Adjustments for disabled members

Have a think about the following questions: 

• Can I make this adjustment? 
• Can I keep making this adjustment? 

Work through the questions in the adjustment plan together to get a better understanding of what adjustments might be appropriate. Share any ideas you have and check if the member thinks they’ll work. Remember, it’s not their responsibility to make these changes.  

It’s important to recognise, value and act on the member’s knowledge and expertise based on their lived experience. For young members you could also ask parents or carers what’s worked well before. They may have some ideas that can help.

When completing an adjustment plan with a new member, share with them what a unit meeting might look like, and what to expect. This will help decide what adjustments will be needed.

Be positive and honest. Be open about what will be difficult to do, but always work on alternative ideas for next steps. And don’t make assumptions. What’s worked well as an adjustment in one place, like at school, won’t always work well or be possible in guiding, where we have fewer resources and are run by volunteers. Also remember that people are different. Just because a certain adjustment worked in one case, it doesn’t mean it will be suitable for a different person who has the same, or similar, impairment. Talk together about previous experiences and how you can adapt them to work in guiding.

It’s useful to keep notes of any ideas you’ve tried, conversations you’ve had, and what’s worked well. Use the adjustment plan to write your plans down and agree with everyone involved what will happen. The information must not be shared without consent.

Make sure the adjustments agreed are factored into any risk assessments and considered in the planning of an event. 

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There’s no set definition of ‘reasonable’, as each person’s needs will be different. When deciding whether an adjustment is reasonable you should consider:

• Effectiveness: an adjustment must be effective in removing or reducing the barrier the disabled member is facing. Ask yourself, is this going to support the member to fully take part?
• Practicality: the more practical an adjustment is, the more likely it is to be reasonable. This might involve thinking about suitability of your venue and equipment or deciding whether you need additional volunteer support. However, just because something is difficult doesn’t mean it can’t also be reasonable.
• You can treat disabled people better or 'more favourably' than non-disabled people and sometimes this may be part of the solution.
• It may take several different adjustments to deal with a certain barrier, but each adjustment should contribute towards removing or reducing it.  

To help manage expectations, make sure that members, parents and carers are aware that we’re a charity, and that all our activities are run by volunteers. This means we may not be able to offer the same support as a young person’s school, for example. 

If you’d like support with making adjustments, please contact your local commissioner or email us: [email protected]. 

Girlguiding is a charity and our activities are delivered by volunteers. We’ll do our best to make all adjustments that are reasonable. But it might not always be possible to make an adjustment, or in some cases it might take a while to make an adjustment.

To make sure that our young members and volunteers can enjoy their Girlguiding experience safely, volunteers aren’t allowed to carry out any tasks that they aren’t competent or safe to carry out (which may require specific training depending on the task). As a volunteer, you should only be carrying out tasks that you’re competent (and suitably trained, where necessary) to carry out. 

If you’d like to discuss a specific aspect of someone’s care, email us and we can let you know whether you’re insured to carry this out. Planned personal care must only be carried out by a dedicated individual support unit helper or an external carer. This person must have been approved by the parent or carer.  

Unit leaders will use this adjustment plan as a starting point for a discussion with you and the young member about how best to support them.

The adjustment plan should be completed together. The discussion will help unit leaders to make adjustments in meetings, outings, and residential events to ensure Girlguiding is accessible for the young member. 

The adjustment plan will be reviewed regularly with the you and the young member to make sure it’s up to date and the adjustments are still appropriate. When completing an adjustment plan, a review date should be agreed with the unit leader to make sure that the young member is supported in the best way they can be. You should let the unit leader know as soon as possible about any changes regarding the young member that are likely to affect the support or adjustments they may need. 

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This adjustment plan will be reviewed regularly with you to ensure it’s up to date and the adjustments are still appropriate. When completing an adjustment plan, a review date should be agreed with the volunteer making the adjustments to ensure you’re supported in your role throughout your time in Girlguiding. You should let the volunteer know as soon as possible about any changes that are likely to affect the support or adjustments you need.

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Completing an adjustment plan isn't a one-off process, it’s something you should  review regularly. Health and conditions can change over time, therefore we recommend checking in at least yearly to check the plan is up to date and still working. It’s a good idea to regularly ask for feedback and proactively think about what more you could do.

For example: 

Alisha is a Ranger who’s deaf. Her unit has made sure that their meeting space has an emergency alarm with a flashing light, that volunteers always try to face her when they speak, and they don’t rely only on sounds when doing activities. Every term the leaders ask Alisha how she’s finding Rangers and if they can do anything more to help include her. If anything has changed, they’ll revisit the adjustment plan to ensure they’re doing everything they can to support her. 

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No disabled person should have to pay for any adjustments. Any costs should, where reasonable, be covered by Girlguiding. To help with this we have the accessible guiding grant to support disabled members. These can help with transport, training and the development of an accessible programme.

You also may be able to find additional funding locally, for example through your local authority. Check our guidance for applying for grants from trusts and foundations. 

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Examples of what to think about when making adjustments in venues:

• When looking at venues, think about the physical space and how people might use it. Is there an accessible toilet? Does it have a loop system installed?  
• Before buying new equipment consider how accessible it is. Would another model be easier?                     
• If planning a trip, does the venue allow a disabled member to participate with the rest of the group? For example, could they share a room if they wanted to? Can they travel to the event with the rest of the group?
• Before using any resources consider alternative formats. For example, would printing out a larger handout or using a different colour help?
• When making signs, think about using icons and symbols as well as text. Some units use pictorial signs for drink, biscuits, toilet, and big crosses to mark the no-go areas like cupboards and kitchen, for example.
• Share what works. When new volunteers join your unit, let them know what you’ve done to make adjustments for your members. 

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As a volunteer, it's important to adapt activities so that all girls can take part. These hints and tips will help you make small changes to make guiding available to all girls.  
  
Think RECIPES:

• Rules - can the rules be simplified or relaxed?
• Equipment - can you change the equipment? You could use bigger targets, soft balls or equipment that makes a noise. What equipment is necessary to make an activity happen? If a girl needs different equipment for a craft or activity, it may make her feel less self-conscious if all the girls are given this equipment rather than singling her out.
• Changes to speed and force - do girls have to run to play the game? Can girls move in a different way across the space? For a craft, could it be completed over multiple weeks? Consider whether you could have multiple activities happening at once in case some girls finish quicker than others.
• Instructions – what’s the simplest way to explain an activity? Try using visual prompts, such as flashcards, to make things clearer. How about getting the girls to explain the activity to each other? Remember, it doesn't matter if girls make mistakes or don't understand.
• Practice - have a practice run of the game. This means you can check if all the girls understand how the game is played.
• Environment - think about where you’re playing the game or doing the activity. Do you need more space? Do girls all need to be sitting at tables or can the use of the space be more varied?
• Skills - what skills are needed to complete the task and are these completely necessary? Could girls tear paper rather than use scissors? Can they work as a team or in pairs? If taking this approach, apply it to everyone in the unit rather than an individual. Remember, things don’t have to be perfect! It's better that girls try and develop their own skills rather than have activities be done for them!  

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Our qualifications offer a great opportunity for all our members to gain skills and experience. There may be times that these qualifications need to be adapted for members with additional needs.

To achieve a qualification, a member must demonstrate that they have a set of specific skills. The outcomes of the qualification can’t change but, when necessary, you can change the route that a member takes to achieve these.

The full 1st response and 1st response refresher courses are both attendance-based courses. A participant can’t 'fail' these courses.

Always discuss any changes to the qualification with the member beforehand. They may not require, or want, any changes to be made. This is their decision.

To help adapt the route to achieving these skills, think SET qualifications:

• Skills - what skills are required to achieve the qualification, and what are the core outcomes? These will be clear from the module descriptions in each qualification. Discuss these skills with the member and how they hope to work towards them. This is no different to the process that should be taken with all adult members working towards a Girlguiding qualification.
• Evidence - how will the member record their achievements? Do these need to be in written form? They may wish to be more creative. Video and photo evidence could be used to demonstrate skills. If it’s entirely necessary to provide written evidence - for example, demonstrating the use of forms - someone else could act as scribe.
• Time - is there a time restriction to achieve the qualification? Does there need to be a time restriction? Could this be relaxed?  

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If you need the programme in an accessible format (braille and Word documents for e-readers), please email [email protected] outlining: 

• Your name and email address.
• Your access need.
• The resource format you require.  

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An assistance dog is a dog trained to support a disabled person with their day-to-day activities. They can be trained to help people with anything from hearing and/or visual impairments through to epilepsy, diabetes, mobility issues and more.    
  
There are lots of different types of assistance dogs, including guide dogs and support dogs. An assistance dog is not the same as a ‘therapy dog’ or an ‘emotional support dog’. For more information on these definitions and differences, check out this useful guidance from Assistance Dogs UK (link opens in a new tab).   

The first step to being inclusive of any disabled member is having an open and honest conversation with them about any barriers they may face in the unit, and how you can remove them. This conversation can take place through the completion of the adjustment plan, together with the member, and parent or carer if the volunteer is under 18, or 16 in Scotland.

Remember, an assistance dog is a working dog not a pet, so there are different rules about where they can go and how we interact with them.

Just as every member is different, every assistance dog is different and will have different needs, personalities, and boundaries. The member will know their assistance dog best, so respect their wishes and decisions about their assistance dog.

Remember, not all people with assistance dogs have visual impairments, and many disabilities aren’t visible. It may not be appropriate to ask someone with an assistance dog what they need their assistance dog for, as this might reveal private information about their disability.

Don’t forget you can apply for funding from HQ to provide support for disabled members.   

Dos and don'ts of introducing an assistance dog to your unit

Do:

• Ask the member what you can do to make sure others understand how to support them. For example, the member might want you to make an announcement reminding others that an assistance dog is doing an important, special job and so it’s important that the dog isn’t distracted during unit meetings. This would mean asking others not to touch, stroke, talk to or make intentional eye contact with the assistance dog.
• This won’t always be the case, so follow their lead on how they’d like others to interact with the assistance dog.
• Make sure you and the other members always speak directly to the member rather than to their assistance dog.
• Save a chair for the member with extra space for their dog and a clear path to the door.
• Try to give advance warning about loud noises, such as moving heavy equipment or turning on music, as loud noises can startle dogs.
• Understand that members with assistance dogs might need extra or longer breaks, for example to take their dog outside for a walk or bathroom visit.  

Don't:

• Depending on the member’s disability, the dog might be trained to alert them to life-threatening medical situations. So make sure you don’t separate the member from their assistance dog.
• Say things like: ‘You’re lucky you get to take your dog everywhere.’ An assistance dog isn’t a pet and is with them out of necessity, not for fun.
• Leave dangerous edible items within the assistance dog’s reach, such as chocolate, grapes or raisins. While assistance dogs are generally trained to ignore all food items, it’s still best to be safe.
• Take a photo of an assistance dog, unless you have explicit consent from the member.    

If you have a member who’s allergic to dogs, discuss how severe their allergy is with them. Depending on the severity of their allergy, you can take steps to make sure they have minimal or no contact with the assistance dog. For example, you could sit the member who’s allergic to dogs at the opposite end of the group from the member with their assistance dog.

Likewise, if you have a member who’s scared of dogs, have a conversation with them about the steps you can take to make them feel more comfortable. It may be useful for those with a fear of dogs to know that assistance dogs are trained to stay by their owner’s side, remain quiet and focus on their owner.

For further support, contact your local commissioner team or [email protected].   

Assistance dogs are highly trained to make sure they’re always under control and won’t be a nuisance to anyone. For example, they won’t jump up and will usually lie down at their owner’s feet.  

Assistance dogs are also covered by their own insurance, which is issued by the organisation that the dog works for.

A member with an assistance dog will be aware of any considerations for trips. Have a conversation with the member before planning a trip to discuss any adjustments you might need to make. You should complete an events adjustment plan with the member before any event or trip away from the unit to outline what these adjustments might be.

For example, when travelling as a group, recognise that the member may need special arrangements such as traveling in a specific part of the train which has more space for the dog.

You might find it useful to read this assistance dog travel guide (link opens in a new tab) from Guide Dogs.

For further support, contact your local commissioner or [email protected].   

• Assistance Dogs UK: a coalition of assistance dog organisations. 
• Hearing Dogs for Deaf people: training hearing dogs who change the lives of deaf adults and children across the UK.
• Guide Dogs: helping blind and partially sighted people across the UK through the provision of guide dogs.
• Support Dogs: increasing independence and quality of life for people with various medical conditions, specialising in 3 areas: autism assistance dogs, seizure alert dogs for people with epilepsy and disability assistance dogs for people with physical disabilities.