how many were disabled weren't available.
>
>''We do not categorize by disability or those not having a
>disability,'' said Renee Fairrer, associate director of marketing and
>communication at the National Boy Scouts Council in Paris, Texas. ``It
>is relatively unusual. Many times, we do not see special needs Scouts
>achieve Eagle within the age limit.''
>
>More detailed statistics are kept at the local level, she said.
>
>''That's quite an achievement that he met all those requirements that
>any other fully abled Scout would be able to,'' Fairrer said. ``That's
>really saying something for this young man.''
>
>Anyone who reaches the rank of Eagle Scout has attained an impressive
>accomplishment.
>
>''Only about 4 percent of Boy Scouts make it to Eagle,'' said Tony
>Williams, a father who is involved in the Boy Scouts and who spoke at
>A.J.'s ceremony. ``When they get to high school, they get into girls,
>cars, s****ts or anything else that takes up their time. That's why it's
>such an achievement.''
>
>And not everyone gets such a large ceremony.
>
>''It's up to the parents. I've seen some who don't get the recognition
>that they deserve,'' Williams said. ``He got his.''
Only shows that you have to be retarded to want to be a Bigoted Scout
Of America.
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