Project: Seeing the Invisible

Abigail Taylor believes what you see is not always the full picture, which is why she developed her Gold Award project around invisible disabilities.

“Not all disabled individuals are wheelchair bound, have a prosthetic or have a service animal, many have hidden impairments,” she said. Some examples of invisible disabilities include autism, heart conditions, IBS, allergies, and diabetes. “It can be pretty hard to know if some people are disabled.”  

Reaching out

To encourage acceptance and increase knowledge about non-visible disabilities, Abigail and her team built a sensory bench which will be installed in the For-Mar’s Exploration Garden Space. A QR code located near the bench goes to a website she developed which provides more information about invisible disabilities.

Abigail did not let her lack of public speaking experience stop her from giving an interactive presentation on her Gold Award project.

“Everyone really took in the information and participated a lot. I genuinely felt like the message was heard and considered thoroughly,” she said.

Gold lessons

Abigail learned about prioritizing, organization and communicating as a leader.

“I discovered I can do things even if they scare me or feel too big and that I can conquer any problem with the right support and by doing it one step at a time,” she said.

Abigail was a member of Troop 13303 out of Grand Blanc. She will take her new skills with her as she attends Mott Community College for an associates degree while pursuing her passion in the arts.

Find out more

Abigail chats about her Gold Award journey on our YouTube channel.

Visit www.gssem.org/highestawards to learn more about the Girl Scouts Gold Awards.