DiversityInGirlsCouts.org
Title
Marika Steir v. Girl Scouts. A lawsuit over discrimination in the Girl Scouts
Contact
- Steir Family
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- Atkinson NH
- United States 03811
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- +1.6033629930
Description
Marika will be 15 years old and entering her first year of public high school in September of 2001. She is an incredibly happy girl who brings joy and inspiration to all who come to know her. Many children and adults have learned from Marika what courage is and what the human spirit can achieve against all odds. Throughout her life, she has believed that she is not limited by her disabilities and insists on doing whatever any other girl her age would do. She understands that many times her activity or participation will be in a modified form. But, exclusion and discrimination are not tolerated by Marika or her parents.
Marika had meningitis in infancy that resulted in physical and speech impairments (referred to as Cerebral Palsy). She uses a power wheelchair for mobility and, a combination of sign language and a special computer that provides speech output for communication. She is a very attractive and socially extroverted young lady. She has been mainstreamed in the public school system since the first grade. Not only does association with typical peers benefit Marika, such associations with friends, school children and teachers have taught them lessons in acceptance and diversity and helped them become better people.
This mutual benefit to Marika and those she associates with also applied to the Girl Scouts. Marika had been a Brownie and a Girl Scout since 1994 prior to encountering discrimination issues and being excluded from registering with a new troop in 1998.
