Summer is here and all your plans for an enriching season must now come to shape. Summer camps are for everyone, they entice, en-light and delight one and all. And specially for individuals with special needs and adults with disabilities, nothing can stop you from enjoying some time away from home. These camps assume care role for the few weeks of respite for family.
Special need camps for adults with disabilities are a balance of structure and freedom, in terms they aim to provide recreation and entertainment amid all the care like home. This is extremely necessary for the individuals with disabilities to find their self esteem and passion back. Your disabilities are no cause to stop you from getting enriched and enthralled.
Special need camps for adults are truly mesmerizing for they bring people with similar challenges together. They provide motivation and inspiration to lead a normal life despite the special needs. And they also give a lot of love, care and encouragement which is most needed at the time.
Why opting for special need camps for adults:
Everyone deserves a vacation away from home. And the individuals with special needs and disabilities need them more than anyone. For the sheer success stories from these camps make us believe that summer camps for special needs cater to larger goals. Their popularity is truly based on the many aspects it serves. Some of the benefits of camps for individuals with special needs include:
1- Special need camps provide a balance of structure and freedom which is much needed for the adults with disabilities. The incredible structure of these special needs camps, and the freedom in terms of just being there and doing that, makes the adult forget their pain and challenges for the time. It encourages and guide them to how to lead a normal life, what can be the ways they attain more and more independence withing their boundaries. And most important how to find happiness in the other things life has gifted them.
2- Special needs camp also provide a lot of educational insights. There are numerous activities and programs in these special needs camps which recharge the adults, equip them with knowledge and make them more and more self assured.
3- Special needs camp provides an opportunity for social interaction. Adults with special needs and disabilities get to be at same place. This provides them an opportunity to interact with like minded peers. This not only helps them make closer ties and life long friendships but also instills confidence in them.
4- Year to year progress can be recorded with these camps. When an individual with special needs attends the same camp year on year, their progress can easily be recorded. This helps in providing them with renewed services and care that can help these people to get better in leading a normal healthy life.
5- Summer camps for special needs individuals also help in overcoming embarrassment and inferiority complex. As individuals with disabilities often tend to stay aloof, have high inferiority complex and fail to come out and talk to even family members. These summer camps for adults with special needs help in finding the right place to come out and express themselves. Attending these special needs camps, makes an individual get over their inferiority complex and get more and more social
6- Campgrounds have understanding camp counselors and volunteers who cooperate and promote peer relation, self-confidence, learning new life skills. Also self esteem is given more emphasis in addition to making friends and finding pleasure times.
7- Families also enjoy peace of mind that their member is having relaxing and fun time at summer camps amid proper trained staff and dedicated members. This boosts their morale high
Here’s a run down of the most popular camps for individuals with special needs:
1- Paddy Rossbach youth camp:
Amputee coalitions Paddy Rossbach youth camp in Clasksville, OH is a traditional camp experience for individuals who have lost arms or legs or were born without limbs. The camp offers challenging activities that builds campers confidence regardless of skill levels. It covers all expenses including travel for campers.
2- Camp Merry heart:
Camp Merry Heart in Hackettstown, NJ is offered by Easter seals of NJ every year for children and adults with all types of disabilities. They aim to offer opportunities for self-determination and group participation, along with physical exercises. This also offers recreational trips and excursions along with weekend getaways.
3- Friendship circle:
The friendship circle in West Bloomfield, MI has options for social skills day camp, overnight camps and lose the training wheels program to learn to ride a two wheeled bike. There are volunteer who help in special camp programs
4- National Ability Center:
National Ability Center in Park City, UT has year round day camps and overnight camps. For youth with physical disabilities and autism. Recreational, competitive and team building programs in skiing, adventure learning and aquatics, archery, water sports, cycling, snowboarding, sled hockey and climbing.
5- Camp Cheerful:
Camp Cheerful in Strongsville, OH caters to individuals with physical, mental, developmental, sensory disabilities in a barrier free environment. The camp aims to encourage independence and confidence while improving quality of life with traditional and adapted recreational activities, horseback riding, hiking, swimming, accessible rope course, fishing, canoeing, arts and crafts, nature study activities, games, music, campfire activities.
6- Deaf Blind camp of MD:
The deaf blind camp of MD in West River provides a barrier free week of recreation for people with significant hearing and vision loss. Communication is provided to meet the needs of each camper, sighted guides, braille, spoken English, amplified song and writing. It also includes camp activities like climbing wall, boating, hiking, canoeing, technology exhibits and cooking classes too
7- Miracle League:
Miracle league is an international organization serving 200k individuals with disabilities with their single mission; to make baseball more accessible to people of all abilities. Miracle league fields are fully accessible to wheeled chairs, where each pair is paired with a non disabled volunteer. The rules of this game are modified to give each player the opportunity to participate fully.
8- Camp Millhouse:
Camp Millhouse near South Bend, Indiana has served since 1937 as a retreat for young adults with mental and physical disabilities. This camp features an outdoor adventure course, an indoor sports arena, swimming, music therapy, heated cabins and 24 hours nursing staff
9- Camp Prime Time:
Camp Prime Time in Wenatchee national Forest White pass Washington serves families that have a member who is disabled or has serious illness. The purpose of the camp is to offer these families a chance to enjoy each others company in an invigorating environment surrounded by nature.
10- Camp Greentop:
Camp Green top near Catoctin National Park in Thurmont, MD. There are day camps and overnight camps offering structured schedule of fishing, canoeing, swimming, horse back riding and campfire singalongs.
There are ample other programs and individuals special needs camps, these have amazing impacts and benefits for the individual and their families too. Some quick facts on disabilities camps in North America include:
1- These camps are inclusive in nature bringing youth with and without disabilities to enjoy recreational experiences
2- Segregated in nature providing recreational programs specifically designed for camper with disabilities within barrier free environments
3- Designed to provide medical and social supports necessary for campers who might otherwise be excluded from recreational camp settings.
The above compilation on List of special need camps for adults with disabilities is to help us all find the right experiences for our family member with special needs. If you still haven’t yet picked up a disability summer camp, its time to check the most wonderful listings at campnavigator resources.
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By Minu Manisha
