iCan
Don't be afraid to send your child to camp

First in a series on sending a child with disabilities to a camp geared toward the child's special needs.

Sending a child with special needs to camp for the first time may be one of the most difficult, yet rewarding, decisions parents will make for their child. There are lots of parents -- I was one of them -- who believe they are the only people who can properly care for their special child.

Besides, going away to summer camp sounds like an activity reserved for "normal" kids, not my child with a thousand special needs. But let's face it: my special child -- who I love deeply with each breath I take -- and I could use a few days away from each other so the rest of the family can recharge its batteries.

I'll never forget when Mimi went to camp for the first time eight years ago. My friend, Stacy, had seen a video on a wonderful camp for special kids north of San Antonio, Texas, called Camp C.A.M.P. (Children's Association for Maximum Potential). She gave me its brochure and I kept it for a year before rustling up the nerve to call and ask a thousand questions.

Mimi's needs are many. She has cerebral palsy and a dislocated hip, is mentally retarded, uses a wheelchair, has very limited self-help skills, is speech-impaired and the most social little butterfly you've ever seen. Her smile and hugs are magnificent.

That first summer, our family drove 4½ hours from Houston to the Texas Hill Country camp. Mimi and I waited under the shade of a gazebo to check in while the rest of our children played nearby on the jungle gym. Having second thoughts, I felt like such a traitor for thinking I could drop off my 9-year-old girl and leave her for five days. It was then when a lady joined us in the shade with her son. I could see by the oxygen tank hanging off the back of his wheelchair that he had lots of challenges also.

"Is this your son's first year at camp?" I asked.

"Oh, no. It's his third and he's only 6 years old. He loves coming to camp," she said.

Geez, I couldn't believe my ears. The child's disabilities looked so much more severe than Mimi's. How was it possible that a child with so many challenges was coming to camp? Had I had been denying my special child a couple of years of some serious fun?

That first summer I cried when I left Mimi with her cute and perky counselor, and then cried again when I picked her up five days later. Our reunion was a joyous occasion. But the respite had done wonders to recharge my batteries. And we had a profound appreciation for the wonderful staff at Camp C.A.M.P.

For more information on summer camps, check out the Web. I did a search using "summer camps" and "disabled" and was given 47,516 sites. The American Camping Association's site, www.acacamps.org , lists ACA-accredited camps for children with and without disabilities. Do a search by physical or mental disability for special camps. Another site by the Federation for Children with Special Needs in Boston has great information on summer camps in 10 states at www.fcsn.org. Don't forget to check out www.kidscamps.com/special_needs.html. It lists camps by disability and can be narrowed down by state, region, religion, gender, etc. There are hundred of sites on specific summer camps to also check out.