Community Connections Communicator - February 2003
Finding a Summer Camp for your Child with Special Needs

Georges County Department of Parks & Recreation offers a wide selection of programs for a variety of ages, interests, and ability levels.
Recommended Websites:
www.kidscamps.com
www.camppage.com
www.campchannel.com
All three of these sites contain information about summer camps offered in Maryland and across the country. You can search for camps by area of interest, name, or location.

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Finding a Summer Camp for your Child with Special Needs
By Amy Tetteh Griffin

Summer is a usually a great time for everyone. Families can take a break from the ordinary, relax, and try something different. One of the biggest challenges though, may be finding something to fill those lazy days of summer for your children. This can be especially true, if you have a child with special needs. But, there are creative ways to find summer fun for your child. There are community camps, specialty camps, theme camps, and many other inclusive activities for your child with disabilities. If you have trouble finding a program that is already set up to fit your family's needs, you may want to take on the challenge of helping an existing program include your child with disabilities. It may be difficult at first, but the rewards will be everlasting for your child and ultimately, your community.

Tips For Finding An Inclusive Camp For Your Child
Research, research, research!

Find out what camps are available in your neighborhood - use the internet, your community center, the bulletin board in your local grocery store, the library, etc.

Ask other parents where they send their kids for the summer

This includes both children with disabilities and typical children. There may be a camp in your area that has already successfully included children with disabilities in their program. Your friends and neighbors may be able to give you great leads about camps that their children have enjoyed in past summers.

Check with your child's school. They often have summer camp information for families.

Call or visit your local Partners for Success Parent Center. They generally collect information on camps for children with disabilities in your area.

Contact your local parks and recreation programs. These organizations are usually willing to make accommodations in their camp programs for children with disabilities.

Start Early

Many camp registrations begin in March or April. The earlier you get started, the more time you will have to gather resources, and meet with staff about making accommodations for your child.

Tips For Integrating A New Camp Program
Evaluate your family's needs!

Be realistic about your needs. Ask yourself the following questions:

If you have other children, do you need for all of your children to attend the same camp program?

How far are you willing to drive to a camp that you feel meets the needs of your children?

Do the operating hours of the camp fit your work schedule? If not, do they provide before and aftercare?

Is the cost of the camp something that will fit into your budget?

Be realistic about your child's needs. Keep these questions in mind as you sift through camp information:

Is this camp something that your child will enjoy?

Does the camp offer experiences that will enhance your child's overall social, emotional or educational development?

Know your resources!

Use your school resources.

Your child's teacher or therapist may be able to offer the camp director suggestions and tips on working with your child.

Learn about your community resources.

Programs like "The Abilities Network, Project ACT" offer training, support and consultation to programs that include children with disabilities.

Help find experienced people to work with your child.

Your local colleges and universities can be a great resource for Special Education students who are looking for summer employment and relevant experience. If the program needs to hire additional experienced staff, offer to post a flyer for them in the student lounge or career office.

Use the web to find resources and tips.

There are many websites that have resources for parents of children with disabilities. Websites like the University of Maryland's, www.communityconnections.umd.edu, may offer suggestions for including your child with disabilities in community programs.

Use your rights as your resolve, not your weapon!

Avoid getting into a new program by shaking your fists saying "I know my rights!". It is the easiest way to really get people scared about trying to include your child with disabilities. They will be afraid that you will threaten them with a lawsuit, or sue them if everything doesn't go as planned. Instead, use your rights as your resolve to stand your ground and let them know that your child should be able to enjoy their camp even though he or she has a disability.

Be honest about your child's needs!

State your child's needs openly and honestly. For example, if your child needs assistance in the bathroom, be very clear about what the staff will have to do to help your child. If you are not clear about this in the beginning, you may face resentment from the staff when they find out that you weren't exactly forthcoming about the amount of time or effort that would be needed to accommodate your child.

Concentrate on the positives

Clearly state your child's needs, then concentrate on what your child can do, not what he can't do. Talk about the positive aspects of your child's personality, skills, or characteristics that you feel are your child's best assets. Let them know how the other children will benefit from having your child in the program!

Educate the staff!

Ideally, before the first day camp sit down with the director, and any staff that will be working with your child. Teach them the ins and outs of how to do things with and for your child. Model appropriate language and positive interactions for your child.

Educate the typical children in the camp!

Ask the staff if you could set aside some time to talk with the other children who will be attending camp with your child. Let them ask questions about your child's disability. Model appropriate language and positive interactions. Explain to them that everyone is different, and that your child is different because he or she uses a wheelchair to get around, talks with their hands, or uses pictures to communicate. You will answer their questions, and probably answer the questions of some of the adults too!

Learn how to approach the speed bumps!

Tackle problems early, before they get out of hand. Check in with the staff on a regular basis to make sure that everything is going well.

Realize that everyone is learning and that there may be some missteps in the beginning. When there are, simply point them out without being condescending or accusatory, and give them suggestions for how to avoid them in the future. Keep the conversations light, and use humor whenever possible. (Except in the cases of your child's personal safety!)

Be Supportive!

Let the staff know how to reach you if they have questions.

Offer to help the staff find resources for working with your child.

Write letters of appreciation and support to help the program.

Last but not least, know when to walk away!

Ultimately, you want your child to have a great summer. If the program is consistently unwilling or truly unable to provide a safe and nurturing environment for your child, find something else.

This article was first published in "A Special Edition 2003," a publication of Baltimore's Child, and is reprinted with permission from the author and original publication.

My Personal Camp Experience By Amy Tetteh Griffin
This past summer, my son Kalonji attended a Summer Enrichment Program at a community high school in my area. It was the first time that this program had accepted children with disabilities, and his arrival was met with fear, anticipation, and some resentment. I worked with the Coordinator for weeks before the start of the program to map out a plan for meeting his needs during the summer. Mrs. C was reluctant, and did almost everything she possibly could to discourage our participation. But, I was determined! I wanted Kalonji to attend the same program as his 10 year old sister, Victoria. This program was perfect for both of them.

During the first week of the camp, I spoke to all 200 of the children about playing with and being friends with children who are "differently-abled". I talked about disabilities, and encouraged the children to think of games that they could play with someone who was blind, deaf, or in a wheelchair. We talked about famous people with disabilities. I asked the children not be afraid to be friends with kids who were different. My daughter spoke to the children about how she dislikes it when people make fun of children with disabilities. She also explained how it can be really cool to play with a child with a disability. My son Kalonji told the children that, "Kids with disabilities can be a lot of fun".

After my presentation, the Coordinator was clearly moved. She had tears streaming down her face, and she came up to me and gave me a big hug. She said that is was a blessing to have my son in the program, and that she wanted to make sure that the program was open to kids like him next year! Even though I am happy about that, I felt that the bigger success was watching my son who became the camp celebrity, make his rounds in the morning and in the evening before going home. There was not one single child in the whole program who didn't know his name. He got lots of hugs and encouragement from the other children. Even though I knew that there would still be children who would make fun of him, or say mean things about children with disabilities, I knew that he was surrounded by enough kids who would stand up for him and say, "It is okay to be different, and Kalonji is my friend!".

Spotlights of the Month!
Prince George's County, Department of Parks & Recreation
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
website: www.pgparks.com

Are you looking for fun, creative and recreational activities for your child this summer? Well check out The Prince George's County Department of Parks & Recreations. They are offering a variety of day camps and summer playgrounds for children ages 3 to 18 during the summer. The day camps are for children ages 3 through 18. The program includes camps that are centered around arts & crafts, sports, swimming, and specialty camps that feature nature, aviation, computers, the visual and performing arts and more. The hours of operation are typically Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with before and after care available. The summer playground programs are for children ages 6 through 12. The programs are held at participating elementary schools throughout Prince George's County. The hours of operation are typically Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The day camp guide will be available in early March in print and also on the website (www.pgparks.com). In order to register for day camps, you will need to sign up for a SMARTlink account through the Department of Parks & Recreation. Click on the link below to find out how to set up a SMARTlink account.

http://www.pgparks.com/info/smartclient.html

Did you know that the Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation offers two programs specifically for children and adults with disabilities? The Special Programs Division provides recreation programs and services for county residents with disabilities. The Inclusion Services Program facilitates the participation of individuals with and without disabilities in programs and services together. These services include, but are not limited to, the provision of support staff, sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, and adapted equipment. To find out more about each of these programs, please click on the link below.

http://www.pgparks.com/things/special.html

We currently offer training and technical consultation to businesses, churches, and other community organizations to help make them more welcoming to families and children with special needs. If you know of a business or other organization that would like to take advantage of these services, please e-mail us at: communityconnections@umail.umd.edu
OR
If you know of a business that is already welcoming to children with special needs and their families and you would like to share this information with other families and professionals, please send us your name as well as the name and contact information for the business with a brief description of why you believe they are welcoming to families. If appropriate, we will post the business on our website and we may even feature it as a 'Spotlight if the Month'. E-mail your submissions to: communityconnections@umail.umd.edu

Recommended Websites:
www.kidscamps.com
www.camppage.com
www.campchannel.com
If you are looking for a camp outside of the Parks and Recreation Department, these sites are a good place to start. All three of these sites contain information about summer camps offered in Maryland and across the country. You can search for camps by area of interest, name, or location. A description of each camp along with contact information is provided.