Attending Utah's ASL/English Wood Badge

Please help me raise additional funds from my wish list: hotel stay before Wood Badge and car rental.  (Airline ticket goal has been reached, THANKS to an outpouring of generosity.) Possibily need $200 for hotel and $200 for car rental respectively. Will be visiting other Deaf BSA units before the course to see how they operate.

I'll be attending Great Salt Lake Council's third annual week long Bilingual American Sign Language (ASL)/English Wood Badge training course offered in Utah through the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Western region so I can bring back the knowledge to implement a Bilingual ASL/ English Wood Badge training course in our BSA Northeast region.

What is Wood Badge? Wood Badge is the highest level of leader training an adult Scouter can take. (Registered BSA members are known as Scouters.) Wood Badge trains Scouters in specific leadership competencies along with experiencing Scouting fundamentals by living them. Training is delivered through a lecture classroom environment and outdoor camping experience. Basically this is a hands on course that helps us understand the ScOUTING program while learning leadership skills for life. 


Each Scouter is expected to do five tickets which are visions, goals, or projects by applying everything they learned. In fact this Bilingual ASL/ English course was a result of a previous attendee's ticket who happens to be an interpreter along with her husband.


Why do I want to attend Utah's Bilingual ASL/English Wood Badge course? This is the first time that Wood Badge has been made deaf accessible. Great Salt Lake Council adapted the current Wood Badge training syllabus and got it approved by our National Office in Texas. This is a chance for me to experience the deaf accessible program in action. As this may be the last annual offering for a few years, I don't want to miss this opportunity to attend.

Having experienced Wood Badge within my local Council, I know how demanding and intense the course can be. Although my Wood Badge staff was aware of my hearing loss and made adaptations to include me, much information was still missed in spite of our efforts. Hence the reason I'd like to see and make use of how Utah's Council made adaptations to make a Bilingual ASL/ English Wood Badge course to share locally in Northeast region. 

For your information, it is hard to get interpreters for such a weeklong intense training courses as these kinds of courses do not fit under the Americans with Disabilites Act (ADA) requirements because of BSA not-for-profit status. Sometimes I've been fortunate to get an interpreter or two for BSA events and trainings but most often its either follow along with printed notes or powerpoint by forewarning people of my hearing loss and my accomdation needs. An added bonus:  Will be nice to learn how this course makes professional development credits possible for their interpreters thus encouraging interpreters to help out in making this type of course possible as we can't do it without them.  Below is an interpreter at work:


What do I plan to do with the Bilingual ASL/ English Wood Badge course experience? Bring it back to the BSA Northeast region, so this kind of Bilingual ASL/ English Wood Badge training course can be done on a regional basis either yearly or every two years.  Its also possible to rotate in the four regions.

For your information: Rochester, NY has the second largest Deaf/ ASL user population. Also many BSA Deaf units are found within Deaf Schools where their volunteer staff are school teachers. Most teachers cannot take a week off to attend or do the two weekends requirement attendance by flying back and forth because of the expense. (Most Wood Badge courses are two weekends rather than one full week since Scouters are local volunteers attending.)   Below is our regional map so you can see how far the distance of travel is:


What is the benefit of having a Bilingual ASL/ English Wood Badge course? Many deaf or hard of hearing Scouters are missing a great opportunity to experience this training because ASL interpreters are not provided. Also some Wood Badge staffs might not have experience having a Scouter who is an ASL user. From my own experiences, I know Deaf Scouters tend to be isolated within their units as their main focus is their son(s) rather than themselves. This is an opportunity to unite fellow Scouters who are deaf, hard of hearing or ASL users while opening the recruitment field for more volunteers.  For myself, it's an opportunity to give back after being blessed with my ScOUTING experience.


Who benefits from taking a Bilingual ASL/ English Wood Badge course?  Benefits are there for both sides: deaf and hearing participants. Deaf participants get all the training information while the hearing participants learn and experience what being deaf or an ASL user is all about.  Courses set up like this add a dimension that the standard Wood Badge course doesn't have. Information taken back can be used in other areas of ScOUTING or in real life. It's all good clean fun with loads of laughter and learning!!... *smiles

Why is this important to me? As a Deaf Scouter, I know from experience how tough trainings without interpreters can be. By the same token, I know there is still misunderstandings and preconceived information surrounding the Deaf/ deaf/ hard of hearing Scouters and the ASL user. For example...Did you know that ASL is NOT spoken English in sign language? Many think ASL is English in sign language when the reality is ASL is a whole 'nother language that doesn't follow the spoken English at all.

Also from experience, I know how isolate one with a hearing loss or being an ASL user is, especially if one is part of a hearing unit due to their hearing child.
Ever try lip reading by campfire??..*grins  
Or quietly sitting in Courts of Honor where awards are given and having no clue what been spoken, let alone what was awarded?? As this is part of life, I have no regrets on the missing information as the award cards told me afterwards.  Hurdles like these are like the salt mountains below, climbed daily.  Afterwards you brush off the salt and get ready for the next adventure.


This is an opportunity or bring about awareness as well as meeting the needs of Deaf Scouters by creating a support system for them within ScOUTING's program while educating others that Deaf and ASL users do exist even though most of Deaf Scouters are hidden. There is more of us Deaf Scouters out there than the world knows. Most of us don't attend many events because of missed information, struggles or isolation along with juggling family and work schedules.


About me: My son and I did the ScOUTING journey with the OUTING in ScOUTING from Tiger (1st grade) to Eagle (age 18) then onto the coed Venturing (age 21). I was my son's den leader for 4 years. I stepped in when our Tiger den leader left after his sons opt for sports. At the Boy Scout level, I was a committee member and the Troop's Camp Food Coordinator. After my son made Eagle, I went back to Cub Scouts as a den leader again. (Its easier the second, third and now fourth time.)

My fourth stint (this year) is with a Deaf Cub Scout unit that started last year at our local Deaf School. Its been a challenge in many ways for myself even though I'm an experienced Scouter. From not meeting weekly to having all the dens/ages do one meeting together which is not like the traditional program. (A traditional program separated the youth by grades at the Cub Scout level (grades 1 to grade 5-6). We also meet after school so parental involvement is lesser along with Pack meetings being non exist. (No worries as I'm revamping the program for next year after learn the ropes this year of what this unit needs are.)


Most rewarding moment of ScOUTING: Four come to mind...
1. My son and I doing the 50 miler and pitching our tent in the exact same place we started tent camping with a borrowed tent. That night was a trip down memory lane of all the things ScOUTING enabled my son and I to do, the experiences we had and the things we learned. We even remembered the joy we had in the week long power outage where our ScOUTING skills happily turned it into a unexpected vacation. Meals cooked campfire style on the barbeque grill and games played by hurricane lamps.


2. Attending Wood Badge in 2005. After being told by a few Scouters I did not need Wood Badge, I was glad I ignored them and did it. It was intense but truly the BEST experience and accomplishment in my ScOUTING life. I would LOVE other Deaf Scouters to be able to experience a Wood Badge course as the knowledge gained doesn't just apply to Scouts but in other areas of one's life.


3. Volunteering for Boy Scouts of America. I have volunteered for other organizations but none gave me the great sense of satisfaction of giving to others as ScOUTING has. It hasn't always been an easy journey but there are more fun and exciting times doing that make me overlook those struggles easily. The ScOUTING family people really make ScOUTING worth being a part of as they really go the extra mile to help!


4.  Being able to share my ScOUTING experience with a Scout family where the parents were Deaf and the children were hearing.  It was amazing to see their growth in just one year.  At the same token showed me how much is missed and what things need to be adapted like having printed Court of Honor scripts. Also sharing where get interpreters from although there is no guarantee of getting them.  I never had interpreters when going through with my son so it was nice to see another have it easier than I did.


Game Plan:
Course runs from 7:00 am Monday, May 12, 2014 through 5:00 pm Saturday, May 17, 2014. I need to get my airline ticket as soon as possible before price climb again.  Cost about $500.

Getting there: Flying from Rochester, NY to Salt Lake City, Utah a day or two early as Monday through Thursday weekday flights are cheaper than Friday through Sunday.
Where staying: Not sure if tent camping or hotel staying upon my arrival there and after the course ends as it depends on funds and additional itinerary and flight schedule.  Might be 2 - 5 nights. I've never been that far West before so might use the opportunity to take in the sights if funds permit.
Getting around: Car rental will be needed so I can get around. Will try sharing the cost of hotel and rental car with other out of town Scouters so it's cheaper in the long run.  A Scout is thrifty is part of our Scout law!!

During the Wood Badge course, hotel is not needed.  We tent camp as part of the course. Food is also included. Fee for the Wood Badge ($190) course has been covered.

Additional information:
Check out this YouTube video from the first Bilingual ASL/ English course offered in 2012. (Captions can be turned on using the CC button in the lower right hand corner): 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ty71q8Oa-E

If you have Facebook, there is ASL Wood badge at: https://www.facebook.com/aslwoodbadge

Course registration:
http://www.gslc-bsa.org/event/2014-wood-badge-course-w2-590-14-3-weeklong-asl/1424873

Donations:  Please, I could use your help in making this dream possible of attending this week long Bilingual ASL/ English Wood Badge course in Utah? Feel free to donate what you can, be it $5, $10, $15, $20 or more.  Every little bit brings me closer to my goal. Your help makes it possible and will be MUCH appreciated!!

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

Yours in Deaf Scouting,
Ursula Seefeld

Update: April 1, 2014:  THANK YOU for your generous support!!  I'm feeling blessed and amazed that with your help I reached my goal within three days!! Again THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!

Update: April 7, 2014:  From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!!  Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this outpouring of support that happened in going beyond my goal.  I was a tad nervous doing this page as it is so easy ask for others but not myself. You've inspired me onward with your faith in me!!  THANK YOU!!