Additional needs
who have a similar disability to me. I enjoyed meeting children like myself and I also learnt maths skills. I learnt adding and subtracting large numbers. I would definitely want to do this again.”
‘Jonas’ has Attention Deficit Disorder and Dyspraxia. For the Skills section of his Bronze programme he chose to do cooking.
ONE FOR ALL
“For my Skills section I cooked pizza. I chose this because I didn’t know how to make a pizza and it seemed like fun. I loved my activity because it made me more energetic and confident. By doing this I learnt how to cook and learnt things about food hygiene. It boosted my confidence and it is something I would definitely do again.”
DofE programmes have a long tradition of being open to everyone of all abilities, backgrounds and interests. Here are a few inspiring stories of participants who are completing their programmes...
‘Frankie’ is a young man who overcame a number of challenges to achieve his Bronze, Silver and eventually his Gold Award. He doesn’t communicate verbally but is expressive and can use his arms and expressions to communicate. When he started his DofE he enjoyed going to a youth club but day trips made him feel anxious, which led to stomach problems and infections, meaning he then had to stay at home. Frankie volunteered to run activities at the youth club and developed his independent living skills for his Skills section. When it came to his expedition he needed to find an accessible lodge which could accommodate his medical needs and a hoist. He felt anxious but he loved being away with his peers. He liked being involved in the activities, including cooking – even though he couldn’t eat it – but he enjoyed cooking for others. After Bronze he stopped feeling anxious and didn’t have any associated health problems whilst he was away on his Silver expeditions. He wanted to go to France for his Gold expedition and it was a big success. For his residential he raised money to pay for carers and the accommodation he needed. His residential used tents, had accessible showering facilities and a zip wire which attached to his wheelchair. It was difficult for him to go away without his friends and he struggled at first but soon began to feel better and enjoyed himself.
‘Kieran’ is a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome who ran a tuck shop and had this to say: “I volunteered at a tuck shop at the sports college, working with disadvantaged children. I chose this because it gave me a chance to work with children
DofE Magazine Issue 29: SPRING 2018
‘Pete’ was going through a particularly tough time. He had just been taken into care for the third time and was separated from his family, including his younger siblings. He had a diagnosis of autism and learning difficulties.
He had become withdrawn and, although he attended school daily, he refused to speak, move or eat. He would sit in the same seat every day for the whole day and he would not join in with the class. The one session he would attend was his weekly DofE training, where he would complete the activities (sometimes needing a lot of support). He understood that he needed to visit the gym weekly for his Physical section, and although he would not change into a PE kit, he would actively participate in a fitness programme.
He happily undertook his expedition, much to his teachers’ surprise, and joined in with games and jokes and enjoyed being part of a group with his peers. He was actively involved in decisions relating to which route to take and even led the group on a few occasions.
See our range of resources available on
DofE.org/additional needs.
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